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This full-day, hands-on workshop takes you along the scenic eastern shore of Lake Michigan. We will start at the historic St. Joseph North Pierhead Light (Saint Jo Light) and journey north to finish at the iconic Holland Harbor Light (affectionately known as "Big Red").
This workshop is designed to teach you how to master changing natural light, capture motion in water, and compose stunning architectural landscapes.
Workshop Schedule
6:00 AM – 8:30 AM | Session 1: Sunrise & Motion at St. Joseph North Pierhead Light

  • Location: Tiscornia Park, St. Joseph, MI
  • Focus: Golden Hour, long exposure, and framing.
  • What you will learn: We begin early to catch the sun rising behind us, throwing warm light directly onto the St. Joseph Light. You will learn how to use a low ISO (the setting that controls your camera's sensitivity to light) to keep your images clean and sharp. We will practice using Neutral Density (ND) filters—which act like sunglasses for your lens—allowing us to slow down our shutter speeds and turn crashing waves into a smooth, smoky mist.

9:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Breakfast & Morning Critique

  • Location: Downtown St. Joseph Cafe
  • Focus: Composition review and setting foundations.
  • What you will learn: Over coffee, we will review your morning shots. We will discuss the importance of composition (how things are arranged in a photo), focusing on how to always include a strong anchor or focal point.

11:00 AM – 1:30 PM | Session 2: Harsh Light & Hidden Details at South Haven South Pierhead Light

  • Location: South Haven, MI (Midway Point)
  • Focus: Mid-day lighting, leading lines, and storytelling.
  • What you will learn: High midday sun can create harsh shadows. You will learn how to use these high-contrast shadows to your advantage by focusing on the textures of the catwalk and the geometric shapes of the South Haven pier. We will practice using leading lines—like the pier itself—to draw a viewer’s eyes straight to the lighthouse.

2:00 PM – 3:30 PM | Late Lunch & Travel

  • Location: Saugatuck, MI
  • Focus: Rest, casual discussion, and travel to Holland.

4:00 PM – 5:30 PM | Session 3: Dunes & Foreground Framing

  • Location: Holland State Park / Mt. Pisgah, Holland, MI
  • Focus: Scale, depth, and landscape layers.
  • What you will learn: Before heading to the beach, we will hike up to elevated viewpoints. You will learn how to build depth in your photos by purposely placing elements in the foreground, midground, and background (such as beach grass or dune sand in the front, and the lake in the back) to give your photos a 3D feel.

6:00 PM – 8:30 PM | Session 4: Sunset & Blue Hour at Holland Harbor Light ("Big Red")

  • Location: Holland State Park Beach (Viewing Big Red across the channel)
  • Focus: Sunset color tracking, balancing exposures, and silhouettes.
  • What you will learn: As the sun dips into Lake Michigan, the brilliant red structure of the Holland Light creates a perfect subject. We will track the changing colors from the golden sunset to the deep blues of twilight ("Blue Hour"). You will learn how to manually adjust your white balance to enhance the rich tones of the sky and how to capture the exact moment the lighthouse beacon turns on.

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What to Bring:

  • Camera: A DSLR or mirrorless camera with manual settings.
  • Lenses: A wide-angle lens (for big landscape views) and a telephoto/zoom lens (to bring the distant lighthouses close to you).
  • Tripod: Absolutely necessary for the early morning and late evening long-exposure shots.
  • Filters: A Circular Polarizer (to cut glare on the water) and a Neutral Density (ND) filter.
  • Comfort: Sturdy walking shoes for the piers, layers for the changing lake weather, and a bag to protect your gear from sand.

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