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

Man, I love nights like this on the Lake Michigan shoreline. A few minutes earlier this dune grass all looked dull, boring, and ordinary. Then with God’s magic light, it all suddenly came to life.

When the house across US-10 from our family’s front field came available, we knew it would be a great spot to raise the kids. A very short walk and we are on farmland and can walk all the way to my mom and dad’s farmhouse. In the summer months, we enjoy watching our cattle and their calves in this front field. Tonight, it is quiet but stunning.

NBetsy’s cat Buffy is simply the coolest cat alive! He acts much more like a dog than a cat. He loves attention and comes when he is called. Buffy is a lap cat and a sweet boy.

When the house across US-10 from our family’s front field came available, we knew it would be a great spot to raise the kids. A very short walk and we are on farmland and can walk all the way to my mom and dad’s farmhouse. In the summer months, we enjoy watching our cattle and their calves in this front field. Tonight, it is quiet but stunning.

This seagull was so fat I don’t even know how it could fly. In this photograph, it is actually sitting on top of a large garbage can. I made this image from sitting inside of my truck. The death stare he gave me cracked me up. The hardest part of shooting this photo was not laughing and shaking my camera.

I always know spring is near when I see these little blue flowers bloom every year in Nick and Kate Krieger’s yard. I photographed them in 2010 for our 365 Project and was honored to be able to photograph them again for the 366 Project ten years later.

My mom has always loved her flowers. Over the years, her flower gardens have gotten smaller but no less beautiful. Her daffodils in front of their large porch glowed in the light this evening.

Fog is a photographer’s friend. This tree is in a residential part of Ludington and has several houses and a factory nearby. But with the dense fog this morning, the tree looks like it could be all alone in a huge field.

The sky was on fire! The layers in the sky were subject enough, I decided to simply pair them with a silhouetted tree line. This was one of the best sunsets of 2020 so far.

It is nice when you get more than three distinct layers in one photograph. I count four layers in this scene. The quality of the light is what made this image possible. The great clouds were an added bonus as well.

I am thankful to see more and more bald eagles. This immature eagle was flying overhead as we were exploring the woods on the farm.

I think I have discovered who has been stealing all the bird feed from my shed. This fat little guy was too cute to not photograph tonight in my backyard.

Growing up we had a huge garden. I knew that I wanted my kids to have the same garden experience that I did. We have enjoyed growing starter plants in the house. It is great fun watching them grow and care for them over the months before they are ready to be planted outdoors. I believe it helps teach the kids to appreciate all aspects of food and life.

We went on another family hike today. This time we explored the pedestrian section of the Silver Lake Sand Dunes. It was a windy day at the top of the dunes, but that made for great designs in the sand. I lay on my stomach to make this image.

We look forward to celebrating the Easter Vigil every year. My dad has had a solo with the choir for as long as I can remember. With the churches closed due to COVID-19, my kids could not imagine an Easter without it. They came up with the idea to have our own at the farm. My son, David Benjamin, made the cross they decorated with Easter lilies, my dad sang his solo, and we celebrated in our own way. It will be an Easter to remember.

Happy Easter! This bunny was in my yard tonight. I used a rabbit call on my iPhone to help make this image.

An Easter lily seems a fitting image for Easter Sunday. It was not the same Easter gathering that we typically have, but we tried to make the best of it.

I stood on the Pentwater beach tonight hoping to photograph the lighthouse in the storm. However, the best light was to the north, so I turned around and shot towards Ludington. Looking through my viewfinder, I shot photos like a sniper, only pulling the trigger when I felt the roll of the waves looked great. Shoot less and see more

Happy 4th birthday, Joshua James! Mother Nature blessed him with magic light for this important day!

When I looked out over Lake Michigan from my truck at the first curve inside the Ludington State Park, I chuckled to myself when I realized this huge storm cloud looked like a dragon. This photo reminds me of Smaug from The Hobbit.