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I marvel at how exquisite this lighthouse lens is as I view it from the underside in the lantern room of South Manitou Island Lighthouse. The beautiful and effective Fresnel lighthouse lenses, built in France in the 19th century, still grace a handful of Michigan lighthouses.

The Shining

The Sun of God

The view from the top of South Manitou Island Lighthouse is well worth the long climb up the circular stairway to the top. The lighthouse has helped guide ships through the Manitou Passage between the island and Michigan's mainland since 1872.

I watched in awe for two hours as wave after enormous wave slammed into the Ludington North Breakwater Lighthouse on February 24, 2019. I have rarely witnessed or photographed bigger or more frequent waves exploding against the seemingly invincible structure. Many of my several hundred exposures show water flying up to 100 feet in the air and the lighthouse nowhere to be seen. Persistence paid off when I finally caught one huge descending wave still higher than the lighthouse as the next one shot skyward above the lighthouse during its ascension. I had never seen two waves tower above the Ludington lighthouse at once. I was fortunate to artistically document the rare moment.

White Lightning

Tonight is the first time I have ever seen the Muskegon Lighthouse. I have played hundreds of soccer games in the Muskegon area since I was probably eight years old and my dad operated Coast Guard boats at most ports between Holland and Charlevoix. It is shocking to me that I have never seen the beautiful lighthouse at the entrance to Muskegon's harbor. F22 at 1/50, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

The western skies over Lake Michigan started glowing different shades of pink and yellow as the setting sun said goodbye to us tonight in Muskegon. The Muskegon waterfront was aglow and so were my spirits. F22 at 1/13, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

It is a strange feeling hiking a half-mile out on a pier half-asleep in the middle of the night in almost complete darkness, especially when the sky appears to be otherworldly as you go. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. So into the night I hike out onto the Ludington South Breakwater until reaching the spot I had previsualized. As I had hoped, the waves are not too big for me to safely get near the South Breakwater Light. It is cold and windy but I am not cold anymore. All I can think about is getting this shot before Aurora's magic show diminishes. I quickly set the tripod up for an insurance shot, not certain yet of focus and exposure. Thirty seconds later, at 2:41 a.m. Tuesday, April 24, 2012, I analyze the results of my insurance/test shot. It looks sharp and the horizon line is straight, which can be tough to determine in the dark. I make two more identically composed shots over the next 10 minutes. My exposure is better on both of them but the Northern Lights are not dancing near as intensely. Thank God I quickly made that insurance shot; the other shots, although better technically, do not look nearly as out of this world. Thanks also to our Silver Lake photography friend Louise Olson for alerting us by Facebook that she was seeing the lights. What a spectacular start to our shooting day on this 17th Tuesday of "Tuesdays with Todd and Brad Reed: A Michigan Tribute." F4.5 at 30 seconds, ISO 800, 14-24mm lens at 18mm

This is the perfect ending to an 80-degree-plus day. This is one more example of why people who have traveled the world are not exaggerating when they say the Ludington area is the best place in the world to experience sunsets. F3.2 at 1/1250, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

Clouds provide drama and design elements as the setting sun appears to light one of the two lighthouses on the Grand Haven pier. I have to keep changing my camera position between shots to keep the sun lined up with the lamp house of the lighthouse. This can sometimes be an effective technique for sunset pictures of lighthouses. Tonight seems to be one of those nights. F10 at 1/320, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 80mm

Tonight my dad, Rachel Gaudette, and I made photographs of the Grand Haven lighthouses and we all had the same initial reaction when we looked at the backs of our cameras. To our eyes, the sky and water did not look that orange, but all three of our cameras were seeing the real color in the sky that our eyes couldn't pick up because our eyes were normalizing the color. Galen Rowell always preached that you have to learn to see like your camera sees. Tonight was the proof of that! F8 at 1/500, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

Long after sunset, and more than 45 minutes after making my first "sunset shots" at Grand Haven pier, I am still able to make good images. In fact, this "after dark" view is my favorite. I have learned to bring a tripod and continue waiting and shooting long after my mind thinks and emotions feel it is no longer bright enough to make a strong image. Wait, wait, wait! F2.8 at 0.6, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 24mm

I never get tired of listening to the music Lake Michigan makes every day. Tonight, her song is quiet, rhythmic, and soothing. I must admit, I can't wait to photograph her next rock and roll concert. F22 at 15 seconds, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 27mm

Being alone in the rain on a weather deck of the carferry Badger as the ship departs Ludington harbor takes me back 40 years to the days when I stood lookout duty in all sorts of inclement weather on the North Atlantic aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Unimac. Tonight I can make this picture and retreat to the comfort of the Badger's interior. F4.0 at 1/50, ISO 1600, 12-24 mm lens at 12 mm

The clouds were spectacular today and the sunlight danced off the bright blue sky creating the perfect backdrop for almost any subject. I choose to make Little Sable Point Lighthouse the star of my photograph. F16.0 at 1/250, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 20 mm

One of the most radiant sunsets of the year greeted me as I took a hike while my wife and her study buddies continued to study for yet another in a long line of nursing tests. This view of Ludington harbor was from atop a sand dune near my former home at Crosswinds

One of the most radiant sunsets of the year greeted me as I took a hike while my wife and her study buddies continued to study for yet another in a long line of nursing tests. This view of Ludington harbor was from atop a sand dune near my former home at Crosswinds

The beach near my Crosswinds home in Ludington often provides me a quiet, peaceful retreat from the often fast pace of life. Tonight I will make this picture and then savor the view for another half-hour while waiting for the moon to descend toward the lighthouse. F11 at 10 seconds, ISO 400, 80-200mm lens at 105mm

After a long day shooting my portion of Week 21 of Tuesdays with Todd and Brad Reed: A Michigan Tribute, I noticed while shooting the sunset afterglow that the crescent moon was high above the Ludington lighthouse. I was tired and hungry. I could have gone home content with the several good images I had already made during my 200-plus miles of Michigan photo hunting travels that special early summer day. However, more than four decades as a photographer had long since proved to me that patience and perseverance are rewarded. I also knew the moon would not be setting at a peak shooting time the next day. I was rewarded with one of my all-time favorite moonset images and an excellent home-cooked meal afterward. Fortunately, my wife doesn’t mind eating late. Living with an outdoor photographer does not lend itself to strict dinnertime schedules.