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Frank Banko was drawing a crowd of strangers and passers-by tonight along the Ludington waterfront as he played his electronic Roland accordion. I asked the group if they minded if I documented their fun with my camera. They told me it wasn't a problem as long as I sang and danced along. It was a great moment! F8.0 at 1/100, ISO 1000, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

What a way to start my day. It is 5:58 a.m. as I am eased awake by the soft glow of the moon as it sets over Lake Michigan at Buttersville Park between Ludington and Pentwater. This is one of those gentle "wine shots" that are great to savor with a cup of coffee while the tripod holds my camera. F16 at 2 seconds, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 23mm

I am eye to eye with a rare Karner Blue butterfly. The imperiled butterfly lives for only about two weeks and is about the size of a quarter. The U.S. Forest Service Baldwin office has allowed me to assist seasonal biological technician Justin Bragg as a Karner Blue counting volunteer today. F10.0 at 1/200, ISO 800, 105 mm macro lens at 105 mm

Less than five minutes after photographing the moon setting in the western sky, I turn my attention to the eastern sky to watch the sunrise paint the clouds with light and color over the carferries SS Badger, at left, and SS Spartan. I am blessed to live within 500 yards of where my tripod is standing. Life is good on the Buttersville peninsula with Lake Michigan to the west and Ludington harbor to the east. F16 at 1/5, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 21mm

Today my dad and I were invited by Dr. Heather Keough of the Federal Forest Service to help count the Karner Blue Butterflies that live in the Manistee National Forest. The Karner Blue Butterflies are an endangered species. Dr. Keough and her team are trying to re-grow the Michigan savannah so that the rare creatures can reproduce naturally. F9.0 at 1/80, ISO 100, 300 mm lens at 300 mm

Pulled by one tug and trailed by another, the historic Lake Michigan cruise ship SS Keewatin passes by Ludington in tandem tow en route to its new home in Canada. The 105-year-old Keewatin was docked for many years in Douglas, Michigan, where it served as a maritime museum. F2.8 at 1/800, ISO 100, 300mm lens at 300mm

Tonight, I took Julia with me to one of my dad's and my photo workshops at Big Sable Point Lighthouse and told her if she was well behaved during the seminar then I would take her to the top afterwards. Julia made sand angels while my dad and I talked to the workshop attendees. Julia loved her first view from the top of "Poppy's Lighthouse!" F16.0 at 1/125, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

A young buck stands at attention above the railroad tracks near the Manistee Industrial Park. When I first spotted him and his brother, they were standing right on the train tracks. Lucky for me, they moved onto the flower-covered ridge and I was able to use the tall grasses as my foreground element. F2.8 at 1/320, ISO 400, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

As my wife Debbie and I are on our way to our anniversary dinner at the Glenwood Restaurant in Onekema we make a stop at one of our favorite northern Michigan shops, MacBeth & Co. A sign on a portion of their building, which formerly housed the Onekema Square Deal Feed Store, catches my eye. The sign, like the building, feels old. F5.6 at 1/60, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 175 mm

These tall ornamental looking grasses along Veterans Oak Grove Drive in Manistee intrigue my senses. I have tried several times to make a good photograph of them, but was never successful. Today, the light was perfect and we had just the right amount of wind for me to capture what I had previsualized years ago. F8 at 1/250, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

This morning I took two students for a private workshop shooting adventure to Ludington State Park. We headed to the boardwalk on the eastern edge of Beechwood campground to photograph the mid-morning light. One of the students found this water lily and we spent several minutes photographing the scene together. F13.0 at 1/8, ISO 100, 70-200 mm lens at 200 mm

An estuary near my Ludington home teams with new life every spring. Today I am attracted at first by the bright yellow buttercup flowers. But then I see the real prize: Buckeye butterflies that are being attracted to the nectar of the flowers. All I have to do is stay still and wait for the butterflies to come to the flowers in front of me. F5 at 1/500, ISO 100, 300mm lens at 300mm

Our photography workshop students are getting a lesson this evening in getting close to your subject. My wide-angle lens is close enough to this wave and reflection to be getting wet on some of my shots. This wave is close, not too big and not too small

Piping plovers lay their eggs on beaches, often in stony areas. After spotting one of the rare piping plovers along the Lake Michigan shoreline a week earlier, today I spot four eggs in the vicinity. Someone had carefully placed driftwood around the eggs to help prevent a person or animal from accidentally stepping on them. F10 at 1/400, ISO 100, 300mm lens at 300mm

Today a group of friends and I fished in the Ruby Salmon Fishing Tournament. My friend Paul Cooper had his hands full as he reeled in a nice 17-pound king salmon in this photograph. Salmon fishing on the Great Lakes is a several-billion-dollar-a-year industry and Ludington is one of the most successful fishing ports in all of the Great Lakes. F7.1 at 1/1250, ISO 320, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

Debbie and I are en route to Chicago to attend two weddings. I have been looking for my picture of the day for what seems like miles on end when I spot one of my favorite sights of summer

Memorial Tree Park in Pere Marquette Township is a great place for a family picnic or an evening hike. Tonight, Betsy and I took the kids to Memorial Tree Park and we came upon this family of deer. I loved how the fawn thought the large tree stump hid it from me. I was able to walk within 15 feet of these deer with my wide-angle lens. F2.8 at 1/500, ISO 1000, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

The curves, angles and play of light and shadow on a sculpture outside the Renaissance Hotel in Schaumburg, Illinois, attracts me to make a picture out of a portion of the metal artwork. It is not a picture I expected to find but I know it is important to be alert for the unexpected photograph, the fresh view. F8.0 at 1/300, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 175 mm

While my dad and I were giving our free annual photo talk tonight at Big Sable Point Lighthouse at the Ludington State Park, I moved this large piece of driftwood into the parking lot and used it as a teaching tool for the students. My dad and I told them to get twice as close and isolate the interesting parts of different subjects and look for s-curves, repetitive patterns, dynamic angles, and great light. My teaching moment turned into one of my favorite photographs of the entire day for Week 23 of "Tuesdays with Todd and Brad Reed." F22 at 0.5, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 46mm

A male mute swan stands and spreads its wings after preening its feathers on a small bayou on Lost Lake at Ludington State Park. This is the moment I waited patiently for in our photography skiff at a respectful distance. It came after what seemed like an eternity of preening feathers. The backlighting of the bird and dark shaded background made the result worthwhile! I am so glad Brad and I chose to wait. F7.1 at 1/1000, ISO 800, 300mm lens at 300mm