365 A Year in the Photographic Lives of Todd and Brad Reed

Sunlight pours through the portholes of the Ludington North Breakwater Lighthouse as the sun sets behind the landmark structure. I keep moving my tripod southward as the sun sets in order to keep the sun behind the tower. F4.0 at 1/200, ISO 100, 500 mm lens at 500 mm

My wife Betsy loves insects and our daughter Julia seems to have inherited her mother's love for insects as well. Julia found this ladybug on our front steps and had Betsy pick it up for a closer look. I was ready with my camera and macro lens. F2.8 at 1/250, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

I photographed some crocuses blooming and am driving home, only to be detoured by this spectacle at the Ludington Waterfront Park. I set up the 500 mm lens just in time to frame the sun inside the gazebo. F4.0 at 1/640, ISO 100, 500 mm lens at 500 mm

I lay on my back in my neighbor's front yard to make this photo. She came out to check on me to make sure I was all right. I assured her I was fine, and that the giant tree in her yard captured my attention. F8.0 at 1/160, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

I photographed the same crocuses again today; they didn't look as perfect as yesterday and the light was not nearly as good. Now I am back home without a picture with which I am satisfied. Thank God for Lake Michigan sunsets. The sunset view from our deck looks unreal. F8.0 at 1/500, ISO 200, 500 mm lens with 1.4 extender at 700 mm

What a week for watching sunsets. If I were not so busy enjoying making this picture along the Lake Michigan shoreline at Linlook Park, I would love savoring this sunset in the beach chair someone left behind for use on another day. F7.1 at 1/100, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 80 mm

My whole life it has been a dream of mine to fly in a fighter jet. Today, my dream still has not come true. I made this photograph of the T-38 Talon that is on permanent display along US 10 in front of the Mason County Airport. F8.0 at 1/200, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

I don't often find myself making time to photograph sporting events, but the 365 Project once again is forcing me to experiment with new subjects. Tonight my dad and I had an art event at the Muskegon Lumberjacks hockey game. After the event we shot some photos. The game was very intense and a few fights broke out. F4.5 at 1/250, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

My Grandmother Benson and my mom taught me early in my life to appreciate the beauty of pussy willows. They are simply beautiful and the memories they bring back are even more beautiful. F2.8 at 1/320, ISO 200, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

Our new 600 mm telephoto lens has been fun to experiment with. Large telephoto lenses have a very shallow depth of focus and only show a narrow degree of the horizon. This allows the photographer to isolate specific parts of a scene. In this photo, the big lens allowed me to capture the seagull as it flew over the prettiest section of the light show. F5.6 at 1/1250, ISO 500, 600 mm lens with 1.4 extender at 850 mm

I have loved this barn in Hart since the days I first saw it as a young boy riding along with my dad on his truck as he delivered Budweiser, Drewrys and Pfeiffer's beer to the nearby Walker's tavern. Today the barn looks picture perfect. F16.0 at 1/125, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 145 mm

I have been forcing myself to get better at using an external flash unit with my camera. The ultimate goal for most landscape photographers that use flash is to create art that looks and feels naturally lit. This photo is not perfect in terms of the flash, but I am getting better and growing as an artist. F9.0 at 1/250, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

A young couple rounds the bend on their way back from an evening hike to the lighthouse at the end of Ludington South Breakwater. As they pass by me, I mention I took their picture. They tell me they just got engaged. The picture takes on new meaning. F2.8 at 1/320, ISO 400, 300 mm lens at 300 mm

My wife and daughter love to draw and color together. The weather in Ludington this week has been unseasonably warm and wonderful so they decided to take their artwork outside. Betsy drew the butterfly and then Julia lay down to color it in with her sidewalk chalk. I was drawn to the beautiful light hitting Julia's face. F4.5 at 1/250, ISO 320, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

I am in position before 6:30 A.M. The moon drops behind streaks of clouds as it sets over Lake Michigan. The pre-sunrise color in the sky is breathtaking. I am in heaven shooting the moon. F5.6 at 0.6, ISO 400, 500 mm lens with 1.4 extender at 700 mm

I am still experimenting daily with my external flash. Tonight I wanted to show some motion in the dune grass, but still have it look somewhat sharp so I set my shutter speed to 1/200 of a second and used the rear sync option on my flash. With rear sync, my flash went off at the end of my exposure, freezing the motion of the blowing grass. F7.1 at 1/200, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 40 mm

I drove to the land our family owns in hopes of finding some flowers in bloom that were planted years ago by the Betka family. Sure enough, I found them along Conrad Road and moved in for a closer look with a macro lens. F13.0 at 1/25, ISO 400, 105 mm lens at 105 mm

This morning before I went into House of Flavors for some breakfast I took this photo of the famous ice cream parlor. I love how the left and right sides of this photo are almost perfect clones of each other. F6.3 at 1/80, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

As fast as her little legs would carry her, our granddaughter Julia was a blur as she flew across Waterfront Park with her new dragon. The toy dragon came with a meal that Julia's Grandma Debbie got her for a picnic outing. F22.0 at 1/30, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 92 mm

The front yards of Jeannie Krieger's house and Terry Murphy and Deb Dila's house on Rath Avenue in Ludington are covered with these gorgeous glory of the snow flowers. Using my wide-angle macro lens and carefully getting as close to the flowers as I could; I made this photo in the bright sunlight. F5.0 at 1/640, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 20 mm