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This tree graces the Ludington beach near the entrance to Stearns Park. It often frames picturesque views of Lake Michigan. On this night the tree takes center stage, leaving an anchored freighter to play supporting role.

While unloading artwork for an exhibit at the Muskegon Lumberjacks hockey game in Muskegon my eye is drawn to the graphic designs created by the superstructure of a World War II landing craft on display in Muskegon harbor. F5.0 at 1/1600, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 165 mm

It never gets old photographing the sunrise at the north bridge on Old US31 over the Pere Marquette River flats. This morning, my dad and I are greeted with a unique cloud pattern and a powerful sunrise.

Wednesday

Workshop at Ludington State Park

The tugboat Zeus slowly chugged into the Ludington harbor tonight while pulling a large barge behind it. I was impressed by the towering crows nest on this beautiful tug and could only imagine how sea sick I would get while standing way up there. I did not inherit my dad's sea legs. F3.5 at 1/200, ISO 800, 300 mm lens at 300 mm

While my aunt Sheryl was vacuuming her living room, she looked through the large picture window and noticed a fawn sleeping peacefully in her pachysandra bushes right next to the house. She immediately called my dad and me and we rushed over with our cameras. I put my lens right on the glass of the window and made this image. I love the heart shape of the bushes that surrounds the beautiful sleeping fawn.

Workshop at Ludington State Park

After a quick drive in the dark to Little Sable Point Lighthouse, my dad and I were as excited (and loud) as middle-schoolers riding a school bus. We had both just made some fantastic shots of the Northern Lights over Ludington. Our goal now was to get a photograph of the Northern Lights over Little Sable Point Lighthouse. Neither of us have ever had any luck in making that shot before. We have both tried several times, but the Northern Lights either never showed up, or they disappeared before we could make the 35-minute drive. Our luck was about to change. The Northern Lights were much dimmer now and almost invisible to the naked eye. However, like Galen Rowell taught all nature photographers, you have to learn to see like your camera sees. I tried to line up the North Star right above Little Sable Point Lighthouse. I made a few test exposures and then set my camera to F8 at ISO 200. I used my cable release and my iPhone as a timer and took a 32-minute exposure. The stars in the night sky made a perfect circle around the North Star and my camera could easily pick up the color from the Northern Lights. What a magic morning along the shores of Lake Michigan. I made this image at 4:54 a.m. on our 17th Tuesday of 2012. F8 at 32 minutes, ISO 200, 14mm lens at 14mm

My three-year-old son Ethan, like many little kids, loves watching tugboats. I wish Ethan had been with me today in South Haven to see the mini tugboat Wilhelm Baum. According to my dad, the Whilhem Baum is a certified Coast Guard Auxiliary rescue boat. I would love to go for a ride on it sometime. I guess I am a big kid at heart because I love tugboats too! F2.8 at 1/640, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 34mm

Goodbye moon

A half an hour before sunset, Brad and I realized that there was a high chance of a fantastic sunset out of the snowy, gray sky. We each drove towards the lakeshore, shooting in different spots. As the sun dipped below the cloud barrier, the most remarkable particle ray appeared, and the sky lit up with the most brilliant sunset I have ever seen. What a great reminder that beauty will come after gray days.

Workshop at LSP

 

In photography and in life, getting close to someone or something brings out feelings you have never felt before. That's the kind of strong feelings I seek when I am fortunate enough to be on the Lake Michigan shoreline with my camera on an evening like this.

A smartly flemished line finished off the squared-away appearance of a six-man Coast Guard rowing surfboat housed in the VanOort U.S. Coast Guard Boathouse at the Michigan Maritime Museum. The craft is part of an exhibit featuring the nation’s only complete and restored collection of the last three types of wooden rescue craft used by the Coast Guard.

Even on a busy July or August morning, Pentwater has a peaceful and calming atmosphere. Every time I visit, I just want to kick back in a comfortable chair, listen to good live music, and drink a beer. On this early morning in May, Pentwater had not fully come back to life yet, but it still had that wonderful calming effect on me.

I have not shot many sunrises at Big Sable Point Lighthouse because it is so hard to get to early in the morning, but one of the beauties of the Tuesdays Project is it is forcing us to get out of bed early. As the sun just starts to peek out above the sand dunes, I am filled with excitement and anticipation of what this new day will bring. Life is what you make of it and everyday is a new beginning. F22 at 1/13, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 24mm

Tuesdays With Todd and Brad Reed