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

Holy cow! This giant Snowysaurus stopped my vehicle in its tracks as I was driving along US 31 near Bear Lake. The eye-popping attraction amuses me every time I pass by Kampvilla RV Park. F4.5 at 1/80, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

As Coast Guard helicopter 6544 escorts the carferry Badger out of port on the ship's first sailing of the season, I cannot help but think back to the hundreds of times during my 33 years aboard Coast Guard boats that we worked closely with the rescue copters. F5.6 at 1/320, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 130 mm

Some of my favorite Christmas tree ornaments that my family has are the rocking horses that Hallmark put out in the 1980s. This last Christmas, I enjoyed pointing them out to my daughter Julia. This scene near Crystal Mountain Ski Resort in Benzie County reminded of those horses. F3.5 at 1/200, ISO 640, 70-200 mm lens at 200 mm

I have always enjoyed this vantage of Pentwater harbor channel and tonight the view looks and feels like summer. A sailboat provides an important added ingredient. F9.0 at 1/320, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 80 mm

While unloading artwork for an exhibit at the Muskegon Lumberjacks hockey game in Muskegon my eye is drawn to the graphic designs created by the superstructure of a World War II landing craft on display in Muskegon harbor. F5.0 at 1/1600, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 165 mm

The tugboat Zeus slowly chugged into the Ludington harbor tonight while pulling a large barge behind it. I was impressed by the towering crows nest on this beautiful tug and could only imagine how sea sick I would get while standing way up there. I did not inherit my dad's sea legs. F3.5 at 1/200, ISO 800, 300 mm lens at 300 mm

I have photographed the tree-lined west side of Merdel Manufacturing in Ludington many times, but I think this is the best I have ever seen it look. The trunks of the white birch trees always stand out against the red building. The fresh snowfall simplifies the color palette, allowing the trees and red wall to stand out even more than usual. F4.5 at 1/40, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 12mm

After a long day at the Pentwater Art Fair, I am exhausted but decide to stay in Pentwater to shoot a shelf cloud moving toward shore. That done, my instincts tell me to stay for the sunset. Now my decision to stay for the afterglow is rewarding me with a great view of the most colorful sky I have ever seen in Pentwater. F4.0 at 1/80, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 175 mm

I am between teaching classes at West Shore Community College walking across campus from the cafeteria to my classroom when I notice how the brisk wind is bending cattails along the pond. I don't mind getting snow in my hiking boots while trudging through it to get close enough to make the picture I envision. F3.2 at 1/100, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 86 mm

The Lake Michigan Carferry Badger passes by the Coast Guard buoy tender Hollyhock while departing Ludington harbor en route to Wisconsin. I love watching the lights of ships. This is a good night for ship watching. F4.0 at 1/15, ISO 1600, 12-24 mm lens at 18 mm

Many visitors to Ludington don't realize that the Ludington North Breakwater Light is now about seven degrees crooked due to a recent repair job that did not go as planned. It is a photographer's nightmare, especially with a 600 mm lens. You have to choose which one you want straight, the horizon or the lighthouse. F8.0 at 1/200, ISO 400, 600 mm lens with 1.4 extender at 850 mm

My great-aunt, Carol Wright, died unexpectedly this week. She was a very classy lady and a lot of fun to be around. After her funeral was over, I used my iPhone to take a close up of the window at the funeral home. My aunt Carol loved bright colors and she would have loved this photograph. F2.8 at 1/430, ISO 70, iPhone camera

The light is blazing along the Lake Michigan shoreline tonight. I quickly line up some dune grass and the sun in a way that gives me the feeling that the sun is a big ball rolling down hill. F4.0 at 1/6400, ISO 800, 500 mm lens at 500 mm

Fresh Lake Michigan air blowing in my face. Magic light hitting the dune grass in front of me. Roiling waves. Huge clouds. I feel alive and at home at this moment. F11.0 at 1/160, ISO 100, 14 mm lens at 14 mm

For years, my mom's family has called this the "deer shack." We would use the old wood stove inside the abandoned shack for a venison fry and all my aunts, uncles and cousins would have a hoedown. Unfortunately, time has taken its toll on the old house and the roof has started to cave in. F5.6 at 1/200, ISO 500, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

My uncle, Rod Marble, and a few other woodworkers helped the late Jim Roussin build this beautiful wood boat. As a young boy growing up in Ludington, I would always get excited seeing the Liberty underway. I am not sure when she was last in the water, but I hope to see her afloat soon. F8.0 at 1/50, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 24 mm

I had to smile the moment this snowman greeted me with a smile on his face in the alley near our photo gallery this morning. He definitely appears to be enjoying winter. I love winter as much as when I was a child building my first snowman. F3.5 at 1/1250, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 86 mm

Our handy man at the Ludington gallery is Mr. Don Klemm. Don is an avid photographer himself. He was so excited about the photo opportunities he visualized when he tore open a big hole in our gallery wall to fix a leaky old pipe. Don insisted I check it out. I am glad I did. F4.0 at 1/50, ISO 500, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

The January Thaw is in full swing today, creating lots of puddles. I know when I see this lone seagull reflected in a puddle near the west end of Ludington Avenue that I have found the shot I was seeking. F4.0 at 1/500, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

Last fall during one of our Picture Perfect Weekend Workshops, I realized that you could see Big Sable Point Lighthouse from the top of the second big dune north of the Beach House at Ludington State Park. I finally made a good photo from that vantage point tonight. F2.8 at 1/200, ISO 100, 70-200 mm lens at 190 mm