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Michigan's first river to be officially designated a Michigan Natural River, the Jordan River looks wild and natural to me this morning after my good photographer friend, Mike Schlitt of Charlevoix, led me to one of his favorite Jordan Valley photography spots. Many of the tamarack trees are still golden despite high winds that stripped away many of their needles.

As I am working to compose this picture, it suddenly strikes me that I see what looks like a face amidst the rocks and rushing water. I liked this scene downstream from Munising Falls before seeing the face; now I like it even more. F22 at 0.5, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 24mm

Regal River

Wednesday PM River Wildflowers Lake Michigan

The power and force of the rushing water tonight at the mouth of the Hurricane River really caught me by surprise. I had been to this same spot six months earlier and the water was flowing slowly enough that I could stand in the river with my camera and tripod. If I tried to replicate that photograph today, I'm sure I would instantly be knocked down and washed violently into Lake Superior. F22 at 1.3 seconds, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

Fall Trees

After being up most of the night with my son, Brad, photographing Northern Lights and editing the images, I grabbed a peaceful catnap at our family cabin along the Pere Marquette River. Now I am ready for a little exploring. Light dances on the Pere Marquette River as leaves shimmer in the light of a beautiful spring afternoon. The water is high and running fast today. I take up position to make this image and then linger to drink in the scene for a while longer before moving on to see what else I can find along the river. F3.5 at 1/800, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 120mm

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

The fresh, clean waters of the Pere Marquette River snake their way through thick Michigan forests every day of the year. This view is from a section of the fly-only zone of the beautiful National Wild and Scenic River. F7.1 at 1/400, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 34mm

Today was my first visit to the White River Light Station near Whitehall, Michigan. What a magnificent piece of Michigan maritime history. The building and lighthouse are gorgeous, but the coolest aspect of the light station is the museum inside. It is definitely worth a visit with your family! F11 at 1/80, ISO 100, 10-17mm lens at 13mm

Calm and beautiful is the best way to describe the Pere Marquette River Flats. My favorite time of the day on the river is sunrise. This morning, the sunrise is gold and blue. This is heaven on earth to me. F9 at 1/250, ISO 100, 14mm lens at 14mm

Javen Dillenbeck is dreaming of catching a big salmon on his first fall salmon fishing trip to the Pere Marquette River with his dad and other family members. My camera catches him wading in the P.M. at Gleason's Landing. The Dillenbecks love traveling north from Jonesville in Hillsdale County to enjoy the Michigan outdoors surrounding their Baldwin area cabin. F2.8 at 1/640, ISO 400, 80-200mm lens at 130mm

The foreground in this photograph of Manido Falls is the most important part of the composition. When focusing on building a strong middle ground and background, it is easy to forget the most important part, the foreground. I micro-composed the image so that the orange tree would show up in the reflection of the water in the foreground. F8 at 1/25, ISO 100, 14mm lens at 14mm

A section of Manido Falls on the Presque Isle River catches my eye at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. The mid-morning sun plays nicely off the water and the trees from this vantage point. I move in close to keep the "burned up" front-lit trees further to the right out of my image. F22 at 0.3, ISO 400, 24-70mm lens at 24mm

Driving down the big hill on Old US31 I noticed a large red-tailed hawk sitting in a tree over Conrad Road. From several hundred yards away I made this image with my 600mm F4 Nikkor lens. F4 at 1/160, ISO 3200, 600mm lens at 600mm

This is the view of the Pere Marquette River from the upstairs bunkroom at our cabin. I never tire of gazing at this s-shaped bend of the PM River, especially on foggy mornings. F22 at 0.4, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 26mm

The fog was two-brick thick at sunrise but now it has lifted enough to give this bend of the Pere Marquette River a dreamy look. I have enjoyed watching the river flow past this spot in front of our cabin for many years. It slows me down watching the water meander downstream. F29 at 20 seconds, ISO 100, 24-70mm lens at 34mm

Sometimes this swampy area of our property along the Pere Marquette River is under water. With the unseasonably warm and dry year we have had, this is the driest I have ever seen our swamp. F8 at 1/80, ISO 1600, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

For the evening shoot of Week 47 of "Tuesdays with Todd & Brad Reed: A Michigan Tribute" I decided to take another stroll along the Pere Marquette River. With very little wind the river was extremely reflective. Like usual, the reflections were more colorful and vibrant than the actual sky. F9 at 1/250, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

I could see this face in the Sable River right below the train bridge in Freesoil, Michigan from over 50 yards away. The closer I got to the river, the more the face showed up. F14 at 0.5, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 40mm