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

Nikon D810. F22.0 at 1/60, ISO 100. 24-70mm lens at 24mm. December 14, 2020 at 1:28pm.

I got up early this morning to be able to shoot a sunrise photo. I drove to the Ludington State Park in the dark and waited to see if the sunrise would be any good. Luckily for me, it was a gorgeous sunrise today.

All was quiet. I was wishing I had been able to capture the sunrise this morning. Finally, alongside the road came a turkey. The calm lighting worked well to showcase her feathers.

They have been doing construction and rebuilding a much larger seawall down between the Loomis Street Boat Ramp and the North Inner Pier. Around 4:15 PM today the sun broke through the clouds and lit up the shoreline. I left work early and rushed to the end of Ludington Avenue. I found this rebar coated in ice and captured the magic light before it disappeared again.

As gray as yesterday was for me, the magic light was back today. Ice is starting to form around the waterways. I loved the juxtaposition of fall-like color in the background, to icy river in the foreground.

I had noticed these icicles the night before, but the magic light had disappeared before I could get out onto the North Inner Pier. I made it my plan that unless we had a great sunrise or some other unique photo opportunity, this was going to be my photo of the day. I love the evenings when we get the super blue light. The blue temperature of the light really adds drama to this scene.

I don’t venture to the west side of the bridge over the Pere Marquette River in Scottville, Michigan very often. I tend to pull into Riverside Park instead. I drove as far as I could off to the west and then walked as far as I could go. I sat there for several minutes. Soaking up this view.

Fountain Road is one of my favorite roads in Mason County to photo hunt on. With the fresh snow we got overnight, I was excited to head out to the countryside looking for new photos. I was on a mission to photograph a barn or farm that I had not ever photographed before. While driving down Fountain Road, I loved how this red barn just popped against the white snow.

I took a detour on my way home tonight. I stayed off US-10 and drove mostly backroads. Color started to fill the sky. The only thing I needed was a subject. This tree was placed perfectly in the roll of the hill.

The kids and I spent time at the farm tonight. It was a rain-snow mix earlier today, creating a puddle in the driveway in front of the barn. I worked hard to have the Christmas lights reflect in the puddle. My nephew, Preston, always does a great job with the lights.

This is the first good photograph of a Petoskey stone I have ever made in the Ludington area. This was in front of my Uncle Budde and Aunt Sheryl’s house on Lake Michigan, which is just north of Stearns Beach. I lay on my stomach in a puddle to make this image. I wanted the clouds and sky reflected in the thin layer of water that was on the sand.

I kept an eye out for a Christmas scene on my drive to Manistee, Michigan tonight. I passed by this nativity scene, and thought with the right exposure and angle, I could hide the house from the background, and it could make a very emotional image. I stopped on my way back home and worked the scene until I achieved that goal.

Ron and Donna Sanders are Betsy and Sean’s next-door neighbors on Riverview Drive in Ludington. After having dinner with Betsy, Sean, and the kids, I was getting ready to drive home when I noticed this family of snowmen in Ron and Donna’s front yard. With my tripod, I was able to capture this festive image.

It has been a while since I had my toes in the water. That didn’t quite happen tonight either, but I did have my boots in the water! With no snow, it doesn’t feel very much like winter here, more like a long fall.

My dad and I used to photograph the black and white “Oreo Cookie Cows” in this field on South Lakeshore Drive near the hydro-electric plant. Now the family that owns this farm has beautiful brown and white cows. The huge old maple trees have always made this farm extra beautiful as well.

We tend to shoot water ripples that are vibrant with color or cloud reflections. This photograph leans towards a darker feel, but I liked the patterns in the water.

Little did I know that as I was photographing this tree during an extraordinary sunset at my Uncle Budde and Aunt Sheryl’s house on Lake Michigan, Rachel was also photographing trees miles away at her family’s farm.

Nikon D810. F22.0 at 1/30, ISO 3200. 60-600mm lens at 66mm. December 23, 2020 at 4:57pm.

My son, Ethan, and his stepbrother Aiden both used Christmas money and bought themselves each Traxxas RC cars. I think I have had more fun playing with Ethan’s car than he has. This thing really rips! I had Ethan do several donuts with his in the snow today so I could get my photo of the day.

I picked the kids up from their dad, and we headed to visit with Brad’s family for a bit at his house. This church is always so beautifully decorated at Christmas. The air was cold, and my fingers were frozen by the time I was happy with my composition.