366 Days of Beauty in the Year 2020 by Brad Reed and Rachel Gaudette

I could think of no better way to start 2020 than by celebrating New Year’s in downtown Ludington. By hanging out the upstairs window of our gallery as far as I could with my camera on a tripod, I was able to make this image of the New Year’s ball drop.

Being a farm girl, this farm near Gaylord, Michigan, caught my eye. Wading through knee-deep snow, I worked my way to achieve the composition I wanted. The subtle sunset was the perfect accent piece.

Bond Falls, way in the western side of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, near the town of Paulding, is one of my very favorite waterfalls I have ever photographed. Today Rachel and I hiked up the icy steps to the upper part of the falls. Someone before us had fun making this snowman. I couldn’t resist making an image of Frosty.

While standing on the deck at my dad and Debbie’s Harbor Terrace Condo, I made this image of the Badger coming down the channel into Ludington. It was so foggy that we couldn’t see the 410-foot ship until she was about to start her famous docking spin maneuver.

Bond Falls will always be one of my favorite places to visit. Even though I cannot travel here as often as I would like, each time feels like home. It was so icy that it was nearly impossible to climb the steps to the upper part of the falls, but I crawled up, lay on my stomach, and set my tripod in place to create a long, dreamy exposure. The water was roaring, and my heart was happy.

Today we had the first big snow of the season. I left my dad and Debbie’s condo nearby and headed down towards the Badger to look for photographs. The reflections of the 410-foot carferry and her dock into Pere Marquette Lake was picture perfect tonight after dark.

The kids and I drove to Round Lake tonight. They used to spend time here when they would visit their grandma before she moved away. The reflections of the clouds on the water were a great subject to shoot.

This morning Rachel and I drove through the Porcupine State Park to head to the Presque Isle River. Our mission was to photograph Manabezho Falls. We got a serious workout hiking through deep snow to make this image. It was worth the effort and a fun adventure full of laughs and mishaps

After taking a long hike on the Pentwater Pathways Trailhead with Betsy, Sean, and the kids, we decided we wanted to have a change of scenery. We drove into Pentwater and hiked the channel down to the lighthouse on Lake Michigan. The big lake was rougher than I expected, which was a great surprise.

I had never traveled to the Presque Isle River through the south entrance of the Porcupine Mountains. Due to the time of year, we had to park a long way away. As Brad and I hiked in, we were slightly jealous of the many snowmobiles that we saw. The exhaustion was worth it. The view was priceless.

After spending several hours at Big Sable Point Lighthouse with my dad, my daughter Julia, and my girlfriend, Rachel, shooting photos of the Comet NEOWISE, we had all decided we were tired, and it was time to start walking back to the truck. After two minutes of walking on the utility road south of the lighthouse, I turned around to give Big Sable one more look goodbye. When I turned around, this is what I saw.

Finally, I am headed to get the kids. It will be so nice to wrap my arms around them. As I am headed over the river flats on old Pere Marquette highway, the sun is out and shining on the water. I can see the gorgeous reflections lighting up the river. I decide to take a few minutes to pull over and compose this image.

It is a surprisingly long drive from the Porcupine Mountains all the way across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to Upper Tahquamenon Falls, but so worth the effort. We had beautiful light and atmosphere this morning to explore this stunningly beautiful Michigan treasure.

I was on top of a large sand dune tonight at the Ludington State Park and was in position to shoot a colorful sunset when I noticed this large lower laker passing by offshore. I decided to not shoot the setting sun, and instead focused on this moment.

While I was helping the kids work with their 4-H animals, I was distracted by the clouds in the sky. I could visualize how dramatic they would be over our barn. I ran to grab my gear and set up the shot before they blew away. We have all spent many hours in this barn over the years. It is another one of our special buildings.

I have been obsessed with old ship propellers and anchors my whole life. I must not be the only one because they are common sculptures and art pieces today around the world. I love Ludington’s old carferry relics. I found this grouping of propellers on the grounds near the Badger today and couldn’t resist making an image.

As Brad and I were packing up our gear from shooting the comet, we could see slight color to the north in the night sky. We quickly realized it was the start of the Northern Lights! Back to the dunes we ran. In one capture, we were able to see the Milky Way, Comet NEOWISE, and the Northern Lights! What an amazing show!

I grew up learning how to drive a tractor on our Allis Chalmers WD. I spent many hours in the hay fields, driving the tractor and wagon as my older siblings threw the baled hay up on the wagon. It was how we spent our summers. We would also use the tractor and wagon to haul wood in to heat our farmhouse. I hope to teach my children how to drive a tractor on the same one I learned to drive.

My large telephoto lens exaggerated the mirage I was seeing as I watched a lower laker pass by Ludington today from Stearns Beach. This ship appears to be hovering in the sky just above the water line. Cameras do lie!