07/14/2026
WOW thank you Scenic Michigan!!
My photo "The Promise of a New Day," captured during sunrise in Oscoda, was chosen as this year's winner in the Scenic Water category of the Scenic Michigan Photo Contest, a category that had over 100 submissions this year. Being chosen out of that many incredible entries isn't something I take credit for lightly. I simply happened to be standing in the right place when God painted that sky, and I feel so blessed to have been there with a camera in hand to capture it.
There's a reason I chase sunrises the way I do. There's something sacred about being awake before the rest of the world, standing quietly at the water's edge, watching the sky slowly go from dark to gold. Every sunrise feels like a small promise, a fresh start, a new mercy, a reminder that no matter what the day before held, we get to begin again. I never get tired of embracing that moment, camera in hand, feeling small in the best possible way in front of something so much bigger than myself.
Michigan's water really is a gift. We have the longest freshwater coastline in the country, alongside towering dunes, dramatic cliffs, and over 120 lighthouses. That water isn't just what makes our state "scenic"... it drives our tourism, supports our environment, and even helps protect our dark skies by acting as a natural buffer. Getting to witness even a small piece of that beauty, and share it with others, is something I'll never take for granted.
Congratulations as well to this year's runner ups, who each captured their own beautiful corner of this state:
🏆 Blue Ice Cutter — Patrick Russell (Mackinaw City)
🏆 Winter at Stearns Park — Mary Dereske (Ludington)
🏆 Hebard Park near Copper Harbor — Robert Freeman (Copper Harbor)
🏆 Figure in Peace — Amy VerHaeghe (Les Cheneaux Islands – Cedarville)
🏆 Kayakers at Sleeping Bear Dunes Lakeshore — Daniela Goen (Sleeping Bear Dunes)
🏆 Across Eagle Harbor — Sophie Smit (Eagle Harbor)
🏆 Sunset on Cloudy Lake — Jodi Byers (South Haven)
🏆 Middle Island Lighthouse — Randy Hemstad (Rockport)
Organizations like Scenic Michigan work year-round behind the scenes to protect the beauty that makes mornings like this one possible, advocating for clean water, dark skies, and the landscapes so many of us are lucky enough to call home. If this photo stirred something in you, even a little, I'd gently encourage you to consider donating to support their work: https://scenicmichigan.org/
Thank you, Scenic Michigan, for this humbling recognition, and for all you do to protect the beauty God has given us here.
