The Lake Champlain region is my unparalleled muse; the beauty of the lake, skies, mountains, valley and the people enjoying its splendor. I don't have to travel the world to find world-class beauty; it is here, in my own backyard. My ability to find the area's essence is evolving and it is exhilarating to me. I love to capture vistas with just the right light accenting a center of interest, the affects of natural elements (particularly water) and motion, and when I find a wide tonal range, the elegant impression of black and white.

Photography has always been my place to escape from everything; to reflect, meditate and to get to my soul. I know generally what I like and where to go with what equipment, but beyond that I just look and wait, for whatever nature presents as a gift, in effect saying to me “Pull out your camera and capture this fleeting light, because this moment of beauty is not going to last and it is worth looking at again.” And then of course there is another fleeting moment of beauty, albeit different. I see most of these precious moments at dawn, when the light seems magical, but I know they can happen anytime.

Personal Best

I’m always challenging myself to explore, experience and see more deeply through my photography. And each year, my jury of one (me) selects what best represents my image of the year, along with other noteworthy runners-up. Sometimes there’s a story behind the image; sometimes not. But there’s always beauty in the gift of an image that will never be able to be captured in quite the same way again. 

It’s my great pleasure to share these “best of” images with you. — You are welcome to purchase from my favorites  here. I refer you to my photography website at www.mesipe.com  and to call/email me at 320-493-1318 mike@mesipe.com for custom service.

I hope you enjoy your viewing as much as I enjoyed capturing these images. 

The process of reviewing all my images each year and selecting the few that I like the best has been a good learning experience. With the additional tabs of WATER REFLECTIONS and Gallery Pieces I am ready to move on from the BEST of each year. It is time. I am ready. I will leave this menu tab up for a year or until the requests to delete are overwhelming!