Bull Moose and rainbow, Baxter State Park, Maine, - Film - Officially the luckiest picture I have ever made!
Red-eyed Treefrog, Costa Rica -film - These cartoon-like frogs spend the day on a leaf with their eyes closed and legs pulled in looking like nothing more than a bump on the leaf.
Dewdrops on Spiderweb, South Lyon, MI - Film - Each drop becomes a lens which reveals the flower that is the background in this shot.
The amazing Archerfish hunts terrestrial insects. it knocks it's quarry into the water with a powerful jet of water
Green Darner Dragonfly, Brighton, MI DM This image is actually a composite of 8 images combined in photoshop. This is necessary to obtain the depth of field (zone of sharpness) required for this extreme closeup.
Fawn-breasted Hummingbird, The Tandayapa Valley, Ecuador A perfect dinner table for a hummingbird. Image cropped 25% for final composition
Pallid Bat Drinking, Elephant Head Pond Arizona Created with infrared trigger and four high speed flashes Image cropped 35% for final composition
Flock of Bohemian Waxwings, Yellowstone National Park WY - - Film - These Waxwings covered the limbs like leaves.
Snowy Owl, Canada, - Film - Spreading his wings and dancing side to side this Snowy looked to be doing a snow dance.
Who knew a mosquito is so beautiful! This freshly hatched mosquito is drying its wings.
Yellow Eyelash Viper, Near Arenal, Costa Rica CC These vipers hang out on Heliconia flower swaiting hummingbirds that come to feed on the nectar.
A Bald Eagle dips a wing as it flies low over a pond CC
Three-toed Sloth, Costa Rica. This sloth put on quite a show for us as he climbed about this tree for about ten minutes!
American Kestrel, Howell MI CC I just love the soft quite light in this image.
The beautiful Resplendent Quetzal was revered as a God in parts of Central America
Virginia Opossum, South Lyon, MI - Film - Realizing the branch he was on was a dead end this possum almost fell off as he tried to turn around.
African Lion, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania We were calling this guy Fabio! He looked like he had just gotten out of the beauty salon as strode on to this zebra kill.
Sharp-tailed Grouse, Seney National Wildlife Refuge, MI - Film - Created this image as this Dancing Grouse crested the hill in front of the sky painted with the colors of sunrise.
As a flying Squirrel comes in for a landing it raises it's tail, forcing the hind end down and creating a parachute to soften the landing
Skipper Butterfly and Rising Sun, South Lyon, MI - Film - Getting everything lined up just right for this shot was quite a trick!
Corkscrew Falls, near Hocking Hills, OH The graceful curves of the surrounding rocks frame this waterfall beautifully. DM I used photoshop to "clone" out a log at the top of the falls.
Cedar Waxwing, Northern, MI - Film - Cedar Waxwings always look so well groomed.
Leopard Yearling Cub Exciting Tree, Tarangire National Park, Tanzania. This Leopard leaps down from his lookout perch as his brother looks on.
Red-spotted Purple Butterfly, Brighton, MI I love all the little hairs on this plant!
Elephant Herd and Mountain Tarangire National, Park I saw the potential of this shot developing from quite a ways away. Our safari guide nearly killed us all getting us there just in the nick time.
Whitetail Buck, Kensington Metropark, Milford, MI This beautiful Whitetail Buck gave me a classic pose.
Cloudless Sulpher Brighton, MI Late August and early September mornings are my favorite time to photograph dew covered subjects.
Violet-tailed Sylph, Ecuador The longer the tail the more dominant the bird is in this spectacular hummingbird.
Displaying Turkey Smokey Mountain National Park A fanned tail gets the females attention, do it in a field of flowers and well...
Canadian Lynx, Near Algonquin Canada CC - Film -This beautiful Lynx just exudes quiet confidence.
Vampire Bat, Organization for Bat Conservation, MI CC Looming down from above lends and eerie feeling to this portrait
Dewdrops on a spiderweb. This is a five shot focus stack.
Windows Great-horned Owl, Grey Wolf, and Tiger I have had this series of images in my head for quite some time. The Wolf was the toughest piece of the puzzle. CC
American Bald Eagle, Kamchatca Bay, AK - Film - Captured just an instant before his talons grabbed the fish you can see just in front of it's out stretched talons.
Grizzly Bear Yellowstone, Image cropped 15% for final composition. This Grizzly Bear stood up briefly to get a better look at some passing hikers.
Western Grebes Courtship dance, North Dakota. This race across the water is part of Grebe courtship. It happened with virtually no warning I was pretty lucky to get the shot.
Grass Pink Orchid with Crab Spider White Lake, MI Film This spider is waiting for his next meal to arrive.
Coyote with Vole, Yellowstone National Park This Coyote made short work of this vole.
Sulpher Butterfly on Clover, Howell, MI Love the contrasting colors of purple and yellow, very visually appealing
Dog-faced Bat in Flight. CC This bat took his own photograph as he flew through my infrared beam triggering the high-speed Flash
Leaf-cutter Ants, Rancho Naturalista Costa Rica Not sure if the ant on top is a foreman or just lazy?
A Fiery-throated Hummingbird sips nectar from a flower. High-speed flash
