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“Invigorating Light” by Brad Reed Only a few times in the last 21 years of photographing Michigan have I had an adrenaline rush while shooting photos as powerful as I did tonight at Big Sable Point Lighthouse. For eighteen minutes before sunset, the sun was casting magic light onto the dunes and historic lighthouse inside the Ludington State Park. After the sun had set, the sky started to turn different colors over Lake Michigan. Eleven minutes later, I was witnessing one of the most colorful sunsets I have ever seen in my entire life. Everything, including the grass, lighthouse, sand, water, and of course the sky, were glowing different colors. I waited about thirty seconds before shooting another shot so that the moving clouds would align correctly behind the tower of Big Sable. By waiting and by shooting less and seeing more, all of the lines in the photograph ended up directing the viewer’s eyes right at the lighthouse. This was a night I will never forgot. Nikon D850. F6.3 at 0.6 seconds, ISO 31. On a tripod without a flash. 5:17pm on November 30, 2021.

Dune Grass Light

Sunset Off of North Inner Pier in Ludington

Big Sable in September Light - Black and white

Big Sable in September Light

The 45-minute hike to Big Sable Point Lighthouse is rewarding even on those rare occasions when a good picture seems nowhere to be found. On this evening dune grass framed against the twilight provided a still life that stood out even more than the famous lighthouse.

More and more often I find myself lying on my stomach to make my photographs. Getting extremely low to the ground or water gives me a fresh perspective on the world and it ensures that my photographs have immediacy which adds emotional impact and drama to a photograph.

I love the iconic nature of this photograph. A gorgeous sailboat, a person fishing off the pier, and a beautiful Lake Michigan Lighthouse all bathed in blue and silver light. I captured this photo today 7:15 p.m. on the shoreline at South Haven, Michigan. F20 at 1/640, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 160mm

Sky Drama

Ludington North Pier Light

Big Sable in April Light - Black and white

The bold paint job on Big Point Sable Light distinguishes it from other lighthouses along the Lake Michigan coast by day. By night its "fixed white light" shines continuously to enable mariners to distinguish it from other lighthouses in the region whose lights flash at various intervals.

Spotted Redone

Ion Blasts Ludington

The moon setting over the Ludington North Breakwater Light is a view that I never get tired of trying to capture. At first glance you would think this was another sunset photograph until you look at the amount of light hitting the front of the lighthouse. As the sun is coming up, the moon is setting in the distance.

By using the full manual exposure mode on my camera, I set my shutter speed to a half second so that the motion of the rolling waves would show up in my photograph. With the camera on a sturdy tripod, the rocks and snow in the foreground are both razor sharp because they never moved, but the rolling ice in the channel showed motion.

Wednesday Big Sable in Snow

Amidst the Fury

Totality

Lighthouse and Badger