Abstract

The wild colors, textures, and shapes on this massive stump caught my eye as I was exploring the small creek at Summit Park this evening. Luckily for me, we had magic golden light that made the colors, textures, and shapes hyper-defined. F22 at 0.8, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 26mm

I spent over 10 minutes standing above the creek at Summit Park tonight just studying the shapes and contrast in the sand and creek bottom. My eye kept coming back to the two swirls that were separated by a dark rock. Once the sun was low enough in the sky, I quickly moved in for my shot. I suggest to shoot less, see more, and know exactly what is exciting you before you pull the trigger on your camera. F5 at 1/60, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

Summit Park south of Ludington is one of my favorite West Michigan places to rock hunt along the Lake Michigan shoreline. After enjoying a fabulous fish dinner at the famous Bortell's Fisheries just across the road on South Lakeshore Drive, I find some rock treasure on the park beach. F2.8 at 1/200, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 200mm

My cousin Ryan, my wife Betsy, and I have a standing joke about black and white photography and "only seeing light and shadow." I am chuckling to myself about that as I make this photograph of a large tree inside Stearns Park in Ludington. F11.0 at 0.25, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 30 mm

During our Thursday night workshop tonight I noticed the sun hitting one of these large pieces of limestone. I waited over 30 minutes for the correct angle of sunlight and for a large enough wave to cover the front and backside of the rock. I am not usually a very patient person, but tonight it paid off. F22.0 at 0.6, 100 ISO, 70-200 mm lens at 70 mm

There is beauty all around us. Sometimes it appears hidden, or not easily spotted. I have always thought this candle holder was neat. It would always grab my attention as I sat at my patio table, so I decided to focus on it tonight.

My son, Ethan, and I have always been obsessed with Italian sports cars, especially Lamborghinis and Ferraris. Tonight, I photographed this Lamborghini Aventador in Ludington. It just happened to be 1:64 scale.

The Blu Moon Caf

While walking into Dr. Jacob Seng’s chiropractic office to get my adjustment, I spotted this heart-shaped rock. I walked back to my truck and grabbed my camera and tripod and made this image near the entrance to his office.

Unique photos are everywhere if you practice looking for them. One of the best parts of doing a photography project like this 366 book is it helps you practice seeing patterns, shapes, and possible photographs every single day of the year. I loved the colors, tones, and patterns on this orange pillow tonight and decided to make it my image of the day.

We drove to St. Louis, Missouri, today. Brad’s cousin, Ben, is getting married tomorrow. I found this sculpture in our hotel lobby to be intriguing.

While driving back home today from Ben and Sam’s wedding in St. Louis, Rachel, my Uncle Rod, my cousins Erika and Travis, and I decided to stop at The Cross at the Crossroads in Effingham, Illinois. I wanted to try and make my image of the day. I am so glad we stopped. The clouds and light were perfect today and the 198-foot-tall cross appeared to be glowing. It is one of the tallest crosses in the world and is truly impressive.

My plan was to shoot the Comet NEOWISE in Ludington tonight. I drove out through M-116 but that was packed with cars. I wasn’t in the mood to be around people, so I decided to shoot the farm. I got back here and set up just in time to create this time lapse above a couple of our barns.

While my dad and I were giving our free annual photo talk tonight at Big Sable Point Lighthouse at the Ludington State Park, I moved this large piece of driftwood into the parking lot and used it as a teaching tool for the students. My dad and I told them to get twice as close and isolate the interesting parts of different subjects and look for s-curves, repetitive patterns, dynamic angles, and great light. My teaching moment turned into one of my favorite photographs of the entire day for Week 23 of "Tuesdays with Todd and Brad Reed." F22 at 0.5, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 46mm

The curves, angles and play of light and shadow on a sculpture outside the Renaissance Hotel in Schaumburg, Illinois, attracts me to make a picture out of a portion of the metal artwork. It is not a picture I expected to find but I know it is important to be alert for the unexpected photograph, the fresh view. F8.0 at 1/300, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 175 mm

Standing in the parking lot at Captain Chuck's Great Outdoors in Ludington, my six-year-old daughter Julia commented on how pretty the clouds were. The clouds were gorgeous in every direction. I grabbed my camera and looked for the prettiest cloud formation. Julia is getting so good at recognizing the beautiful world around her and for that I am grateful. F10 at 1/250, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 24mm

The Lake Michigan house we are renting this week in Manistee is amazing! The dinner table has a runner made of beautiful lake stones. As the evening sun poured in the large picture windows, I noticed the light hitting the tops of the stones. I grabbed my camera and my macro lens in order to capture the moment. F2.8 at 1/200, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

Tonight, we took the Lake FX film crew by boat out to the Hamlin Lake Sand Dunes to shoot some footage on the documentary we are making about my dad and his 50 years of photographing Michigan. It was another glorious night with warm shadows and great light.