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There are numerous small swamps and lagoons between Big Point Sable Lighthouse and Little Point Sable Lighthouse. They are always home to interesting wildlife and wonderful colors. In other words, a photographer

I have my camera and tripod set up in the dark, just waiting for the first light of dawn to paint Pentwater Lake with dawn's blue light during a time exposure. I make several test shots before the moored sailboats all have drifted into picture-perfect positions. F8 at 10 seconds, ISO 400, 24-70mm lens at 62mm

Mason County is full of creeks, streams, and rivers. I was out driving and found a pretty spot to stop and shoot. Sweetwater Creek is near Branch, Michigan.

No one knows the lower stretch of the Pere Marquette River better than Ralph Anderson. Whenever the steelhead are running, it seems Ralph is on the river angling to land one. I admire Ralph's passion for trout fishing and his love of the river. People like Ralph understand what an amazing outdoorsman's paradise Michigan is. F2.8 at 1/640, ISO 1600, 300mm lens at 300mm

How can one not bond with Bond Falls? I fell in love with Bond Falls the first time I visited there years ago. The magnificent Michigan Upper Peninsula waterfall has been drawing me back ever since. It was nearly dark already when my wife, Debbie, and I climbed the stairs to get to this spot during a September 27, 2013 visit. While my mind’s eye was yearning for more daylight, my tripod-mounted camera was able to accumulate enough light during a 30-second exposure to brighten the scene. The outcome from the movement of the water during that time made this my all-time favorite Bond Falls image.

Tuesdays With Todd and Brad Reed

After the Super Bowl last night, I decided to stay the night in Silver Lake at the hotel with Julia, Ethan, and the gang. On my drive back to Ludington this morning, I had to pull off the road and climb the observation tower near the corner of Conrad and Old US-31 in order to photograph the awesome clouds and colorful sunrise.

I have appreciated these grasses for several years in the Pere Marquette River Flats near the former city dump site. They look splendid to me tonight rising above the marsh, backlit by the setting sun. I am glad I took this route home after a long day teaching photography at West Shore Community College. F11.0 at 1/200, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 86 mm

Fritz at Bass Lake Outlet

Driving towards Ludington this morning, I knew that I had missed the color that the sunrise brought, but the clouds in the sky were superb! With the calm morning, they would reflect in the water. I headed towards the Pere Marquette River Flats to quickly compose my shot. I didn’t know that Brad had shot near here almost an hour earlier. Such beauty in God’s work!

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.

It is amazing to me how often mirages or double images of the shoreline will appear throughout a given year. As I stood on the docks at the Sable Resort overlooking frozen Hamlin Lake, I noticed that the Hamlin Dunes were being reflected onto themselves near the waterline. As I was photographing, the sun appeared and turned the sky a brilliant gold color and the mirage looked even more mysterious.

The Muskegon River was under a flood warning today because of all the melting snow. When my dad and I heard the news, we explored new roads and came upon this spot northeast of Muskegon on Duck Lake Road. Luckily, we didn't get our truck stuck, but we did forget a camera bag that a DNR officer recovered for us later that day. Thankfully, everything was still inside and not soaking wet. We got a good chuckle out of our crazy 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

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.

Aerial Photos

The view from atop this massive sand dune in Ludington State Park is breathtaking. From here, you can see a large section of lower Hamlin Lake, a huge portion of the Ludington State Park, miles of Lake Michigan, and some of the tall buildings and landmarks in the town of Ludington. Access to this dune is along Piney Ridge Road.

As I stood in one spot on the edge of Lincoln Lake for over 40 minutes, the sky produced three dramatic color changes. The first display was bright pink with the rising sun. It quickly changed to ruddy-orange and gradually finished with blue-purple. This was my only photograph of that morning that showed the large rays of light shooting toward the heavens.