Till Death Do Us Part

Nikon D70s 1/100 sec. f7.1 Nikkor 70-210 @210mm tripod

My wife and I went to northern Michigan in the middle of November for a get away weekend at a bed and breakfast. We just had a super time. One of my goals when I set out was to get some good swan shots. We were gone five days and the entire time I never got a good shot. There was always something wrong, bad lighting, rough water, too far away, you know the reasons. I just couldn't get a shot I liked.

It was our last day and we headed home. I had planned on going back on the main four-lane road as we had had a bad scare on the way up. I hit a patch of black ice (invisible ice) and lost control of the truck doing 70 m.p.h.. It was really spooky. We were very very fortunate not to have hit anyone or rolled over, so I wanted to stay on the better maintained roads on the way home, but I had an impulse to take a Michigan state road, M-37 home instead.

A few miles after my unexpected detour, I had an irresistable urge to turn off at a sign for a public access site on Pickerel lake. I had never been in this area before and knew nothing about the lake or the access site at all. I followed the signs for several miles off the highway. We rounded a little curve and thank you Lord, there in a quiet bay, not 15 yards off the road were these two beauties feeding. The water was perfect in this little cove, the lighting was very nice and these two cooperated wonderfully. I set up my tripod on the road and took pictures for maybe half an hour or 45 minutes. Not a single car came by. It was just my wife and I and these lovely swans. . .

I hope you like this shot, to me it was just wonderful to see these two and get their pictures. I'll never forget that afternoon.