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Sunflower Power

Target Rich Environment

The Great Pumpkin Patch

It is good to be home. Maui was beautiful, but I still don't think the beaches there hold a candle to our beaches in West Michigan. Our flowers are just as beautiful too. I realized that I take our natural beauty for granted. This tulip in my front yard helps remind me of how blessed I am to live in Ludington. F2.8 at 1/500, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

Lilacs send me back in time to the backyards of my grandparents and parents. I wanted to make this picture look like a nostalgic dream of times past so I placed the camera on a tripod and zoomed the lens during the exposure. F20.0 at 1.6, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 80 mm

Walkway to Fall

Wild Days Ahead

I start out shooting the young spring leaves on this birch tree along Lincoln Lake but then I notice the patterns on the bark of the tree. I am drawn to the bold, dynamic shapes. F20.0 at 1/6, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 130 mm

Winter Delicacy

These are by far the biggest living maple leaves I have discovered in Michigan so far this April. Perhaps the abundance of water being supplied to the shoot they are growing from in this creek is causing the leaves to flourish. I marvel at the symmetry of their arrangement on the surface of the water. I photograph them exactly as I discovered them. F22 at 1/13, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 185mm

Within minutes of starting to hike along the Pere Marquette River, I spot a beautiful sight

One of the beautiful signs of spring is the emergence of the marsh marigolds along the Pere Marquette River. Did these beauties appear overnight or did I fail to see them yesterday? How often do we overlook the natural beauty that is right there to behold? Too often, I think. I am trying to slow down more these days to allow more time to see what there is to see. In Michigan, beauty is all around us; I never tire of looking for it. F9 at 1/160, ISO 100, 105mm lens at 105mm

During a walk with grandchildren Rachel, Ty, and Austin near their Waterford home, we take time to appreciate the tulips planted in a neighbor's garden. F4.5 at 1/200, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 185 mm

This tree located at the north entrance to Stearns Park beach has given my dad and I so many great photographic opportunities the last 40 years. We have made dozens of beautiful images of this quiet giant and tonight it looks even more magnificent than usual. This cottonwood tree just keeps on giving joy, beauty, and shade to thousands of passersby every year. F10 at 1/250, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

I have always wanted to stop along US10 about 20 minutes east of Evart, Michigan and photograph these amazing woods, but had never taken the time to do it until this morning. The mist and fog were making the trees seem even more mysterious and elegant than usual. This photograph is dedicated to the famous National Geographic photographer Sam Abell. Sam loves making "quiet" and "sensitive" photographs. When I met Sam, I discovered his personality is similar to his photographs. F11 at 1/50, ISO 100, 14mm lens at 14mm

I have watched these red pine trees on our land grow for several decades. They were already tall then. Now they tower several stories above me as I look up at them. The woodlands of Michigan are a marvel and I love hiking slowly to more fully take them in. That often means pausing to look up for a different visual experience and appreciation.

We took country back roads all the way to Lansing today for Week 18 of "Tuesdays with Todd and Brad Reed." When we were near St. Johns, Michigan, we pulled off the road so I could make this photograph of a lone tree in an immense farm field. I can only imagine how many farmers have pulled their tractors into the shade of this tree for a cool rest on a hot summer day. F11 at 1/80, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

The raindrops glistened in the light rain today along Grand River Avenue at one of the many busy entrances to the majestic campus of Michigan State University. I worked hard to micro-compose this photograph so "Class of 1938" was legible. F10 at 1/400, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

When I spotted my American Flag fluttering in the breeze as I look to make a picture of these blossoms, I know I have found my 365 picture of the day. It occurs to me that the beauty of America is one of the reasons so many American veterans have been willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice to defend her. F4.0 at 1/200, ISO 100, 300 mm lens at 300 mm

Willow trees are mystical and beautiful. This morning I found this willow tree and its reflection south of Ludington and stood on the roof of my truck to make this photograph. I had to get up high so that the entire reflection showed up in the water. F11.0 at 1/100, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 46 mm