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

Julia, Ethan, and I have only been living in our new house for six weeks and we already have names for several of the deer that live in our yard. This is “Socks” because she has four white feet.

I have always been fascinated with birch trees. When I was little, I would try to carefully peel back the bark and use it to write letters on.

Tahquamenon Falls was surprisingly busy this winter day as many others enjoyed the magical light along with us. The contrast of dark water before it tumbled over the crest and showed its true tannins caught my attention. I set up in the farthest corner of the viewing platform and worked hard to include each ripple and movement that I wanted.

I pulled the truck off the road this morning on the way to go skiing at Crystal Mountain to photograph this majestic old barn and Christmas trees on US-31 between Scottville and Manistee. I love the layers in this picture. It has a distinct foreground, middle ground, and background.

My kids have always liked the Christmas lights that project moving snowflakes on your house. I decided to add one to our Christmas decorations this year. I had fun trying several different manual settings until I achieved what I was going for. Slightly abstract with at least one clear snowflake.

The setting sun shining on dune grass and lighting up the shoreline is one of my favorite things to witness. I made this image at the north end of Stearns Park tonight. This is one of the best images I have made so far in 2020.

One of the 20/20 Vision concepts we teach in our photography workshops is micro composing. With my camera on a tripod, I worked hard lying on my stomach on a frozen puddle to make sure every icicle was in just the right place and not merging with important elements of the Badger.

A male mallard duck was as still as a decoy this afternoon at the entrance of the Middle Bayou on Hamlin Lake. I worked quickly to make this image before a nearby swan messed up the perfect reflection.

Lake Michigan was a breathtaking color today, and the overcast sky was a wonderful complement. I hiked along the snow-blown dunes along M-116 until I came to a spot of uncovered sand. I composed my pyramid at my base and clicked the shutter.

A half an hour before sunset, Brad and I realized that there was a high chance of a fantastic sunset out of the snowy, gray sky. We each drove towards the lakeshore, shooting in different spots. As the sun dipped below the cloud barrier, the most remarkable particle ray appeared, and the sky lit up with the most brilliant sunset I have ever seen. What a great reminder that beauty will come after gray days.

My ex-wife Betsy’s husband Sean owns the Sierra Sands Family Lodge in Silver Lake. Julia, Ethan, and their stepbrother Aiden live at the hotel part of the year. Today we decided to watch the Super Bowl at their home inside the hotel. Before the game, I headed to Little Sable Point Lighthouse with my camera to shoot the sunset.

This little guy posed for me in my backyard this morning. The black fur against the white snow is what got my attention.

Today was a difficult day. When my tasks at work are very systematic and methodical, it is hard to shut that off and let my creative eyes SEE possible compositions. It is past sunset and I have not clicked the shutter yet. I stop at the Custer bridge, grab my camera and tripod, and hope that I can make an image I would be proud of. I carefully took several shots, and then sat there in the silence.

I love how these three whitetail bucks blend in so well with the large dune and grass at the first curve inside the Ludington State Park. The buck on the left is by far the biggest buck I have ever seen at the State Park. I was shooting photographs of the shoreline and turned around and spotted these guys sneaking behind me.

I love living on the eastern side of Mason County. There are so many uniquely shaped trees and structures. Tonight, this tree on Hansen Road reminded me of something one would see in Africa.

A cold, windy night is brightened by a beautiful sunset at the Ludington State Park Beach House. My dad, Rachel, and I always try to create triangles in our compositions, especially in the foreground

The sunset was calm and magnificent. It made for an ideal background for the dune grass at Stearns Beach. This clump stood out to me. I lay down on my stomach and worked to set up the shot, micro composing, so the sun was between blades.

Large waves on Stearns Beach in downtown Ludington made unique patterns in the sand. I liked the definite dark line in this one.

It was a colorful and dramatic sunrise over the Pere Marquette River Flats at the North Bridge on Old US-31 this morning. The light kept changing and I was able to make several very different looking images for over a half an hour. This was my favorite image that I made.

I never have had the opportunity to see a fox, much less photograph one, before this day! I had just finished making an image in the Ludington State Park. I was almost to my van when I saw a fox flash across M-116 and head towards the dunes! I switched lenses and was off. Thankfully, he took time to pause, and I captured him in this rare setting..