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

Brad and I explored the Ludington State Park this afternoon. We ended at Lake Michigan along M-116, shooting big waves and the sun. Near sunset, the magic light showered over the dunes

I made this image last night at the Sable River Outlet in the Ludington State Park. It was a beautiful night. Not a ton of color, but the clouds and contrast from the storm light were amazing.

The kids and I watched this moose traverse the blue starry night! Actually, I was watching a movie with the kids when this night scene came on. I thought it would make a cool backdrop to a moose statue that lives on our windowpane.

The Jebavy bridge, over the Lincoln River, is not the safest place to photograph, but it sure is beautiful. Tonight, I shot the sunset from the bridge and got the clouds reflected in the river.

The wallpaper in my bedroom is the last that needs to come down. It is a lovely shade of burgundy. As a black-and-white image though, it feels extremely tropical!

Tonight, I photographed the Super Worm Moon from the Bryant Soccer Fields near my house. The first full moon of March is called the worm moon. Tonight’s moon is also the second closet of the three supermoons for 2020.

This was the most colorful sunset I have ever had the pleasure of photographing at Big Sable Point Lighthouse. The afterglow just kept getting better and better. With all the craziness going on in the world right now, it felt amazing to be isolated at my favorite lighthouse photographing Mother Nature at her best!

I was driving along my parents’ dead-end road, watching the pastures as I always do, when I spotted a skunk! I jumped out and got my big lens on. Thankfully he was too busy searching for food to notice me!

We have three different deer in our backyard daily with white spots in random places on their bodies. This beauty has one between her eyes. Our deer are not afraid of humans which allows me to get very close to them with my camera.

I took a quick drive to Hansen Road tonight, looking for the right foreground to go with the clouds. I quickly found just the thing!

This little six-point buck acted as if he was the king of the forest tonight. He marched right up to me and responded to my fake grunts in our backyard. If you are looking to make a new photography equipment purchase, I highly recommend the Sigma 60-600mm lens. You can get it with different camera system mounts. Rachel and I love ours. I can handhold this lens in low light and get sharp photos, even at 600mm.

My daughter’s tablet cover reminds me of Van Gogh’s painting, “The Starry Night.” I decided to spin the tablet to create the same spinning movement as he does in his painting.

My daughter Julia pointed out these cloud reflections on the Sauble River to me this evening. She has a keen eye and I love her artistic talents. Someday soon I hope to do a book of her paintings, drawings, and photographs along with my dad’s and mine. Three generations of artists in one book.

It is officially spring when the geese flock to my parents’ fields! This one was getting a running start before flying away. I was happy to capture the reflection in the quick click of the shutter.

John and Cheryl Larson own a beautiful home and piece of property on lower Hamlin Lake. They allow us to photograph their property and for that we are so thankful. This morning I enjoyed making images of several trumpeter swans with the famous Hamlin Lake dunes as a backdrop.

The first robin of the season is here and what a beauty it is!

My Uncle Budde found this very uniquely colored piece of driftwood in front of his Lake Michigan home this morning. He called and told us about it and explained that when the wood gets wet, it turns a beautiful pink and red color. I had to see it with my own eyes to believe it.

I have never seen a piece of driftwood this color before! I’m grateful that Brad’s Uncle Budde called to let us know about it.

Hundreds of seagulls were having a feeding frenzy early this morning as the sun was turning the Lake Michigan shoreline in downtown Ludington beautiful colors. The high winds were creating breaking waves over the pier. Mornings like this make me feel so alive and thankful to live, work, and play in such a majestic area as Mason County.

I love exploring the curves of the Ludington State Park shoreline along M-116. This particular evening, the second curve grabbed my attention.