Fall Color Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan The white birch really works as a counterpoint to the riot of color in this image.
Common Loon, Northern, MI Not really sure why they call this the Common Loon there is nothing common about this beautiful bird!
Frosted Virginia Creeper and Grasses, South Lyon, MI Film The coming frost signals the end of fall here in Michigan.
Moss Covered Waterfall Smokey Mountain National Park I really love the way the pattern of the falls is mimicked by the violets in the foreground here.
Jumping Spider with Horsefly, Brighton, MI The rainbow iridescence of the Horsefly's eye draws the attention here.
Purple-throated Woodstar and Andean Emerald, Tandayapa Valley Ecuador It is thought that the tiny Woostars are ignored by the other hummingbirds because they are so small (just bigger than a bee!) they consider them insects. DM feeding tube removed
Sleeping Swan with Reflection, Kensington Metropark, Milford, MI - Film - I just love the quiet peaceful mood of this image.
Eared Grebe, North Dakota This shot was made from my floating Blind with my lens just inches above the water. Which gives this low intimate view.
Damsel Flies at Sunrise, Northern, MI A beautiful sunrise sky behind these Damselflies lends the color to this shot.
Three Grey Wolves Near Algonquin, Canada CC Film Very lucky to have these three wolves line up on the same plane so I could get all of there eyes sharp.
Bond Falls Section, Northern, MI Film The reflection of a maple tree at peak color and the sky are what creates the color in this photo
Great-Horned Owl, Howell, MI CC Falling snow was certainly a bonus for this image.
Scarlet Macaws, Tambopata Reserve Peru I found out later that a Jaguar had tripped a trail camera just a few minutes before I arrived all alone at this very isolated shooting location. Yikes!
Round-lobed Hepatica and Skull, Milford, MI Film Hepatica are one of the first wildflowers of Spring here in Michigan.
Screech Owl, Howell, MI CC Screech Owls come in two color phases a grey and the red-phase shown here.
Red-tailed Hawk, Howell, Mi CC The intensity of this Hawk's gaze is pretty powerful! cropped 20% for final composition
Skullcap Fungus Releasing Spores. Brighton, MI Film I used High speed flash to freeze the spores as they were released.
Grey Wolf, Northern, MI CC This is the alpha male of a pack of Wolves in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It felt as if he was looking directly at my soul when I made this image.
Moth in Flight, Brighton, MI It takes a lot of equipment to get an image like this besides the camera I used laser beams, high speed flash, and an electromagnetic shutter system! image cropped 20% for final composition
Siberian Tiger, Detroit Zoo CC I could spend an entire lifetime in Siberia trying to get an image like this... it was significantly easier at the zoo.
Green Frogs, South Lyon, MI Film I love the comparison of these two frogs created by this photograph.
Bull Moose at Sunrise, Baxter State Park Maine Film A storm had just passed creating this magical light.
Violet-tailed Sylph, Tandayapa Valley, Ecuador That is a lot of tail for this tiny jewel to be carrying around! High-speed flash.
Horsefly Face, Brighton, MI DM This image was created by stacking 10 images together in the computer. Each shot was a different cross section of the sharpness See the Photo-tech section for a greater explanation.
Bull Elephant, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania This bull is staying just ahead of a torrential downpour that is about to sweep across the savanah
Lilac-breasted Roller, Tarangire National Park A quintessential African scene a Roller on an Acacia branch.
Yellow-Lady Slipper Orchids, Wilderness State Park, MI A perfect trio of these beautiful Orchids.
American Kestrel, Bosque Del Apache, NM Film America's smallest Falcon the Kestrel is a master of the air.
Wood Frog on Skunk Cabbage Leaf, Northern, MI Film This beautiful silhouette was created by placing the leaf between the camera and the sun.
Great Spangled Frittilary, South Lyon, MI Film I love the way the golden tones in the Butterfly are echoed in the grape leaf
Drake wood duck in Flight, Lapeer State Game Area, MI Photographed from my floating blind this Wood Duck is mere inches above the water.
Snow Crystals, Brighton, MI Photographed through a homemade microscope and lit with fiber optics this image was quite a project. For more information See my blog post in March or 2009
Scarlet Macaws, Tambopata Reserve, Peru The contrasting colors of red and green really give this image "pop"
Short-tailed Bat, at Agave Plant, Arizona If you like Margarittas, thank a bat they are one of the main pollinators of the Agave plant used to make tequila!
Bull Elk, Yellowstone National Park, WY The black background in this image is created by a shaded area of a hill behind this Bull
Northern Michigan Sunrise I was drawn to the beautiful light and graceful curves of this scene.
Monarch Butterfly on Blazing Star Brighton, MI Laden with dew this monarch will be unable to fly until the sun warms him and dries his dew laden wings.
Jumping Bullfrog, Brighton, MI CC I used an infrared trigger and four high speed flashes to create this image.
