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Clouds bear down on Lake Michigan's eastern shoreline and begin to climb the bluff toward me at Sleeping Bear Dunes. Moments later my son Brad and I are literally in the cloud in near-zero visibility. What an incredible experience! F11 at 1/1600, ISO 280, 14-24mm lens at 14mm

For the last couple of years I had heard from many of my friends that they loved taking their kids to Lewis' Farm Market & Petting Farm in New Era, Michigan so Betsy and I loaded the family up today to check it out. We had a blast. I think Betsy and I had as much fun as the kids. Julia's favorite animal was the very friendly camel named Jeffrey. F2.8 at 1/125, ISO 1250, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

Moments after videoing the granddaddy of clouds rushing toward him on the Lake Michigan shoreline, Brad Reed grins like a photography junkie that has just been smacked with the best video footage of his lifetime. He is on cloud nine literally in the clouds on the observation platform high atop the Sleeping Bear Dunes bluff. F11 at 1/640, ISO 280, 14-24mm lens at 14mm

I am on a scouting mission for a photography workshop Brad and I will be teaching this week. As I head out the Island Trail at Ludington State Park this red-headed woodpecker chooses to land on a tree right in front of me. I keep my body motions slow but my fingers moving fast to get the correct exposure. One good shot is all I need. Click. F2.8 at 1/1250, ISO 200, 300 mm lens at 300 mm

What a way to end Week 19 of "Tuesdays with Todd and Brad Reed: A Michigan Tribute." Where in the world can you find a better view of the sky and sunset than along the Lake Michigan shoreline? Nowhere, I think, as I view what Mother Nature has to offer this evening at Ludington. F3.5 at 1/200, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 14mm

With huge telephoto lenses you can isolate the prettiest, most colorful parts of the sky in your photographs. The trick is to be patient and wait for something interesting to come into the viewfinder. After several minutes of enjoying the Lake Michigan sunset, a seagull flew into the scene. F5.6 at 1/6400, ISO 500, 600 mm lens with 1.4 extender at 850 mm

After spending the day photographing the Leelanau Peninsula, I return to Ludington in time to vote in the local school election. On my way home from voting I am rewarded with this uplifting Lake Michigan view from the bluffs of Buttersville. F11 at 1/500, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 24mm

Who would have thought when my wife Debbie provided a home to a three-legged, orphan kitty recovering at Country Clinic that he would still be with us 19 years later. Angel Tripod has attitude and gives me a little of it as I make this portrait. We are glad to still have his companionship and "Garfield" attitude. F2.8 at 1/60, ISO 800, 80-200 mm lens at 165 mm

Early this morning we met our advanced photography workshop students at the McDonald's parking lot in order to carpool to our first shooting location in Pentwater. I couldn't resist getting my 600mm lens out of my truck and laying down in the parking lot to shoot the crescent moon before we headed out. F5.6 at 1/13, ISO 100, 600mm lens at 840mm

I got to the gallery early this morning before we started our private workshop with a group of photographers from Charlevoix. I noticed air bubbles in the bottle of hand sanitizer on my desk. I used my telephoto macro lens and shot the photo at F57 so that I had great depth of field and could get as many of the bubbles as sharp as possible. F57.0 at 25.0, ISO 100, 105 mm macro lens at 105 mm

The Pentwater River flats along Long Bridge Road are always a great place to photograph the sunrise in Michigan. This morning, the water was actually more colorful than the sky. It was worth getting up at 4:45 a.m. to get here in time to make this picture. F8 at 0.4 seconds, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

I micro-compose this composition and lock down the tripod 15 minutes before sunrise, then help some of our photography workshop students fine-tune their compositions in the Pentwater River marsh east of Long Bridge Road. The sun pops up and my shot is completed with nothing more than a quick push of the shutter button. F10 at 1/1000, ISO 400, 14-24mm lens at 24mm

The clouds were spectacular today and the sunlight danced off the bright blue sky creating the perfect backdrop for almost any subject. I choose to make Little Sable Point Lighthouse the star of my photograph. F16.0 at 1/250, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 20 mm

Cattails, known as "punks" by some, were glowing this morning along Long Bridge Road just southeast of Pentwater. I created a pyramid at the base of the photo with the short, dark grasses and then also positioned my camera so the tall cattails created another pyramid. I love how this photograph feels. F8 at 1/50, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 30mm

I compose this shot of cattails along the Pentwater River with my largest telephoto lens. On my Nikon D7000 camera body, which does not have a full-frame sensor, my 500-millimeter lens is making an image that is the equivalent of 750 millimeters or a 15-power scope. The resulting compression and shallow depth of field or focus helps me make a dreamy-looking image that emphasizes the fuzziness and large amount of cattails. F5.6 at 1/1000, ISO 800, 500mm lens at 500mm

This is the second day in a row that I have been up at 5:00 A.M. to be in position to photograph the sunrise around 6:15 A.M. It was totally worth it. This photograph was taken in the farm fields on our hunting property along Conrad Road near the Pere Marquette River. Again, I used a huge telephoto lens to isolate the most intense part of the sky. F10.0 at 1/5000, ISO 100, 600 mm lens with 1.4 extender at 850 mm

Canada geese are beautiful creatures. I think a lot of Michiganders take their beauty for granted because we are so used to seeing them all the time. They are loud and can make a mess of a yard in a hurry, but they are truly picturesque. F5.6 at 1/800, ISO 800, 600mm lens at 840mm

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