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Sometimes it seems like we wait forever for the leaves to turn along the shores of the inland lakes tied to Lake Michigan. Then, seemingly overnight, a glorious change greets us on a morning like this one on Hamlin Lake. My son Brad and I encountered this fleeting scene at Victory Park on Upper Hamlin Lake in mid-October. Brad was still running with tripod and camera for a different vantage point while I made this picture along the park waterfront. Fortunately, I got off one shot before a cloud dropped the curtain on the fall color light show.

Tuesdays With Todd and Brad Reed

Clouds are your friends! This is a great example of a sunset that would have been super boring and unphotogenic if it wasn’t for the beautiful clouds.

My son, Brad and I climbed for half an hour to arrive at this dune vantage point on Hamlin Lake. Our family made several summer trips to the dunes and was always rewarded with good pictures and great experiences.

Workshop at Ludington State Park

Every summer, thousands of visitors frequent the Beach House, inside Ludington State Park. Weddings, family reunions, and eating ice cream are just a few of the uses for this grand structure.

Give me a windy day at the beach anytime, especially an autumn day when the light is sharp. On this afternoon, I wanted to capture the feeling of a windy day along the Lake Michigan shoreline. I set up the tripod and used a slow shutter speed to record the movement of the dune.

I yearn for the dramatic light and the winds that come to the Lake Michigan shoreline in the fall. This perfect combination creates a world of beautifully lit patterns of grasses, waves and clouds. The carferry S.S. Badger, steaming back to Ludington from Wisconsin, provided an added ingredient to the scene on this October day.

Workshop at Ludington State Park

As vivid as it is harmful to the other growth along the banks of the Pere Marquette River, loosestrife stands out shortly after sunrise in the flats south of Ludington.

The shrill sound of coyotes howling on the opposite side of the river breaks the silence as my oldest son Tad and I appreciate the winter beauty of the Pere Marquette River in the twilight. This view of the meandering river is our reward for trekking by foot and ski to our family cabin, "Daylight In The Swamp," to enjoy a winter getaway. F6.3 at 30.0, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 24 mm

Fusion

The sun sets over the sand dunes at Hamlin Lake in a view southwestward from the Narrows that connect the Upper and Lower sections of the lake. A duck hunting blind on this private property is one of my favorite spots to hunt for Hamlin Lake pictures. Sitting there, I wonder what amazing views hunters must have enjoyed from this spot over lifetimes of hunting. I am grateful for permission to hunt there with my camera.

365 Week 11

Some sunsets are truly out of this world. This cloud looked like a giant UFO with crazy neon orange lights shooting out from the top of it. It reminded me of the last scene in E.T. It was an exhilarating few minutes watching this light show at Stearns Beach in downtown Ludington.

365 Week 11 Cropped Pano

Looking like waves rushing ashore on an autumn evening, a ridge of sand dunes stops short