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Todd's Day 209 of 365

Big Clouds - panoramic

I love seeing the red-winged blackbirds in the Pere Marquette River flats south of Ludington. This male sings what I imagine is a springtime love song while swaying in the breeze atop a cattail. F5.6 at 1/2500, ISO 800, 500 mm lens with 1.4 extender at 700 mm

Looking out from the Rock River Canyon Ice Caves, better known as the Eben Ice Caves, I was thinking that the rock ceiling and ice looked like a winter sunflower with “petals” of ice emanating from the center of the “flower.” Any way you look at them, these caves at Eben Junction near Chatham in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula are impressive.

Pier catwalks are a photographer's friend. They add interest to lighthouse photographs and sometimes can be an interesting main subject. Standing close to one of the catwalk stanchions, I compose a picture that has immediacy, dynamic angles, and leading lines. It is also a fresh view of the Grand Haven pier and lighthouses. F5 at 0.3, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 24mm

The Budweiser Clydesdales have been a favorite icon for the Reed family for decades because of the Ludington Beverage Company. A few years ago my uncle, Budde Reed, purchased a life-size statue of a Budweiser Clydesdale for the front lawn of Ludington Beverage. Today, I took Julia to see the statue and to make my photo of the day. F6.3 at 1/400, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 20 mm

During our hike back from the Eben ice caves, my favorite Robert Frost poem came to mind as I stopped in the woods to appreciate the equally stunning sight of the snow-covered woods. I was in a rush on my way to the caves and passed up making a shot in these woods. Early that evening on the way back all was still and perhaps even more magical looking. I felt like Robert Frost must have felt when he stopped in the woods on a snowy evening.

One of my photography obsessions involves photographing life rings, wherever they appeal to my eye. Lake Michigan is relatively calm this evening but this life ring and others hanging on the Grand Haven pier catwalk are ready and waiting for any time they are needed. Lake Michigan waves are a force to respect and, at times, fear. F22 at 1/60, ISO 400, 14-24mm lens at 19mm

Ice Sea

Wednesday

After waiting without success for a pair of sandhill cranes to show up along the Pere Marquette River and resume their courting ritual, I find myself zeroing in on the sun rising in front of the hardwood forest east of the marsh. F5.6 at 1/160, ISO 100, 500 mm lens with 1.4 extender at 700 mm

A Michigan State Policeman pulls up behind us along US10 between Evart and Clare to see if Brad and I need assistance. We don't. We have pulled over to photograph the tapestry of fall colors screaming at us from a bog and woods. We thank the officer for his thoughtfulness and go back to work trying to convey how stunning the woodland scene in front of us looks.

As a young boy I used to come down to Grand Haven with my dad every summer for the Coast Guard Festival. As I have gotten older and busier with life and my dad has retired from the Coast Guard, we haven't been down to Grand Haven much in the last few years. Tonight was a quiet night along the shores of Lake Michigan, but I am looking forward to a busy summer night in Grand Haven when hundreds of people are walking the pier. F6.3 at 1/500, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

In the Teeth of Winter

Conrad Road Tunnel of Trees in Summer

Today this piece of grass growing on the banks of Baldwin Lake became my subject for my photo of the day. My dad and I did a photo talk and book signing at the Flat River Community Library in Greenville. Before the event, we drove around the beautiful little town of Greenville and found this photograph. F6.3 at 1/500, ISO 500, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

My thought that these Christmas trees somehow look like snow burgers is silly enough that I find myself chuckling as I photograph them. Regardless of what they may or may not look like, the snow-laden trees looked good enough to me that I made a U-turn on US31 near Free Soil, Michigan to appreciate them up close.

By using my external flash unit, I was able to partially freeze the motion of the small breaking wave right in front of my camera while using a slow enough shutter speed to show motion in the water in the distance. The flash also allowed me to shoot at F22, which in turn, allowed my photograph to be sharp from front to back. F22 at 1/4, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

Legends Ranch Veterans Ceremony August

Admiring the beauty of this blossom, I can't help but wonder how the local fruit trees are going to fare with the frosty weather the weatherman is predicting. I'm glad I am a photographer right now instead of a fruit farmer. F8.0 at 1/60, ISO 100, 105 mm lens at 105mm