Badger photos

Living near Ludington and being a photographer, it's almost the law that you have to photograph the S.S. Badger at least once or twice during the sailing season. I am picky when it comes to my illustrative photographs. I look for the unique and dynamic lighting rather than the usual.

Top photo: Throughout the Labor Day weekend powerful winds blew across Lake Michigan creating huge waves. They also caused a terrible tragedy as a young man lost his life after walking on the north breakwater near the lighthouse. On Tuesday, September 7, the waves continued and the man's body still had not been found. I went out to the lakeshore knowing that there would be a great shot of the Badger and the lighthouse.

Bottom photo: For many years the cross lake carferries operated year round, crossing Lake Michigan in all kinds of weather conditions. The main purpose of the carferries was to transport rail cars across the lake, avoiding the clogged rail yards of Chicago. In 1992, after the service was saved from bankruptcy by Charles Conrad, a Ludington native, the service only transported non-rail vehicles and passengers.

The evening of Oct. 3 was a pretty normal evening in the world of weather and photography. However, I was assigned by the Ludington Daily News to photograph the Badger coming into port for the last time in the 2010 sailing season.

I have never actually been down to the shoreline for this ritual. The Loomis Street boat launch parking lot was full of cars and many people walked along the inner breakwater and pier. As the Badger came in, she blew her horn one long blast, as always. In response, dozens of automobiles responded. It was a pretty cool moment. Yes, we live in a small town and yes we love our Badger. This little 400-some-foot boat brings in millions of dollars to our local economy and the economy of our sister city, Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

- rob