Lioness and Buffalo, Ngorongoro Crater, Africa one of the great things about a trip to Africa is that a life and death struggle like this can unfold before you around any corner. Mother and calf won by the way, at least this round...
Lilac-breasted Roller, Tarangire National Park, Tanzania I was fortunate this fellow turned his head because, he was so tight in the frame when he was looking the other way his beak touched the edge!
Blue-footed Boobies, The Galapagos Islands This male on your right is showing off his pretty feet for a potential mate. Research has shown that the color of his feet make a big impact on her decision.
Lower Antelope Canyon, Arizona These graceful sandstone sculptures are created by water that flood these 30 foot deep canyons
Yellow Warbler on Apple Blossoms Brighton, MI The bright song of the Yellow Warbler fills the air in Springtime here in Michigan.
Long-tailed Silky Flycatcher, Savegre, Costa Rica I was very lucky to capture this stunning bird out in the open on such a beautiful perch.
Cheetah Brothers, Ndutu, The Serengeti I call this type of image a visual echo I love to play with concepts like this when I am able.
Tree Swallow, Maybury State Park Northville, MI I have to confess I love the "body language" in this shot. But the truth is they were not having a dispute... he was just yawning. Her seeming indifference however, that was real!
Northern Cardinal, South Lyon, MI Film Not much brightens up a winter scene then the beautiful male Cardinal.
Barn Swallow Feeding Chicks, Walled lake, MI Once again I used a couple high speed flash units to stop the action as this adult came in to feed the chicks. It pays to have your mouth open when dinner arrives!
Male Eastern Bluebird, Huron Meadows Metropark, MI Dad arrives at the nest to make sure everyone is behaving.
Gun sight Butte Lake Powell, Arizona Water levels were at historic lows (down 90 feet) when I made this photo.
Monarch Butterfly Wing Scales, South Lyon, MI Film This shot shows the delicate scales and beautiful patterning on a Monarch Butterfly wing
Red Fox Kits, Tawas Bay State Park, MI These two kits were playing on the bluff when the one seemed to pause for a moment to enjoy the beautiful setting sun?
Birches and Fall Color, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, MI This beautiful birch forest is my favorite place in my favorite park in all of Michigan.
Dark-eyed Junco, South Lyon, MI Film Juncos are a ground feeder and very hard to get up onto a perch. I was lucky that we gotten a few inches of fresh powder. If he tried to land on the ground he would have disappeared!
Sandhill Crane, Kensington Metropark, MI This particular Sandhill Crane lives in a park near my home and is completely comfortable around people. I laid on the ground with a wide angle lens to get this unusual perspective.
Moth in Flight, Brighton, MI I used my Cognisys Insect Rig to make this image. An amazing piece of equipment for sure!
Ruby-throated Hummingbird and Columbine, Brighton, MI DM I had this image in my minds eye for quite some time. That is one of the things I like about photography is trying to figure out how to create the images I have in my head.
Great-horned Owl, Howell, MI CC The Virginia creeper in full fall splendor really makes this shot sing!
Bison, Yellowstone National Park I created this image with a 600mm lens from the safety of my vehicle. Bison are extremely dangerous and are in fact hurt more people in Yellowstone than any other animal.
American Toad in Song and Spring Peeper, Brighton, MI If this Toad was not preoccupied with finding a girlfriend, he would more than likely eat his little hitchhiker.
Tree Trunks and Ferns, Northern, MI I used a long lens when creating this scenic to compress and foreshorten the distance from the front to the back of the scene. Which was actually about ten feet.
Sallay Lightfoot Crab, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador These striking crabs are all over the Islands. At some point you just have to force yourself to stop shooting them.
Cheetah with Prey, Ndutu, Africa While hard to watch this young Gazelle die its death allows the cheetah to survive.
Bull Elk in Song Yellowstone National Park I have spent well over a dozen Autumns in the park. Whenever I see this image I can virtually here his haunting call echoing through the valleys of this great park.
Snowy Owl, Howell, MI CC cropped 15% for final composition. The striking yellow eyes in that canvas of white feathers are what make this image work.

Latest Blog Posts

October 5, 2020

Wild Planet Photo Magazine Features Steve

Super honored to have been interviewed for Wild Planet Photo Magazine. To read the text please click on each page for a full size view Good Luck and Good light! Steve
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April 21, 2020

A TALE OF TWO LENSES – THE LAOWA 15MM MACRO VS THE NIKON 105 MACRO  -  4

I was able to get out in the woods a couple of days ago and photograph one of my very favorite Spring wildflowers Round-lobed Hepatica. These delicate beauties are one of the first to make an appearance here in Michigan and for me, they signal the official opening of the Spring photography season. Having photographed…
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