Cottage Living Stage

Our seminar stage features seminars on birding, kayaking, photography, succession planning, environmental practices and much more!

Michael Weil

Mike is an attorney with the Southfield law firm of Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss, P.C. in Southfield, Michigan where he specializes in tax and estate planning. He is also a CPA. Mike is a frequent speaker on tax and estate planning matters before such groups as the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants. Mike received both his Bachelors of Business Administration and J.D. degrees from the University of Michigan. He lives in West Bloomfield with his wife Elysa and three children.

Keeping the Family in the Family Cottage

No one succession plan or legal tool meets everyone’s needs, so careful review of your situation and goals is necessary to ensure you are “Keeping the Family in the Family Cottage.”  Learn about the legal alternatives and strategies for families to retain the family cottage for use by future generations.

Click Here for a full schedule of events!

Pure Michigan Photography Classes

Learn from professional photographer Kimberli Bindschatel on how to get the most out of your digital camera. 

Sign up for any one class, or get all four for only $99!
Registration includes a take-home package worth over $50!  Click on any of the links below to register.

Digital Boot Camp

Do you want to learn more about your digital SLR camera and take your photography to the next level? This crash course in the basic technical skills of photography is fast-paced and offers a wealth of information taught by Kimberli Bindschatel, professional photographer. Learn the essential relationship between shutter speed, f-stop (aperture), and ISO and discover how to use histograms to ensure proper exposures. The seminar includes a demo of Photoshop where you’ll learn how to prepare images for printing or the web and learn about file size, cropping and color adjustments. If you’d like, bring your camera and manual.

Space is limited! Click here to sign up now!
Registration fee for this class is $45.

Photo Design - Composition

How do you create a photograph? First learn the guidelines for good composition, how to recognize them and then incorporate them into your own work. Well-composed pictures often take careful planning and sometimes patience. We’ll explore how to walk on the art side of photography.

Space is limited! Click here to sign up now!
Registration fee for this class is $25.

Top Ten Tips from a Professional Photographer

Want to learn some of the tricks of the trade? In this seminar you’ll learn some simple techniques from a pro with years of experience. You’ll get ten new tips that will greatly improve the quality of your photography.

Space is limited! Click here to sign up now!
Registration fee for this class is $25.

Photography - Beyond the Basics

Know your camera well? What’s next? In this seminar, we’ll explore new horizons of photography. Natural lighting, focusing techniques, portrait and wildlife tips, and much more!

Space is limited! Click here to sign up now!
Registration fee for this class is $25.

Janet Schrader - "Sand Pirate"

Janet Schrader is the founder and owner of Fairy Godmother Services: Sand Sculpting, Photography, & Beach Art, started in 2006.

After successfully fighting a severe battle with cancer, Janet found comfort walking the shoreline of Lake Mi. Looking for answers among the beach treasure (beach glass, rocks, fossils, & driftwood) Schrader found more then what she was looking for.  What she found was a new way of life, a new philosophy, and a new career.

Come to the show and see in person, how living by the lake has changed her life.

Sand Sculpting Lessons

Come join the fun, and learn the secrets of sand. Professional sand sculptor Janet Moore Schrader - "Sand Pirate", will teach how to make towers, doors, windows, and stairs.

Jim DuFresne

Jim DuFresne is a renowned travel author and avid hiker who has trekked around the world.  DuFresne has written more than 15 guidebooks, including titles for Alaska, New Zealand, Australia, and Nepal.  Living in Michigan, he has also written books on our wonderful state parks and hiking trails.

Jewels of the Great Lakes: Exploring Michigan's National Parks

On Public televisions last fall Ken Burns took the country on a tour of America’s greatest national parks. Now Jim DuFresne will do the same for Michigan’s national parks. In a visual performance the author will explore the history, beauty and the best adventures in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and Isle Royale National Park. From snorkeling for shipwrecks and climbing ice pillars to hiking across a wilderness island, DuFresne leads audiences on a trip through Michigan’s Jewels of the Great Lakes.

Click Here for a full schedule of events!

Kayaking Adventures in Michigan

Click Here to see the full schedule of Seminars & Events!

Detroit Audubon Society

Start Birding! A Beginner's Guide to Birdwatching

Click Here to see the full schedule of Seminars & Events!

Melissa Demaschke - Sierra Club

Stop Asian Carp from Invading our Great Lakes!

By now you have most likely read about the carp in a newspaper or seen them flying out of the water on TV. Asian Carp is a hot topic since they have the potential to devastate the region’s $7 billion fishery. At this seminar, Sierra Club will explain how Asian Carp got so close to the Lakes, what is being done to prevent them from reaching the Lakes, and what you can do to help.

Click Here for a full schedule of events

Dallas Carlson - Nature & Wildlife Photographer

Dallas Carlson had the privilege of being raised by his grandparents who loved to spend time exploring Michigan's great outdoors. As a child he spent summers either in their cabin by the river, or traveling extensively throughout Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Camping and exploring the rugged beauty of the north year after year, he developed a deep love and passion for the wilderness and the animals that call this place home.

His training has not been through formal teaching or institutions, but rather by wildlife biologists how to respectfully fit in with the wild creatures he is photographing.

To see some of Dallas' work, check out www.HisHandiworkPhotography.com

Nature Photography at Your Cottage

Get tips on taking great nature photos around your cottage through the lens of professional photographer Dallas Carlson.  Includes a great slide show of Carlson's nature photography work!

Click Here to see the full schedule of Seminars & Events!

Scott Brown - The Michigan Lake & Stream Association

The 10 Most Important Things you Can Do for your Inland Lake

Click Here to see the full schedule of Seminars & Events!

Go Gear

Introduction to Kayaking

Head over to the Main Stage in Outdoorama for this great demonstration from Go Gear, with a real kayak in a 25,000 gallon pool!

Michigan Rain Barrels

Low Maintenance Cottage Gardens

Time at the cottage is meant for relaxing, not worrying about how the garden looks.  Learn how to create beautiful gardens that require little upkeep!

Green Practices for Lakefront Landscapes

Learn how using native plants, environmentally safe chemicals and other low-to-no impact practices can help protect your lakefront!

Rain Barrels, Rain Gardens & More!

Learn how to create beautiful gardens using the newest trend - Rain Barrels!