Blog by Mark S. Carlson of Great Lakes Photo Tours

Photos by 2011 Autumn Dunes Eco-Photo Tour participants

The recent Great Lakes ‘Autumn Dunes’ Eco/Photo Tour weekend turned out to be a race against the weather that resulted in some fantastic photo finishes. Every year Mother Nature surprises our vision seekers with an array of meteorological challenges, Autumn 2011 was no exception and they loved it! After a few unexpected cancellations, our compact group of six participants quickly gelled into a family of visual artists with a single-minded focus, to capture in pixels, the magic and majesty of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

Great Lakes Photo Tour 2011 (photo by Janelle Will)

Our first day began with clouds and scattered showers. No problem – we just focused our attention on intimate landscapes. Leaf-covered trails winding through the hardwood forests, wet and shiny maple leaves, the classic architecture of old farmsteads, all became one-of-a-kind subject matter complemented by the weather.

Wet Maple Leaves (photo by Janelle Will)

As the showers dissipated, we moved to the Lake Michigan shoreline where forceful winds delivered white waves and gray clouds into everyone’s viewfinder. Evocative images, full of Nature’s mood and temperament, recorded all the thrills. On the horizon, a promising blue sky was rapidly approaching.

Sky n' dunes (photo by Patrice Zinck)

From the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive our 360 degree views were full of open ‘dunescapes’ with puffy white clouds in blue sky. The D.H. Barns provided a focal point in the rolling landscape with Sleeping Bear Bay as the perfect backdrop. The Lake Michigan overlook deck became the best vantage point in which to admire the vastness of a picturesque paradise. From 360 degree views to a 180 degree difference in the weather, our October vision quest just kept getting better and better.

Boardwalk Over Dune (photo by Kristen Kernstock)

We finished our eventful day photographing every budding nature photographer’s favorite subject, especially in the Sleeping Bear Dunes, a Great Lake’s sunset. Wave-washed sticks, stones and feathers became artistic paintings in the sand while basked in the warm glow of late light with deepening shadows. A few clouds on the horizon created just the right accent to another mesmerizing sunset completing our picture-perfect day.

Stone on Beach at Sunset (photo by Michelle Potter)

The following morning, we trained our cameras on the D.H. Day barns bathed in first light. Cedar-shake shingles atop sculpted rooftops offered the finishing touches to another rewarding experience with a Great Lakes Photo Tour appreciating the “Most Beautiful place in America“, The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. We hope you’ll join us next time.

Autumn Dunes Photo Tour 2011 Participants (photo by Janelle Will)

Great Lakes Photo Tours are held each spring and fall in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore with lodging provided by The Homestead. For more information on the next photo tour, visit  Great Lakes Photo Tours or call Mark S. Carlson at 517.230.1655.

Read some thank-you notes and see more pictures from 2011 Fall Dunes Eco-Photo Tour participants.

Tags: 2011 fall dunes eco-photo tour, 2011 fall great lakes photo tour, fall dunes eco-photo tour, fall dunes photo tour, great lakes photo tours, janelle will, kristen kernstock, mark s carlson, michelle potter, patrice zinck, the homestead photo tour, tom kernstock

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 3rd, 2011 at 11:38 am and is filed under Events, Fall, Great Lakes, Michigan, News, Photography, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Things to do. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.