Big Sable Point Lighthouse

The sand dunes at Big Point Sable were formed several thousand years ago. Wind and water have been changing them ever since. I took this aerial photograph more than 20 years ago, when rising Lake Michigan water levels were threatening to wash Big Point Sable Lighthouse away. Most of the ponds visible between dunes in this scene were dry when I last explored this region.

Like a picture out of its past, Big Point Sable Lighthouse keepers' quarters glow with lights, as they did when operated by the Coast Guard until the 1970s. Volunteers now occupy the dwelling, conducting tours and working on maintenance and restoration. Another time exposure of Big Sable Light at night was part of the first photo story I ever shot, for a photography class in college in 1969.

Wednesday (3585)

“Invigorating Light” by Brad Reed Only a few times in the last 21 years of photographing Michigan have I had an adrenaline rush while shooting photos as powerful as I did tonight at Big Sable Point Lighthouse. For eighteen minutes before sunset, the sun was casting magic light onto the dunes and historic lighthouse inside the Ludington State Park. After the sun had set, the sky started to turn different colors over Lake Michigan. Eleven minutes later, I was witnessing one of the most colorful sunsets I have ever seen in my entire life. Everything, including the grass, lighthouse, sand, water, and of course the sky, were glowing different colors. I waited about thirty seconds before shooting another shot so that the moving clouds would align correctly behind the tower of Big Sable. By waiting and by shooting less and seeing more, all of the lines in the photograph ended up directing the viewer’s eyes right at the lighthouse. This was a night I will never forgot. Nikon D850. F6.3 at 0.6 seconds, ISO 31. On a tripod without a flash. 5:17pm on November 30, 2021.

In the workshops my dad and I lead, we tell our students not to be afraid of turning their cameras vertically. Some of our favorite photographs we have ever made are vertical images. On this day I took a horizontal photograph and a vertical photograph about 10 seconds apart. The composition in the vertical photograph was the definite winner.

On Guard to guide mariners safely past a treacherous point that juts into Lake Michigan, Big Point Sable Lighthouse has stood the test of time since 1867. The Coast Guard stopped operating the lighthouse in the 1970s. Vandals nearly destroyed the vacant dwelling before volunteers teamed up to begin restoring the tower and keepers' quarters to their original grandeur. Today, Big Sable Light stands as testimony. People with a dream, goal, and willingness to give of their time, talents, and money can accomplish great deeds. Abraham Lincoln, who approved the light's construction, would applaud this achievement.

As darkness fell and the lights of Big Sable Lighthouse and the keeper's dwelling emerged, I was certain I was in the best spot to make the strongest picture possible of the famous landmark. I shot several dozen shots over a period of 45 minutes, when the cloud patterns added to the composition of the picture. But it was in the last few minutes of shooting that the electric lights and remaining light in the sky balanced the best. I packed up my gear, shouldered my tripod and strode excitedly down a big dune to meet up with my son Brad, whom I had lost sight of an hour ago. I showed him my "trophy" shot on my digital camera; then he showed me his. It was obvious that his was a Boone and Crocket "trophy" shot compared to mine. I was glad for his greater success but still exhilerated by my own visual experience and capture.

One of the best parts of my job is that I am always meeting new people. My wife, Betsy, my dad and I trekked to the Big Point Sable Lighthouse on a long summer evening. Upon arrival, we were greeted by volunteer lighthouse keepers outside working on the grounds. They generously offered to turn on all of the interior and exterior lights. My dad climbed a dune to shoot from the south, while Betsy and I walked down the beach a few hundred yards to shoot from the north. To our surprise, we found a perfect reflection of the lighthouse in a storm pool. This shot would not have been possible without the help of the lighthouse keepers and for that I am very grateful.

The 45-minute hike to Big Sable Point Lighthouse is rewarding even on those rare occasions when a good picture seems nowhere to be found. On this evening dune grass framed against the twilight provided a still life that stood out even more than the famous lighthouse.

The bold paint job on Big Point Sable Light distinguishes it from other lighthouses along the Lake Michigan coast by day. By night its "fixed white light" shines continuously to enable mariners to distinguish it from other lighthouses in the region whose lights flash at various intervals.

365 Week 28

Wednesday Big Sable in Snow

The shadow of the 112-foot-tall Big Point Sable Lighthouse is cast on dune land north of the lighthouse. The pristine view northward from atop the light tower reveals part of the thousands of acres of protected state and federal land along the Lake Michigan shoreline north of the lighthouse.

Big Sable Lighthouse looks its 140th birthday party best during an anniversary celebration held by the light's amazing crew of volunteer caretakers. The Sable Point Lighthouse Keepers work tirelessly year after year to maintain and restore the lighthouse and attached keepers' quarters. Thousands of visitors each year get to enjoy the fruits of the keepers' labors.

Big Sable in Magic Light After Rainbow

In 1994, my dad made one of his best-selling photographs of all time. "Storm Light" shows Little Point Sable Lighthouse bathed in the dramatic light of an October storm. Since that time, my dad and I have been working to make a photograph of Big Point Sable Lighthouse with the same quality of light. On the afternoon of November 5, 2007, radiant storm light appeared in front of my camera for less than three seconds as I stood on the blustery shores of Lake Michigan.

365 Week 15

Radiant - Panoramic

In the workshops my dad and I lead, we tell our students not to be afraid of turning their cameras vertically. Some of our favorite photographs we have ever made are vertical images. On this day I took a horizontal photograph and a vertical photograph about 10 seconds apart. The composition in the vertical photograph was the definite winner.