Black and White

Roots reach outward and downward, expanding the feeding and support network for a beech tree on the Michigan State University campus. I find the exposed roots more fascinating than the rest of the tree, which presents for me an attractive but far more familiar appearance. My grandmother taught me at a young age to look for the beauty beneath my feet. F22 at 1/5, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 14mm

We adventured around the pond today. There are a couple new calves that the kids wanted to check out. Since we were close to the pond, we decided we should check for frogs and turtles. The dragon flies were very busy today!

A trio of fox kits is living near Buttersville, south of Ludington and we got a tip on where to find them. These kits are very curious and slowly came to get a closer look at my camera and me. F5.6 at 1/200, ISO 1250, 600 mm lens with 1.4 extender at 850 mm

I inherited my Grandpa and Grandma Reed’s large grandfather clock. The kids and I have it in our dining room now. Tonight, I used my macro lens to shoot an up-close detailed shot of the face of the clock.

Kasey made this circular design out of putty. I liked the different shades and shapes. I knew before making this image at home tonight that I would make it into a black-and-white image for my photo of the day.

A pontoon ride with Todd and Debbie for an early Father’s Day celebration on Hamlin Lake was just what we needed today! I don’t get to explore the dunes as much as I would like. It was fun to visit one of Todd’s favorite spots to photograph with him today.

As I was opening the door to a Port-a-Jon in Cartier Park, I saw three baby raccoons near me. I decided I could hold it a while longer and ran back to my truck to get my biggest lens and tripod. I found the babies snuggled together on a tree branch, but my lens was so large, I could not fit all three raccoons in the frame, so I picked the cutest two. F4.0 at 1/80, ISO 1250, 600 mm lens at 600 mm

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

After taking some shots of Brad and a student of ours photographing a mature bald eagle at Ludington State Park, I switch to my big lens just in time to watch the eagle take off after an immature eagle swooped down at it. The mature bird flies over my head so close that I have to shoot without looking through the viewfinder to track with it. Awesome! F4.0 at 1/4000, ISO 800, 500 mm lens at 500 mm

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

The Blu Moon Caf

Our kittens are all starting to venture out on their own. They love crawling around and playing on our deck. These two were especially friendly tonight.

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It always amazes me how many big bucks I see around town in Ludington. They know they are safe, I guess! I saw this big guy on my way to Brad’s this evening in his neighborhood.

Did you know that Hamlin Lake has mini volcanoes under its surface? Well, they look like volcanoes at least. They are actually massive tree stumps left over from the lumbering era. Many of the stumps are no longer connected to the earth with roots so every winter the ice will move the stumps into different locations. F6.3 at 1/250, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 11.5mm

I am partial to the B-24 "Liberator" bombers from World War II because my grandpa, Bud Reed, was a pilot on many B-24 bombing missions. However, after seeing this B-17 "Flying Fortress" in person tonight, I have to admit that the B-17 is a much prettier aircraft than the B-24. The B-24 was larger and could carry a heavier payload of bombs, but its lines are not nearly as graceful as the B-17. F8 at 1/200, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 14mm

Tonight was our last 20/20 Vision Workshop of the summer. The light was not very good so we all had to look harder and deeper for our photographs. The waves in the channel were a little bigger than usual and were making some interesting pattern images along the shore. F4.0 at 1/50, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

Storm clouds can be mesmerizing as they rapidly fly across the sky. These particular clouds seemed to have a wave motion to them. I waited for them to position themselves above the trees in the way that I was envisioning.

While taking a shower tonight, I noticed tiny water droplets on our new shower curtain. About an hour later, I came back with my camera and tripod and looked for some cool patterns and then made this photograph. F9.0 at 5.0, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 44 mm