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I love the coldest mornings; they often render Lake Michigan waterfront scenes in incredibly sharp and colorful ways. The setting moon and rising steam made this a picture that warmed my soul. I live for moments like this when my camera takes me where my heart wants to go. I tell my photo students, follow your heart with your camera.

The moon is an extremely difficult subject to photograph. If you set your exposure according to the camera meter, then you get some detail in the night sky and foreground, but the moon is a solid white circle with no detail. If you underexpose by three or four stops, then you get the "cheese" of the moon, but no detail in the sky or foreground. The moon also moves so quickly that it requires a relatively fast shutter speed. When it's dark outside, the only way to get a fast shutter speed is to raise your ISO or film speed. However, high film speeds are grainy or noisy. The choice is yours.

With our minds on the new photography book that my dad and I are working on that will cover West Michigan, I decided to head north to Frankfort and my dad headed south to Muskegon to photograph the solar eclipse. In this area of Michigan, we witnessed about 75 percent coverage. We also had clouds to battle, but as we often say, clouds are your friend.

Harvest Moon

The moon’s “cheese” was not only highly visible but took on a beautiful golden red hue during the lunar eclipse on September 27, 2015. At this point, the moon was almost totally eclipsed. I ended up liking this image better than my total eclipse shot because I felt that the slight highlight of the uneclipsed edge made the photograph more exciting and more three-dimensional looking.

Eclipse With Ludington Lighthouse Shore Light

On an August evening during a photo trek to Big Point Sable Lighthouse I faced a momentary dilemma. I was shooting an extremely dramatic sunset over Lake Michigan to the west when I looked back to the east to see if the sky was "painting" the lighthouse with its brilliant color. As I turned what caught my eye was not the lighthouse-bathed in pink but the moon rising over a gorgeously "painted" dune just north of the lighthouse. The light was splendid and momentary. I knew there was not time to shoot all three pictures. While I was vacillating, my wife was decisive, declaring: "Shoot the moon!" So, I did. Thank you, Debbie!

Moonlight bathes Hamlin Lake on one of those nights so tranquil not even a fish appeared to be stirring. The setting was the Middle Bayou, one of my favorite spots on Hamlin Lake. I once lived there and when I go back to get to see pictures past as well as present.

Tonight, I photographed the Super Worm Moon from the Bryant Soccer Fields near my house. The first full moon of March is called the worm moon. Tonight’s moon is also the second closet of the three supermoons for 2020.

Lunar Eclipse

Lunar Launch

Ludington Lunar Sunrise

Supeer Blue Moon

“Worm Moon” by Brad Reed Dubbed the "Worm Moon" by the The Old Farmer’s Almanac, the lunar eclipse early this morning was phenomenal. I captured this blood red moon while standing on my front deck at home in Ludington, Michigan. The sky was clear and the stars were shinning brightly. I had a family of whitetail deer walk super close to me as I was making this image. It was an experience that will not be forgotten! Nikon D850. F6.3, 1/2 a second, ISO 6400. 60-600mm lens at 600mm. On a tripod without a flash. March 14, 2025 at 2:48am.

Most of us are savoring the sunshine this week. As a Michigander, I know the stretch of days where we can see the sun can't last much longer; so I savor the sun this morning as it rises dramatically through a cloud-streaked sky. F2.8 at 1/8000, ISO 100, 300 mm lens at 300 mm

Todd Reed

A simple composition can be a strong composition. I liked the framing around the sun by the branches of these trees. You don’t always have to include the entire tree in your image, your brain will complete the missing parts.

I am in position before 6:30 A.M. The moon drops behind streaks of clouds as it sets over Lake Michigan. The pre-sunrise color in the sky is breathtaking. I am in heaven shooting the moon. F5.6 at 0.6, ISO 400, 500 mm lens with 1.4 extender at 700 mm

Turquios Moon