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

My grandpa, Bill Marble, whom I have always called Papa, has had a love of bowling for most of his life. At over 80 years old, he may move slowly, and not breathe the best, but that man can still bowl a mean game.

This squirrel seemed like the perfect photo for today. Simple. Composed. Sweet.

The first concept we teach in our 20/20 Vision Workshops is “twice as close.” When you find a scene that excites you, shoot it. Then move roughly twice as close and shoot it again. Keep doing that until you can’t get any closer. That is what I did today photographing a new metal sculpture in my Uncle Budde and Aunt Sheryl’s front yard on Lake Michigan

This home has been the subject of many photographers over the years. As I visit it today, I worked to let the light through the doorway while keeping the tree limbs on the right, reaching into the shot.

My dad is the master of making great art out of snow fence. I know a lot of people that hate looking at the snow fence down at Stearns Beach, which is up for about seven months of the year. My dad has taught us all how to find the beauty in things that at first might look ugly.

I have several of these solar lights along my porch railing. I was struck how much the metal framed the light in black on this dark night.

Rachel and I went for a hike together with our cameras today. The sunshine was a welcome treat as we explored the Ludington State Park.

A walk in the Ludington State Park was just what the doctor ordered today. The sunshine and Brad’s company helped calm the unease of COVID-19, even if it was just for a few hours. I chose F22 so that the sunburst, or double sunburst in this case, would appear.

When I went to lift up my truck topper and put my camera away, I was awestruck by the beautiful pattern of small puddles reflecting in the sunlight. I climbed up and stood on my bumper and used my wide-angle lens to make this abstract image.

The pond up at Bespop’s is one of my favorite places to visit. This evening it was full of life as the birds and peepers kept me company.

Now that we are spending a lot more time at home because of COVID-19, I need to keep the kids busy. Luckily, Ethan is a homebody, and he loves playing his electric guitar. I sure love listening to and watching my handsome boy rock out. The golden light poured into our living room tonight as I was making this personality portrait of Ethan Arthur Reed.

I am a very realistic person. In my photography though, I like to do things outside the box. This photo is one example of that.

With everything shut down, Betsy, Sean, the kids, and I all decided to take a hike at the Lake Michigan Recreation Area between Ludington and Manistee. After we all played in a stream and made a bridge to cross, we found this unique looking stump on the Lake Michigan shoreline. Getting off the couch and getting outside is always so rewarding!

The sky wasn’t as exciting as I would have liked today when I got out to shoot. I decided to turn my focus on the reflections in the Sauble River. I love the greens and blues.

I have been learning more about birds lately, so I know what I am looking at when they frequent the bird feeders in our yard. This white breasted nuthatch was hanging out today and let me get pretty close with my camera.

Even though I see these red-winged black birds quite frequently, I am always in awe of their beauty.

In my down time, which we have had a lot of the last week or so, I have been thinking a lot about my Grandpa and Grandma Reed. I was really missing them today, so we took a walk to Lakeview Cemetery to pay our respects. My grandpa was a B-24 bomber pilot in WWII, so we had his plane etched onto their joint headstone.

The Pere Marquette River winds around the south side of our family farm. There are many spots that we regularly visit, but this area near the natural spring is one of my favorites. Today, the massive, billowy clouds reminded me of Clyde Butcher’s photography in the Everglades of Florida.

While driving down Bryant Road today I spotted a large hawk sitting on top of a telephone pole. I pulled over and grabbed my camera and telephoto lens. A few minutes after I was in position to shoot and had my camera set the way I wanted with a super-fast shutter speed and a high ISO, the hawk flew in the perfect direction for me.

Rachel’s Day 84 We raise Shorthorn cattle on our family farm, Weldon Creek Farms. This young steer was particularly cute today as we did chores. The kids and I are staying very close to home so that we can still safely be at the farm daily to help and visit with my mom and dad.