Black and White

In the last few years Ludington has had several different tall ships visit our port. As the Peacemaker rounded the Ludington North Breakwater Light and headed for the dock in Ludington, I was certain she was the most beautiful tall ship to visit this busy port. I was so impressed she came through the channel with all of her sails up.

Tuesdays With Todd and Brad Reed

Sahara Sands

The few secluded areas of the Silver Lake Sand Dunes strongly resemble whispering desert hills.

A compelling aspect of visual art is that different people may look at the same image and see different things. While I was composing this photograph, I noticed that the rocks, seaweed, and water resembled the face of an old man. I named this photograph with the hope that my viewers would enjoy the same illusion.

Clyde Butcher continues to teach people all over the world that swamps are beautiful. He photographs the Everglades in Florida and has done more to save the Everglades than any politician. His photographs move people emotionally and that emotion is what is spurring the action to save the Everglades. Today I am photographing a swamp near the Eastmanville Bayou along the Grand River.

The SS Spartan has not operated since 1979. For several years it has been floating in the same spot behind the Badger. The Spartan has always been my favorite carferry. The word "Spartan" can mean simple or undaunted. I love how the Spartan lives up to its name in this photograph. F8 at 1/800, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 15mm

I love black and white photography. Today's bright overcast light, along with the varying tones of the sand, ice, and snow make for stunning images. I love how this sand formation looks like it could be part of the Grand Canyon.

Lake Michigan waves splashing up on the erector­ set – looking framework of the foundation for the elevated foghorn building created this icy artwork at Big Sable Point Lighthouse on April 15, 2020. The rest of the story is the fall I took on the undetectable ice covering the sand en route to make the shot.

New Salmon Fishing Statue at Boat Ramp

After nearly two hours of shooting stormy seas battering the Manistee pier, a little sunshine finally finds its way partially through the clouds, providing a wider range of tonal values for the black and white image I want to make of this lakeshore drama. Good light is worth waiting for. The added light also enables me to close my aperture by two more stops to render more of the scene in sharp focus while still stopping action. F11 at 1/800, ISO 800, 80-200mm lens at 200mm

It has been interesting watching this old abandoned home near Silver Lake change over the last 20 years. My guess is that within the next year or two a good portion of it will collapse.

I have been obsessed with old ship propellers and anchors my whole life. I must not be the only one because they are common sculptures and art pieces today around the world. I love Ludington’s old carferry relics. I found this grouping of propellers on the grounds near the Badger today and couldn’t resist making an image.

In my mind's eye, I see this picture as all about patterns and not at all about color. Any of the color seems distracting so I make an image to emphasize the pattern and tonal values, knowing I will remove any color later. F18 at 1/125, ISO 100, 24-70mm lens at 70mm

I grew up learning how to drive a tractor on our Allis Chalmers WD. I spent many hours in the hay fields, driving the tractor and wagon as my older siblings threw the baled hay up on the wagon. It was how we spent our summers. We would also use the tractor and wagon to haul wood in to heat our farmhouse. I hope to teach my children how to drive a tractor on the same one I learned to drive.

The beach at Little Sable Point looks like ice cream swirls today. Wind and waves and sand have worked together to create one of the most unique natural artworks I have ever encountered on a Lake Michigan beach. Little Sable Point Lighthouse and autumn clouds provide an appropriately beautiful backdrop. F32 at 1/125, ISO 400, 24-70mm lens at 24mm

The graphic view in front of me at the entrance to St. Joseph Harbor reminds me of those perspective drawings we learned to make in grade school. Everything appears smaller as it recedes into the scene. Shooting the sailboat at just this spot in its voyage makes all the lines and imaginary lines line up in triangular fashion. F10 at 1/400, ISO 800, 80-200mm lens at 130mm

Red pine trees are known for growing tall and straight in Michigan but one or more severe windstorms has obviously impacted this forest near Free Soil, Michigan. Many of the trees have been left bent to varying degrees. F10 at 1/500, ISO 800, 80-200mm lens at 200mm

Since I was a young child, I have been fascinated by the carferries and other large ships that traffic Ludington Harbor. This statue of a mariner stands tall and proud, very much like the ship captains I have been privileged to know.

Experiencing this view on the evening of July 3, 2019, was the visual highlight of my 4th of July weekend. When I climbed to the top of a high dune along the Hamlin Lake shoreline after landing our pontoon boat, I was immediately stunned by the expansive dune view and the way the shadows were playing upon the sand. Footprints left by daytime visitors who had long since departed added interesting design elements to the scene. I was in sand dune heaven.