Michigan photography is pure perfection. The beauty of inland landscapes and lakes superbly contrast with the 3,200 miles of shoreline along Lakes Erie, Michigan, Huron and Superior. Visit any Michigan city or town to experience and take many Michigan photos of urban excitement and local Americana. You and your family and friends (and your digital camera), however, will be pulled toward the boundless attractions and family-friendly vacation spots of the Great Lakes shores.

Although very little of Lake Erie borders Michigan, what it does offers is a bonanza of Michigan photography for amateurs and professionals. Venture into Lake Erie Metropark and Pointe Mouillee State Game Area and stake your claim to a strategic photographic location. From there, capture Michigan photos of migrating birds, and the hawks and other raptors that prey on them and other marsh animals. You can view this post about weird Google earth images.

The Sunrise Coast, along Lake Huron, is a more leisure family destination. Here, your Michigan photography will record everything your family will see during a tour of the maritime history of the area. Go aquatic and head to the open waters for fishing, sightseeing and scuba diving in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Rent a waterproof housing for your digital camera, so you can shoot Michigan pictures of the many underwater wrecks. Your kids will want to explore the lighthouses and other lake-influenced historical sites. Drive less than an hour from the coast and you’ll find hiking and biking trails through the state parks for a different kind of Michigan photography.

For more purely Michigan photography, follow the Lake Huron coast north by west to the spectacular scenic meeting of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan at the Straits of Mackinac. Before crossing the Mackinac Bridge, climb aboard a lake cruise ship for Michigan pictures of an amazing sunset and how the light reflects off the structure of the Bridge. Mackinac Island has preserved much of its 19th-century charm, as a prime vacation spot of that age and today. You’ll have plenty of time to shoot many Michigan photos of the classic homes, island life and its attractions because no cars are allowed.

Your Michigan photography will capture the wildest part of the state in the Upper Peninsula and the waters of Lake Superior. What better place to explore by kayak and take Michigan photos than Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore? The pristine wilderness of the UP is filled with ancient forests, clear streams and undisturbed waterfalls that are the perfect subject matter for your Michigan photography. Wildlife is equally abundant in Seney National Wildlife Refuge. Stalk your prey with your digital camera to shoot Michigan pictures of bald eagles, trumpeter swans and other wildlife. Learn more about things caught on Google maps here.

Your Michigan photography adventure continues as you travel the coast of Lake Michigan. Traverse City is not only a quaint and welcoming lakeside town, but also its bay is a boating playground. Your family will enjoy nearly every possible waterborne activity, which will make for some of your most memorable Michigan pictures. You don’t have to drive very far to find the region’s outstanding wineries, championship golf courses and bountiful fruit harvests in full display at roadside stands. Lake Michigan and the many small rivers flowing into it are world-famous for salmon, steelhead and brown trout fishing. Every catch deserves a place of honor in your Michigan photography.

Recommended Reading:

• Lonely Planet's Guide to Travel Photography
• Top Travel Photo Tips: From Ten Pro Photographers
• The Complete Guide to Nature Photography: Professional Techniques for Capturing Digital Images of Nature and Wildlife
• Bryan Peterson's Understanding Composition Field Guide
• National Geographic Ultimate Field Guide to Travel Photography
• Photographing Architecture: Lighting, Composition, Postproduction and Marketing Techniques
• Travel Photography: Tread Your Own Path