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

For years Julia and Ethan went to Elaine Buskirk’s daycare in Ludington. They are old enough now that they don’t need to go to daycare, and we always miss seeing Elaine. While driving in our old neighborhood near Lakeview School today, I spotted one of Elaine’s cool Halloween pumpkins in her front yard. Elaine’s sister makes these entertaining Halloween decorations.

I could see sweeping clouds to the west when I walked out for lunch. I knew I needed to get to the lakeshore. The clouds were massive overhead.

I was up early today and in position for the sunrise over Lincoln Lake. The sunrise was even better than I had predicted. It felt great to get my image of the day done in the morning.

“The Triple Trees” have fully changed colors. The reds are so vivid this morning!

Sean and I met two of his friends near Canadian Lakes this morning and we played 18 holes at the Royal Golf Course. The golf cart path between two of the holes takes you over a large bridge that overlooks a beautiful river and hardwoods. We stopped the cart on the bridge so I could make this image.

For the first time, my kids will not be with me the night of my birthday. We were all sad as we celebrated it tonight, a day early. I had a difficult time being motivated to find beauty. Kasey helped me see the beauty in this patterned watering can.

As I was photographing the fall color on the tunnel of trees on Conrad Road this morning, a Jeep with two kayaks on the top of it drove by. The Jeep even had its signature round headlights on. Luckily, I was ready with my camera.

Anyone who passes through Scottville on a regular basis would probably recognize this tree. It sits to the north at the bridge on US-10, and always is a treat to see. Today it is especially picturesque.

If you look closely, you will see a Lake Michigan surfer riding a wave off of Stearns Beach in downtown Ludington. I had fun watching the few daring surfers today as they worked hard to get into position to catch the perfect wave.

Shortly after purchasing our home, I installed an indoor wood stove. There is something about the warmth of a fire on a chilly day to make you feel better.

Doing these year-long shooting projects, where you have to try and find a book-quality image every single day, gets hard. I remember in 2010, while my dad and I were shooting the 365 Project, that by the time October rolled around, I was anxiously awaiting the end of the year so I could take a mental health break. It is especially hard on days like today when you come down with some nasty bug.

The shape of this tree in my backyard always surprises me. It doesn’t have the usual shape that one would expect.

Sometimes black-and-white images allow you to focus on the patterns and tones in an image, more than color allows. I felt this was the case today.

My family has been hunting pheasants for decades. Today, we hunted with the Wright family at Thundering Aspens Sportsman Club near Mesick, Michigan. Their red lab, Drake, was the most impressive hunting dog I have ever witnessed in the field. He also is one of the best-looking hunting dogs I have ever seen.

One of Brad’s favorite roads is Anderson Road, north of Ludington. I decided to drive that way because I know the fall color is breathtaking there. I wasn’t disappointed!

Near the corner of Bryant Road and Sherman, I spotted this flaming red and orange maple tree in someone’s front yard. I pulled into their drive and went up to the door to ask for permission. The gentleman was so nice and told me I could shoot in his yard anytime. I spent a half hour shooting at several different distances and with different lenses. I decided this was my favorite image of the day.

The kids and I were working on splitting wood this afternoon, when my brother, niece and nephew stopped by. I asked if they wanted to help with my photo for today. I lay on my back, and they all tossed leaves in the air above my head.

While sitting in my truck at the drive-through car wash on Washington Avenue, I noticed this tapestry of colors across the street. When my truck was done being washed, I stood on my tailgate and made this image with my big telephoto lens. The fall color has started to finally get good in Ludington this week.

I used the boards of my deck to frame this leaf. Don’t give up hope on a rainy day. The rain can help brighten the colors..

While eating a delicious meal at Table 14 in downtown Ludington tonight, I was captivated by this funky pumpkin that was on display in the restaurant. After shooting this photo with my iPhone, I learned that the employees had a pumpkin carving contest going and they were asking customers to vote on which one was their favorite. This one got my vote.