Three Beautiful Michigan Lakes

[J T]

I have a hard time finding any decent lakes around Michigan that aren't surrounded by houses, utility poles/lines, etc. to photograph. Whenever I see pictures of those beautiful lakes in Scotland without any civilization around them, I get jealous! :lol: Well, I made a trip up to the northwestern tip of the lower peninsula of Michigan the last few days and did a little exploring. On some roads that were nothing more than two-tracks through the woods, I drove my car as far as I could and hiked the rest of the way to find these three beauties. There are three all in a row, one small, one medium and one large. The smallest one had the most colorful foliage around, and even though it's only the middle of the summer, it appeared that autumn wasn't too far off. Here's a taste of nature that I experienced this past Friday. The edges off the two smaller lakes were tough to set up shots on, as they were quite overgrown with large stands of birch trees and swamp grass. I did my best not to get my feet wet.


1. Otter Lake (the biggest).
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/jimthias/Landscapes%20and%20Cityscapes/Otter-Lake-4044-4046.jpg



2. Bass Lake (in between)
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/jimthias/Landscapes%20and%20Cityscapes/BassLake-4050.jpg



3. Bass Lake
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/jimthias/Landscapes%20and%20Cityscapes/BassLake-4055-4056.jpg



4. Deer Lake (the smallest and most colorful)
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/jimthias/Landscapes%20and%20Cityscapes/DeerLake-4070-4072.jpg


5. Deer Lake
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/jimthias/Landscapes%20and%20Cityscapes/DeerLake-4064-67.jpg

[rudgej]

Beautiful scenery, and lovely photos JT. Of course you really need to fall in or get your feet wet to be truly initiated into the club. ;)

[Becca]

Very pretty, JT! Certainly looks like Northern Michigan!

[Dimitri_V]

2 & 5 , great comp.and colours Jim,they look really good.

[Spearin]

I love the shots of Deer Lake! Great colour.

[Reigh Higgins]

You scored big with these shots JT. The first and last are my favorites. Beautiful colours. Thanks for sharing.

[HrcRacing]

These are fantastic shots and well worth the effort you put in to get them. My personal favorite is #3. The variety of colors are great and your composition is spot-on IMO. Very nice series.

[Dorman]

These are great, the 5th one is by far my favorite, it looks very peaceful. The 2nd shot is also very nice.

[Tsmith]

I really like the Deer Lake ones _ good job.

[cgratti]

Bass lake looks awesome.. great sot

[beckybun]

excellent compositions! and the images are so crisp :)

[lomond]

All great shots Jim but, for me, the pick of the bunch are the Deer Lake shots.
The colours are fantastic and I like the composition of the last shot.

[weemannie]

Those are lovely shots JT :D
What a beautiful place - are you sure you didn't pop over to Scotland?

[bluebattery70]

Very nice Michigan pictures as usual JT. Ive been to deer lake and its a great lake to take pictures of. Keep up the great work!

[Meerkat17]

I certainly agree with Cameron with his pick of the Deer Lake shots - whilst the others have all got merit the last two are really very strong in subject, composition and colour. Great work Jim

[sparker1]

Nice work, Jim. The UP is certainly a great place for photography. I was still shooting film my last visit there, need to go back and get digital images.

[AdamJL]

I love these pics JT. Excellent work, what a beautiful part of the world

[J T]

Thanks for compliments, guys. Believe me when I say I didn't want to leave the area. Being out in the deep woods with my camera and tripod was a very refreshing experience. No sounds other than that of nature...just wonderful. I wish I could have done more exploring at the time, but time was limited.

Those are lovely shots JT :D
What a beautiful place - are you sure you didn't pop over to Scotland?

Shhhhh...don't tell anyone! haha

Very nice Michigan pictures as usual JT. Ive been to deer lake and its a great lake to take pictures of. Keep up the great work!

