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The island in front of the swimming area at the Ludington State Park has many different names. I know two different families who have named the island in honor of their dogs because it was their pets' favorite stomping grounds during family vacations. The most common unofficial name that I have heard for this glorious piece of God's creation is Blueberry Island.

The forests of Michigan ebb and flow in response to the forces of nature and man. I am increasingly aware of the life cycle of trees and how dead trees can still be attractive, especially with just the right complement of living things around them. I found this dead tree in a tiny lake near Glen Arbor to be strangely beautiful.

Reflecting on Life

Peace in the Mountains

Tuesday night usually finds my wife singing in the community choir at West Shore Community College. That means that on Tuesdays I get our daughter Julia all to myself. I often load Julia in the jogging stroller and we head off the beaten path looking for photographs. I believe Julia is my muse because every time we go picture hunting together I am able to see the world in photographs better than I can alone.

To the human eye, it was very dark outside at 6:29 A.M. when I made this photograph of the Pere Marquette River. However, with my digital camera and a 30 second time exposure, I could make it appear much brighter than it actually was. We teach our workshop students that you need to see how your camera sees. F4.5 at 30.0, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

Toby Creek Photo Flow

The beauty that lies within Cartier Park is one of Ludington's best kept secrets. I especially appreciate the drive along Lincoln Lake, where the view changes dramatically with the season, day, hour, and even minute. On a February day, the wind had sculpted away snow to create "waves" on top of the ice. The fragile artwork disappeared with the next snowfall, leaving only this photograph to document nature's creation.

My dad and I have been trying all winter to take aerial photographs of Hamlin Lake for "Tuesdays with Todd and Brad Reed" but we have had so little snow this year it was never worth our time or money. Our luck finally changed this Tuesday when Dave Johnson from Mason County Aviation took me up in his plane and I captured this photo of Hamlin Lake covered in ice.

Rocky River

Looking eastward from on top of the Silver Lake sand dunes, on an October morning provides a back-lit view of Silver Lake as well as a view of the sunrise.

Today was the first time I have been able to fly fairly low over my family's hunting property on the Pere Marquette River near Ludington. With the fresh snow on the ground and the mid-morning sunlight, I love how the shadows of the trees give this photo such a three dimensional feel. I hope to make this same composition in the spring, summer, and fall as well.

While my son, Tad, explored sand dunes farther inland, I took up position on top of a dune overlooking Hamlin Lake and composed a view across Lower Hamlin Lake through the Narrows leading to Upper Hamlin Lake. Then, I sat in the sand and savored the view while waiting for the exquisite light the evening graciously delivered.

Sunrise on Lost Lake

Bass Lake Outlet North of Pentwater is a secluded place I look forward to coming back to, the next day or next season, with great anticipation. Wading in its shallow stream that meanders in everchanging routes toward Lake Michigan or taking up a spectacular vantage point to watch night fall, is a favorite pastime.

Sunset Bay

Water from Bas Lake, carving a path of least resistance, curves through the sand on its downhill flow to Lake Michigan.

An ice fisherman is oblivious to cold because good fishing luck could arrive at any time. I eagerly waited, on a bone-chilling winter morning, for the sun to rise over the Pere Marquette River. My perseverance netted a good catch. A day like this helps me understand ice fishermen better.

The Lincoln - panoramic

Looking westward in the Pere Marquette River Flats, on the same morning I photographed the preceding scene looking eastward, revealed a similar view but one with the Dow Chemical Plant in the background.