Search

When I finished photographing some pine trees covered in snow near Bear Lake, Michigan, I turned around slowly in waist deep snow to walk back to my truck. As I turned, I was pleasantly surprised with this scene. The pine tree shot was cool, but this scene was world class. I love these kinds of photographic surprises!

If you like to photograph ice, and also lighthouses, drive a few miles north of Frankfort, Michigan to Point Betsie Light Station in January or February. The combination of various ice sculptures, sand, wind, and clouds made this cold January morning a fantastic time to be shooting the Lake Michigan shoreline.

Seeing a snowy owl appear through the fog and darkness as the sun rose this morning was an emotional experience for me. My grandma, Linda Scott, always loved snowy owls and every time I see one on television or in print it makes me miss her. This photo is dedicated to her.

I have no regrets for shooting abstract photographs that rarely sell. I could sell lighthouse photographs until I am blue in the face, but my real passion with my camera is to photograph the abstract and overlooked parts of the beautiful world around us. This scene was a reflection in the fountain in front of the library on the campus of Michigan State University. F1.8 at 1/1250, ISO 100, 85mm lens at 85mm

Did you know that the beautiful city of Port Huron, Michigan is the maritime capital of the Great Lakes? With seven miles of shoreline along the St. Clair River, hundreds of large transport ships pass by Port Huron every year. In this photograph the Algoma Transport is underway heading south as the Vega Desgagnes is docked at the Dow Chemical plant in Sarnia, Canada. F7.1 at 1/40, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 27mm

South Bayou of Hamlin Lake

Not Lost Anymore

Tuesdays With Todd and Brad Reed

Manistee Lighthouse

Isle Royal

Pentwater Lighthouses

Hamlin Lake Off Pontoon Boat

Sailing to the Moon

Upper Tahquamenon Falls

Over thousands of years, wind driven sand has polished smooth millions of stones along the Lake Michigan shoreline. The flat-sided stones are called ventifacts. I made this photograph near the Big Point Sable Lighthouse while on a hike to the northern boundary of the Ludington State Park.

Ludington Lighthouse

The porcupines of Ludington State Park had eluded our cameras for months. On this particular day, after scouting for a spot to set up a portable blind and shoot some wood ducks (with my camera), I made up my mind to spend the rest of the day on the trails looking up in the trees as much as possible. Several hours and one sore neck later, I spotted this porcupine. The porcupine wisely stood perfectly still and blended its body into the tree trunk and branch as well as it could. The telephoto lens revealed to me that the beautiful creature was aware of my presence. Its only body movement during the time it took to make a portrait was the occasional opening or closing of its eyes.

The First Curve at the Ludington State Park is one of the most popular places in Ludington to watch the S.S. Badger carferry steam in and out of port. I used a 400-millimeter telephoto lens and a tripod to make this photograph from the water's edge at the First Curve on an October evening in 2007.

The first week of the 365 Project seems to be an overwhelming success. The response to the photos by email and on Facebook has been fantastic. To start the second week of my shooting, I headed south of Ludington to the fruit fields in Summit Township on Morton Road. This is one of my favorite areas of Mason County. F22.0 at 0.5, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

My dad and I often tell our photography workshop students they need to think of themselves as puppeteers. We try to control exactly where the viewers of our work will first look in our photographs. By using a super-telephoto 600mm lens as well as a 1.4 extender, I had a very shallow depth of field. Then I moved within 15 feet of the flower, which is as close as that lens will focus. Finally, I set my aperture to F5.6 in order to have the shallowest depth of field possible. This combination of lens choice, closeness, and aperture helped me isolate one tulip in this photograph.