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Taken during a workshop. 5/2025

Taken during a workshop. 5/2025

Manistee Beach and Lighthouse. 5/2025

Ludington State Park during a workshop. 3/2025

Off the Charts

Mother Nature and the Ludington Fire Department have teamed up to light up the Ludington waterfront on a July evening. The community bonfire special event gives the public a chance to enjoy a bonfire on a public beach where fires normally cannot be permitted for safety and environmental reasons.

Todd Reed Rainbow Over Ludington

I have seen a lot of rainbows. But in all my life I have never witnessed a rainbow as distinct and colorful as this one over the Ludington lighthouse the morning of October 4, 2020. Another excellent local photographer, Brian Kainulainen, and I, had each already made some good shots of the rainbow before it reached this even more distinct and saturated peak. We both scrambled for good positions on the Ludington waterfront from which to capture it in our own ways.

Hustling from Scottville, Michigan to the Ludington State Park to photograph the sunset, I made a last minute decision to not shoot right along the shoreline of Lake Michigan, and instead, turn down Piney Ridge Road and shoot from a location that my dad discovered during Week 6 of our Tuesdays Project. Once I got on top of the massive dune, I knew I had made the right decision. F11 at 1/13, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

As I expected, as the sun sets on Lake Michigan, sunlight is finally able to break out below the clouds and "paint" the cloud layers with light. This is an example of why Brad and I like to teach our students: "Clouds are your friends." F6.3 at 1/60, ISO 800, 14-24mm lens at 24mm

While on a hike with my cousin Ryan, I made this image south of the first curve at the Ludington State Park. I stood at the bottom of this steep dune and shot upwards.

It always amazes me how mesmerizing it can be to sit and watch a campfire burn. Every flame and fire is different. The same goes for Lake Michigan sunsets. Both a fire and a good sunset warm my soul. F11 at 1/4, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

Until tonight, I had never seen purple sand at the Ludington State Park. Not far south of the first curve at the park, I was walking the shoreline when I spotted purple, magenta, and black sand all mixed together. When I went in for a closer look, I found this heart shaped rock sitting in the uniquely colored sand.

No lifeguards are on duty; the ice-cold water is still keeping all but the hardiest swimmers away. On this evening the shapes of the lifeguard tower on the Ludington beach look interesting to me empty, framed against sand, lake and sky. F8.0 at 1/250, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 14 mm