Where are the have all the butterflies gone? Moments in Nature: Honey Bees & Butterflies I suppose because there are so many milkweed species blooming presently in Michigan, I’ve been compelled to share their beauty and some of their current natural history information of late. My Orange Milkweed (Butterfly weed) in my meadow this year, [...]
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Nature Photography Tips: Know Your Subject
The more you know about your subject – the better your photos will be! Nature Photography Tips from Mark S. Carlson: By being aware, scouting and observing potential subject matter, you ‘set yourself up’ for capturing better nature photographs. One easy subject that many nature photographers have readily available is their own flower garden or local [...]
Read More Mark S. Carlson, nature photography tipsBlooms of Sleeping Bear Dunes: Smooth Rose
The wild, but not Irish, rose. Blooms of Sleeping Bear Dunes – Smooth Rose: The scenic views at Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore speak for themselves in majesty and drama, but the Smooth Rose provides stunning compliments to the landscape with its colorful blooms. The plant is called “Smooth Rose” because, unlike their thorny cousin, [...]
Read More Eco-Photo Excursions, Leelanau Peninsula, Mark S. Carlson, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, smooth rose, wildflowersFeatured Alumni Photo: Trout Lily
Featured Alumni Photo of a Trout Lilly. Featured Alumni Photo: We enjoyed a beautiful sunny day in May during our DeVries Nature Conservancy Eco~Photo Excursion in Owosso, Michigan. Participants focused their camera’s and attention on the myriad of spring blooms, from ornamental trees to carpets of woodland wildflowers. Participant Cathy Jones shared some of her trophy [...]
Read More Cathy Jones, featured alumni photo, Mark S. Carlson, nature photography tips, wildflowersFeatured Alumni Photo: Green-Tinted Trillium
Featured alumni photo of a green-tinted trillium. Featured Alumni Photo: This past May 11th, we conducted our Ephemeral Spring Eco~Photo Excursion at Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The trillium were magnificent! One of our participants, Craig Stoehre, captured a photo of a Green-tinted trillium (T. grandiflorum). The green coloration is caused by a virus [...]
Read More alumni, Craig Stoehre, featured alumni photo, Mark S. Carlson, Seasonal Photography, Spring, trillium, wildflowersNature Photography Tips: Photographing Sunsets
It’s not the sunset itself that is offers the best subject matter. Nature Photography Tips from Mark S. Carlson: Often times the best sunset photos are made right after sunset, especially if it’s partly cloudy. Why? Because the light can be very dramatic and with a body of water for reflection plus a few clouds reflecting [...]
Read More Lake Stella, Mark S. Carlson, nature photography tips, sunsets, Upper PeninsulaMichigan’s Nodding Trillium
Nodding Trillium of Michigan – a shy but beautiful wildflower. Michigan Nodding Trillum. Nodding Trillium (Trillium cernuum) could be considered the shyest trillium of our eight species native to the Great Lakes region because it hides its blossom beneath a tight whorl of broad, ovate leaves. Its habitat varies from mixed coniferous-hardwoods in the north, [...]
Read More Mark S. Carlson, Seasonal Photography, Spring, trillium, wildflowersNature Photography Tips: Capturing Early Spring Wildflowers in Best Light
Spring wildflowers love the bright light and full sunshine. Nature Photography Tips from Mark S. Carlson: The majority of early spring wildflowers respond and open during bright sunshine. Sometimes good photos can be captured during such lighting conditions, but for the most part, bright overcast light would be more desirable. The image of a Round-lobed Hepatica [...]
Read More Mark S. Carlson, nature photography tips, Seasonal Photography, Spring, wildflowersMichigan’s Bent Trillium
Bent Trillium (Trillium flexipes) is perhaps the most confusing of the eight-trillium species native to the Great Lakes region. Also known as ‘Drooping’ or ‘White’ trillium, it often hybridizes with Red Trillium (T. erectum) and Nodding Trillium (T. cernuum), creating even more confusion for the armature botanist. It occurs in 20 Michigan counties, down the [...]
Read More bent trillium, Mark S. Carlson, Spring, trillium, wildflowersMichigan’s Trillium of the Snow
Trilliums of Michigan – Snow Trillium, a threatened species. Michigan Snow Trillium: Snow Trillium (Trillium nivale) is the true harbinger of spring of the eight Great Lakes trillium species. Blooming as early as mid-March, it often wakes up under a blanket of snow, hence it’s name, nivale, meaning “of the snow.” In fact, snow trillium [...]
Read More Mark S. Carlson, Seasonal Photography, snow trillium, Spring, trillium, wildflowersFeatured Alumni Photo: Birch Trees in Black & White
Featured alumni photo of quiet birch trees and falling snow…in black & white. Our Featured Alumni Photo: Birch Trees in Black & White by Shane Wyatt. Shane joined us on the Leelanau White Eco-Photo Weekend to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Leelanau County in February 2013. Sometimes photography really can be ‘Point and Shoot’. [...]
Read More featured alumni photo, Mark S. Carlson, Seasonal Photography, Shane Wyatt, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, winter photographyFeatured Alumni Photo: Boardwalk Over Dune
Featured alumni photo reminds us of our own happy visits to the dunes! Our Featured Alumni Photo: Boardwalk Over Dune. In this photo by Great Lakes Photo Tours alumnus, Kristen Kernstock, an empty ‘dune dock’ at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore’s scenic overlook (accessed from the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive), drifts quietly over a sand [...]
Read More alumni, dunes, kirsten kernstock, Leelanau Peninsula, Mark S. Carlson, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore