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The sun was shining bright today, and I think the bees were enjoying the warmth because they were very active in my brother and sister-in-law’s garden. Using my 105mm macro lens and getting in close, I was able to capture this image.

Showing off for the girls, a tom turkey struts through a West Michigan orchard. This is one of those "wing shots" for which you need to be prepared. My camera with zoom telephoto lens was preset to a high shutter speed and high ISO in anticipation of moving wildlife that often have to be "shot" quickly without the aid of a tripod or monopod. F4.5 at 1/320, ISO 800, 80-200mm lens at 200mm

Turkey vultures are one of the ugliest birds on the planet when seen up close while perched or on the ground. But when they take flight, wow, are they beautiful fliers. This one soars over my head while I am searching for the $500 pair of glasses I lost yesterday while stalking deer and coyotes at our river property. F3.2 at 1/4000, ISO 320, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

I have spent much of my life along the Pere Marquette River and have seen many deer swimming in the river. At this moment I am experiencing a first: a deer has decided to leap in the river and cross directly in front of our drift boat. At automobile speeds, our vessel would have hit it. Deer swim fast so at river current speed our boat left the deer time to safely cross and join its mother on the opposite bank. F3.5 at 1/800, ISO 400, 80-200mm lens at 135mm

Michigan views like this one on the Pere Marquette River make me feel unbelievably fortunate to be a guest in nature's home. As we float past these deer, they pause long enough to decide whether we are forest friends or foes. Photographing from a moving boat is like watching a moving picture. I study the constantly changing relationship between the deer and the forest, clicking the shutter to "stop the movie" and make still-shots only at what I see as optimum moments. Anticipating, seeing, and acting quickly are the keys to voyage photography. F2.8 at 1/640, ISO 1600, 80-200mm lens at 155mm

I swing my camera like a shotgun to get and stay on target with this suddenly appearing female wood duck as it performs a high-speed fly-by on the Pere Marquette River. I love the rush of spotting fast-flying wildlife and trying to make good "wing shots" of them. F3.5 at 1/640, ISO 1600, 80-200mm lens at 135mm

My daughter Julia did it again; she found my photo of the day. While I was busy doing yard work, Julia was exploring in her mother's flower garden and she came upon this tiny little bug. Her screams of excitement got my attention and as I was walking over to see what she had found, Julia was already telling me to go get my camera. F13.0 at 1/13, ISO 100, 105 mm macro lens at 105 mm

My favorite yard in all of Ludington is at Mrs. Graczyk's house on the corner of Loomis and Gaylord Avenue. Every inch of her yard is full of flowers and it has a natural look to it. I found this bumblebee while trying to make a photo of Mrs. Graczyk's flowers. F5.6 at 1/80, ISO 1000, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

This fawn was born near my home recently and I have been trying to get a good picture of it for days. Now here it is, right in front of me on the Buttersville peninsula in a beautiful quality of light with a nice wooded background. I savor the view and make the picture. F2.8 at 1/60, ISO 800, 80-200 mm lens at 138 mm

The fishing was a bit slow on the river tonight for everyone. One of the guides did land this little rainbow trout smolt. I had him hold onto it long enough for me to make this photograph. I am looking forward to when I get a picture of a mature rainbow trout caught in the fly-only zone of the Pere Marquette River near Baldwin, Michigan. F2.8 at 1/640, ISO 800, 70-200mm lens at 160mm

This moth was almost invisible while resting on a foundation brick of my garage in my backyard today. Luckily for me, the moth allowed me to get my camera, tripod, and macro lens in super close to make this image.

Just after we rounded one of the many bends in the Pere Marquette River tonight, a mature bald eagle landed in a tree less than 50 yards away from our drift boat. Our guide, Josh Mead, stopped the boat long enough for me to get my 70-200mm lens on so I could make this photograph of the beautiful river hunter. F3.5 at 1/500, ISO 800, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

When I finished playing soccer tonight at the fields along Bryant Road, I noticed two deer in the field of flowers across the street. Not wasting time to take my cleats or shin guards off, I snuck across the street and made this photograph. It was totally worth being sighted by innocent passers-by who must have thought I looked very strange. F5.6 at 1/400, ISO 1000, 600 mm lens with 1.4 extender at 850 mm

Bald eagles in Michigan are becoming so prevalent now that my dad and I have spotted at least one on almost every Tuesday of this year while traveling the state for "Tuesdays with Todd and Brad Reed." When I was a kid, if you saw a bald eagle in Michigan, it was a big deal and you couldn't wait to tell everyone. I am so glad the eagles are making a strong comeback nationally. F3.5 at 1/500, ISO 800, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

One of the best parts of summer in Ludington for me is to go boating on Hamlin Lake. Today we took the boat out to find some photos and these two bald eagles flew low right over us. I was glad I had my big lens already on my camera ready to make this image.

This rare piping plover and its mate are among only about five-dozen breeding pairs identified by Great Lakes researchers. That is about five times more breeding pairs than in 1983, before protection measures were implemented. A wire cage enclosure over its nest helps keep out predators such as wild animals and dogs. The birds are small enough to enter and exit the cage as they please. The area is posted and roped off to further protect the birds. F7.1 at 1/1600, ISO 400, 300mm lens at 300mm

When Betsy and I set out with the kids for a morning stroll through Cartier Park, I told them that my goal today was to photograph a snake sunning itself in the hot and humid air. A few minutes later, I spotted a small snake doing just that. To everyone's amusement, I ran in circles around the snake with my wide-angle lens to get the photo I wanted. F7.1 at 1/6400, ISO 800, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

A highly visible single black ring around its neck marks this as a piping plover. The multicolored bands on its legs, and on those of its mate, enable researchers and spotters to identify them as specific plovers and thereby keep track of the migrating birds' movements and activity. F4.5 at 1/3200, ISO 400, 300mm lens at 300mm

I could hear this little chipmunk inside of a huge downed tree in my side yard, but I couldn’t see it. I positioned my camera and tripod near one end of the hollowed-out log and had my focus and exposure already set. Then I used my iPhone and Googled chipmunk sounds. It didn’t take long for the chipmunk to come and take a look to see where that enticing sound was coming from.

An endangered piping plover walks along the Lake Michigan shoreline far outside its roped-off protection zone at Ludington State Park. The plover and its mate have established a nesting site that the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and University of Minnesota researchers have taken steps to protect. F3.5 at 1/4000, ISO 400, 300mm lens at 300mm