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

Shadow sits statuesquely looking out the window of our son Willie's home, hoping to catch sight of a bird. Cats are beautiful creatures that maintain their wild animal instincts no matter how tame they have become. F5.0 at 1/200, ISO 800, 80-200 mm lens at 145 mm

The backlighting on this American flag made the stars and stripes pop with color and contrast. I think the American flag is one of the prettier national flags around the world and I enjoy making photographs of it. F10.0 at 1/125, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

I am driving along Fountain Road when a sunlit grain storage building and barn on Dennis Road attracts my attention. I turn around to check it out. I love the patterns of the structures as well as the patterns created by the evening light and shadow. F6.3 at 1/60, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 120 mm

I have photographed these trees three times in the last few weeks, but never felt satisfied with the results. Luckily, the trees are very close to our new house on Riverview Drive so I drive by them often. Tonight the light was soft and the bark on the trees was dry, which was the combination I needed. F22.0 at 1.3, ISO 100, 300 mm lens at 300 mm

At the conclusion of the Coast Guard memorial service for one of my longtime best friends and shipmates, Tom Rau, the Senior Chief's hat rests in the helmsman's chair of Coast Guard Station Manistee's 47-foot motor lifeboat. The "Boat Smart" author, in spirit, led a last search and rescue mission. F14.0 at 1/40, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 24 mm

Ami Maglothin called me today to provide a photo tip that a great blue heron was hanging out in the marina across the street from Whitehall Industries on Madison Street. I headed there right away and found the heron hard at work fishing for food. Thanks for the great tip, Ami! F5.6 at 1/2500, ISO 400, 600 mm lens at 600 mm

Stars become tracks in a moonlit sky during a nearly four-minute time exposure. I love the view of the trees and sky from the deck of our cabin on the Pere Marquette River. F5.0 at 236 seconds, ISO 400, 12-24 mm lens at 24 mm

The bridge on Jebavy Drive over the Lincoln River seems wide while driving your vehicle on it, but as a pedestrian holding a camera, those cars seem mighty close zooming by at 55 miles per hour. While questioning my risk assessment, I made the shot just in time. F8.0 at 1/100, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

A far cry from the snowy day five days ago, today looks and feels a lot like summer, with the thermometer surpassing the 60-degree mark. Jeff LaPrad takes the opportunity for one more sail into the sunset at the Ludington pierheads. F2.8 at 1/500, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 165 mm

The American Flag and the flags of all five Armed Forces of the United States and the POW-MIA Flag flutter in the breeze on Veteran's Day. The flags are located at the Veteran's Memorial on US 10 between Ludington and Scottville at Oak Grove Funeral Home. F6.3 at 1/640, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 17 mm

This sign at the entrance of Waterfront Park completely captures the essence of our beautiful little town. The Ludington area is quickly becoming one of the top tourist destinations in Michigan and I am proud to call it home. F2.8 at 1/60, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

I have been to this spot by the Lincoln River Outlet at Epworth Heights several times this year to try to make a picture. Today, the snow fence patterns and cloud patterns help complete the image I had envisioned. F7.1 at 1/60, ISO 200, 12-24 mm lens at 12 mm

The Cartier Mansion was completed in 1905 and is a work of art inside and out. For a brief moment today, the sun started to shine while it was raining outside. I was trying to get to the beach to shoot, but could tell the light wasn't going to last. The Mansion became the closet outstanding target. F10.0 at 1/125, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 30 mm

Yowzah! The dawn over Pere Marquette Lake has me scrambling for my camera and tripod. This is one of the most spectaclular sunrises I have ever viewed from my home on the Buttersville Peninsula. F2.8 at 1/15, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 92 mm

A few trees around the area still have leaves on them, including this birch tree on Conrad Road. The rain and overcast light actually made the yellow leaves pop more in this photograph. F5.6 at 1/40, ISO 800, 600 mm lens with 1.4 extender at 850 mm

When the world in Northern Michigan turns brown, the spots of color that remain in the landscape get a chance to really stand out. So it was today along the Pere Marquette River near our cabin. F2.8 at 1/60, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 185 mm

In our apple orchard on our property along Conrad Road, I found this cool little plant while looking for my photo of the day. By getting extremely close to it with my macro lens and shooting with a large aperture, I was able to make the background very soft and painterly. F2.8 at 1/320, ISO 800, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

Looking at first glance like an airplane flying high over water, this is actually a chrome ornament adorning the hood of a rusting 1955 Chevrolet station wagon. The hood ornament is the coolest feature of what was once a cool car. F4.0 at 1/60, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 24 mm

My dad and I made this hunting blind on the ground back in 1992 and I have sat there almost every opening day of deer season since. Every year I look forward to seeing the new growth and also to seeing which trees have fallen to the prevailing west winds of Mason County. F9.0 at 1/80, ISO 400, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

What a view I am enjoying at the dawn of a new day over woodlands, fields and farmland in Amber Township. This is truly a morning to savor and remember. F4.0 at 1/60, ISO 200, 12-24 mm lens at 12 mm