Are you sure it was the same Deer Lake? If you've been to Deer Lake, you've been to Otter Lake and Bass Lake, as they are all right in a row. In fact, Deer Lake flows into Bass Lake. You have to pass the other two to get to Deer Lake. ;-)

Nice work, Jim. The UP is certainly a great place for photography. I was still shooting film my last visit there, need to go back and get digital images.

Actually, this was in the northern lower peninsula. But I agree, the UP is definitely perfect for photography. I've only been up there once when I was much younger, but I hope to make a trip up there in the next year or so. Maybe this fall I'll take a drive up there when the leaves are changing.

[viczig]

Lovely photos JT, I really like the last well done.

Vic

[Lesmac]

Otter and Bass lake for me, I like the simplicity, particularly of Bass lake (in between).
The last three, I think need stripping down, just a bit too much detail.


There seems to be loads of possibilities in this delightful area, I do hope you go back and explore further.

[davidtrpt]

Great shots, JT - brought back memories of camping with my wife and kids up around Northport north of Traverse City back in the 70s.

Thanks for sharing!

(Good to see GR folks on here! Once in a while I spot some familiar scenes from around the area or the lakeshore - guess it's time to pay Meijer Gardens another visit!)

Dave

[zeker]

Your sojourn was well worth the effort. Taking the "Road less traveled" sure has its photographic rewards. All of the photos in this series are outstanding.

Zeke

[J T]

Lovely photos JT, I really like the last well done.

Vic

Thanks, Vic. :-)

Otter and Bass lake for me, I like the simplicity, particularly of Bass lake (in between).
The last three, I think need stripping down, just a bit too much detail.


There seems to be loads of possibilities in this delightful area, I do hope you go back and explore further.

I agree with you on the Bass Lake photo (the one in portrait format). While not as much color in that picture as the others, I just like the feeling of that scene. And indeed there is a LOT to photograph "up there." It'll definitely take several days of exploration to find some more hidden gems to photograph.

Great shots, JT - brought back memories of camping with my wife and kids up around Northport north of Traverse City back in the 70s.
Thanks for sharing!

(Good to see GR folks on here! Once in a while I spot some familiar scenes from around the area or the lakeshore - guess it's time to pay Meijer Gardens another visit!)


Thanks, Dave. Caledonia, eh? I'm going to be down there tomorrow afternoon mowing Caledonia Estates apartment complex. Nice little town you have there. :-) Wasn't it ranked top in the nation a year or two ago in some standard of living category?


Your sojourn was well worth the effort. Taking the "Road less traveled" sure has its photographic rewards. All of the photos in this series are outstanding.

Zeke
And I hope to find some more of those roads "less traveled." There are quite a few in this state, but just take some time and effort to hunt down. Thanks, Zeke. :-)

[Balliolman]

All lovely photographs with attractive saturated colours. My fav is #1 -- good composition! Well done, JT! :-)

[kenyc]

Great Lake Shots JT! I love the blue still reflecting water like that!

KAC

[davidtrpt]

Thanks, Dave. Caledonia, eh? I'm going to be down there tomorrow afternoon mowing Caledonia Estates apartment complex. Nice little town you have there. :-) Wasn't it ranked top in the nation a year or two ago in some standard of living category?

Well, my mailing address is Caledonia, but I live in a condo area between M6 and 68th Street, west of Dutton. When we lived a little west of here a few years ago, the mailing address was Grand Rapids. And, as if that wasn't confusing enough, we are within sight of a Kentwood school!

Heading for Alaska next week - getting excited - got the 20D and lenses last October and still much to learn, but fun! :D

Dave

[adebass]

Bass lake would definately be my pic of the bunch.. and ill bet no one can guess why?? ;) ;) :)

[Buggbairn]

Lovely shots Jim :)

If I could just have a day or two with those beautiful skies I'd be a happy man ;)

And don't be a sissy, we all get our feet wet in search for the perfect shot :lol: