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Florida Palm Trees

Florida Palm Trees

Florida Palm Trees

My son Brad had already photographed these trees at various times of day and season. So credit goes to him for the composition. On this early September morning I feel compelled to photograph "Brad's tree" because the Queen Anne's Lace has given it a fresh look.

The quaint little village of Beulah, Michigan is surrounded by steep hills and tree lined ridges, but its most famous asset is Crystal Lake. This morning Crystal Lake was covered in thick ice and dotted with ice fishermen as far as the eye could see. I wanted a clean, simple feeling for this photograph so positioned myself to capture a scene in which no fishermen were in view.

May

I have a deep connection with trees. Their unique shapes and purposes. I can visualize farmers using this shade tree on hot summer days, while working their fields.

Lately, I have been looking at a lot of old black and white photographs of my great grandparents and other ancestors. I often imagine what their world was like living in Michigan in the late 1800's and early 1900's. For some reason, I always imagine that world in black and white. When I was making this image today on Old Mission Peninsula near Traverse City,

Tuesdays With Todd and Brad Reed

Legends Ranch September 24 2015 Black and White

Today was a busy day. I didn’t have a chance to think about a photo until well after sunset. For Christmas I had received a potpourri dish from my brother and sister-in-law. One of the ingredients was a dried orange. The textures and tones called for a macro black-and-white image.

After five unsuccessful photo trips to the Schwass farm in Riverton Township, south of Scottville, I thought I was never going to take a good photograph of their winter squash. The challenge was to make a picture that would stir the viewer's emotions the way they had described the experience to me. On the sixth trip, a golden luminescence from the setting sun gave me the feeling they must have had. I was glad for the tips and my perseverance.

Some trees have personality. I love movies like Lord of the Rings where trees come alive and walk. This tree appears to be striding through the dunes at Ludington State Park. I like its posture. F8.0 at 1/10, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 92 mm

I was deer hunting near the Pere Marquette River in Amber Township with my camera, waiting for Whitetails to appear in front of me and fall color behind. The deer never appeared where I needed them to, so I decided to switch gears and frame some of the color I had been looking at for several hours.

My dad and I drive four-wheel-drive pick up trucks for several reasons. We often end up on dirt roads, in deep mud, snow, or sand. We also have an unbelievable amount of photography gear, clothing, rope, and other adventure items with us at all times. My truck was pushed to the limits a few hundred yards past where I made this image today. I am glad my truck has skid plates on the bottom because I went over some pretty impressive boulders to get down Indian Hill Road between Honor and Empire.

Squashing any notion I might have had that I was photographing pumpkins, grower Jim Schwass let me know they were actually winter squash. Visiting with the lifelong Riverton Township farmer while photographing the squash and his son's farm was one of those social bonuses that often make photo expeditions especially rewarding.

I had already made a picture I liked of the Centenary United Methodist Church steeple in Pentwater before finding this shadowy view of a massive tree at Snug Harbor Marina on Pentwater Lake. Both images featured sunshine, shadows and clouds. Brad thought both images had a spiritual quality; I agreed. F8.0 at 1/640, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 12 mm

Since August 2012, when I photographed this old McCormick-Deering tractor on Indian Hill Road for the Tuesdays project, I have been eager to come back and photograph it in the fall. Today the scene is even better than I could ever have imagined. My favorite part of this image is all the leaves stuck in the grass surrounding the tractor.

At one summer art fair when I was a young boy, I remember hearing a gentleman say to my dad, "That isn't art, it's just a photograph!" Well, everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, and I enjoy the fact that art is subjective. I enjoy making images like this one, where an object that might go unnoticed takes on a new appearance.

If I had a million dollars, I would buy the three-foot-square piece of land my tripod is sitting on along M-22. I would leave the tripod there for countless others to physically stand in this spot and take in the awe-inspiring view I am enjoying of the Arcadia Lutheran church immersed in a sea of fall color.