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I love the sense of adventure and scale of this image as I compose it in my viewfinder. Brad and I call this kind of shot "the little person in the big world." Lake Michigan is definitely a big world. F7.1 at 1/2000, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 155 mm

My dad knelt down in the warm waters of the Bass Lake Outlet this afternoon as he waited for the defining moment to happen in front of his camera. F7.1 at 1/800, ISO 400, 10-17mm lens at 10mm

Looking at sunbathers on an island at the Bass Lake Outlet to Lake Michigan, I find myself wanting to sing a favorite Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton song about "Islands in the Stream." What a special piece of Michigan real estate this spot is! F6.3 at 1/500, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 24mm

If you look closely, you will see a Lake Michigan surfer riding a wave off of Stearns Beach in downtown Ludington. I had fun watching the few daring surfers today as they worked hard to get into position to catch the perfect wave.

I am running with my large telephoto lens, camera and tripod to get to the Lake Michigan shoreline in time to capture the sun and colorful summer sky. It's just another great ending to another great Great Lakes Day. F5.6 at 1/1000, ISO 800, 300mm lens at 300mm

Lake Michigan had an eerie glow over it tonight as I drove through Stearns Park while looking for my photo of the day. As the sun set lower on the horizon, the gold shafts of light became even more apparent. F9.0 at 1/125, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 23 mm

After work I made a drive to the Ludington State Park to enjoy the shoreline for a bit. This huge piece of driftwood was a great accent piece and counterpart to the jetty.

I am getting wet making this picture but moving close to these jetties is, I know, vital to making an image that will put the viewer there. The water rushing over the tops of my waterproof shoes is cold and distracting but the image in my viewfinder is also a rush. F4.0 at 1/8, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 14 mm

Setting your camera to the "bulb" setting allows you to take very long time exposures. I used my glow-in-the-dark watch to count 90 seconds for this exposure because the sun had set 45 minutes earlier. I also used a rear-sync flash to help brighten the foreground. The end result was a surreal looking shoreline. F22.0 at 90 seconds, ISO 100, 14 mm lens at 14 mm

Other visitors and I savor the stillness and soft glow of an August evening on Sleeping Bear Bay. This spot near the old Sleeping Bear Point Coast Guard Station in Glen Haven is one of my favorite locations in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. F5 at 1/800, ISO 400, 300mm lens at 300mm

By stopping down my telephoto lens to an aperture of F22, I was able to get great depth of focus for this scene along the shores of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Northern Michigan. Having such a small hole in my lens for light to pass through and shooting at a low ISO of 100 allowed me to have a longer shutter speed of 1/10 of a second. It is amazing how fast water can move in 1/10 of a second. F22 at 1/10, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

Much of the shoreline up by the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is covered with smooth, colorful rocks. I enjoy watching the crystal clear fresh water of Lake Michigan dance over the array of colors and shapes created by the rocks below the surface. F9 at 1/320, ISO 800, 70-200mm lens at 170mm

Before making the five mile round trip hike to photograph a remote area of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, I had grand visions of encountering a world-class multi-colored Lake Michigan sunset that would paint the dunes, sky, and water in neon colors. Unfortunately, we did not have a such a sunset tonight. But the long hike was worth it for this photograph, which was made in a soft, subtle light. F8 at 1/60, ISO 100, 14mm lens at 14mm

Before making the five mile round trip hike to photograph a remote area of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, I had grand visions of encountering a world-class multi-colored Lake Michigan sunset that would paint the dunes, sky, and water in neon colors. Unfortunately, we did not have a such a sunset tonight. But the long hike was worth it for this photograph, which was made in a soft, subtle light. F8 at 1/60, ISO 100, 14mm lens at 14mm

The low clouds were a seamless backdrop to the dune grass at the Ludington State Park this afternoon.

With the super high-water levels on Lake Michigan, it has transformed the shorelines. My Uncle Budde didn’t realize he had a very old sea wall out in front of his deck. For decades, the sea wall had been covered in sand. The high water has washed enough sand away, that parts of the sea wall are now exposed.

The bridge on Jebavy Drive over the Lincoln River seems wide while driving your vehicle on it, but as a pedestrian holding a camera, those cars seem mighty close zooming by at 55 miles per hour. While questioning my risk assessment, I made the shot just in time. F8.0 at 1/100, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

To end our shoot for Week 34 of "Tuesdays with Todd and Brad Reed," my dad and I rushed to the shores of Lake Michigan in time to photograph the sunset in Charlevoix. Luckily, we avoided most traffic and construction and were able to get a few shots off before the sun dipped into the lake. F10 at 1/80, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

I have been to this spot by the Lincoln River Outlet at Epworth Heights several times this year to try to make a picture. Today, the snow fence patterns and cloud patterns help complete the image I had envisioned. F7.1 at 1/60, ISO 200, 12-24 mm lens at 12 mm

The golden rays of light over Lake Michigan were drawing a large crowd tonight down at Stearns Park. I ran out on the pier and tried to make a photograph with a fresh view of the Ludington North Breakwater Light and pier before the rays disappeared. I made it by about 30 seconds. F22.0 at 0.5, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 23 mm