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This scene reminds me of the one-on-one battle between man and fish Ernest Hemingway wrote about in The Old Man and the Sea. Serious fishermen are like serious photographers; they dream day and night of being there to experience those exhilarating, unforgettable moments they can't imagine living without. For some it goes beyond being a pastime; it is an important part of their being.

After being stuck behind the slowest driver in Mason County and not being able to pass them, I was sick to my stomach for missing a shot out at the Ludington State Park of the largest double rainbow I had ever seen in my life. I missed it by less than 30 seconds. Disappointed, I drove to the Ludington City Beach to watch the sunset and to cool off. To my surprise, we had a colorful sunset appear. Luckily for us, my dad captured the double rainbow and it has become one of our fastest selling images of all time and made the cover of our newest book Wonderous West Shore.

After being stuck behind the slowest driver in Mason County and not being able to pass them, I was sick to my stomach for missing a shot out at the Ludington State Park of the largest double rainbow I had ever seen in my life. I missed it by less than 30 seconds. Disappointed, I drove to the Ludington City Beach to watch the sunset and to cool off. To my surprise, we had a colorful sunset appear. Luckily for us, my dad captured the double rainbow and it has become one of our fastest selling images of all time and made the cover of our newest book Wonderous West Shore.

When God creates a scene this extraordinary, you pray to God you will be there! Lake Michigan waves flooded the Ludington State Park beach on October 18, 2007, during one of the most apparent meteotsunamis Brad and I have experienced in our photographic lives. These Great Lakes weather-driven meteorological tsunamis happen many times a year. They quickly raise the water level and flood the shoreline. Most of these meteotsunamis have little impact. We have left camera bags high and dry, only to find them sitting in a lake that wasn’t there 15 minutes earlier. We knew from experience to respect the water and realize we and our camera equipment could get swept away if we did not maintain situational awareness. This day, I had chased the storm clouds to Ludington State Park after spotting them while driving to the Ludington beach. Moments after I arrived, I heard noise behind me and turned to see Brad running down to the shore wearing soccer shorts, shoes and T-shirt. It was hilarious to see someone running toward a fall Great Lakes storm dressed in that outfit. But, like me, he knew time was of the essence when he interrupted his participation in a soccer game to chase a storm. People often think we wait for hours to get our shots. But, especially in the case of fast-moving storms, we are often chasing the storm like mad dogs. Just as Brad arrived, the sun popped out of a hole in the clouds and flooded the beach with light. Before us was one of the rarest magical Lake Michigan views of our lives. I will never forget the experience of being there in sun and wind and water. Less than five minutes later, I would witness and capture with my digital camera an equally memorable out-of-this-world moment. Bottom line for photographers, when it looks this great, focus with all your being on your photography until the magic disappears.

Workshop at Ludington State Park

The wind was whipping along the Lake Michigan shoreline during a vibrant sunset tonight from the north end of Stearns Beach. Using a wide-angle lens, I used the distortion that the lens creates to make a stronger composition.

Ludington State Park Workshop

Stearns Beach During Workshop

 

 

A half an hour before sunset, Brad and I realized that there was a high chance of a fantastic sunset out of the snowy, gray sky. We each drove towards the lakeshore, shooting in different spots. As the sun dipped below the cloud barrier, the most remarkable particle ray appeared, and the sky lit up with the most brilliant sunset I have ever seen. What a great reminder that beauty will come after gray days.

Workshop at LSP

Workshop at Stearns Park

Sunset Off Buddes Deck

Hurtling forth and plummeting down, breaking waves capable of overpowering almost anything in their path rush toward the Lake Michigan shoreline. On this November day, no one and no vessel dared to challenge them.

Of course there is no midnight sun in Michigan, but I could not resist naming this winter Lake Michigan shoreline image after the midsummer Arctic phenomenon.

Fishermen saunter home after an evening of fishing on the Ludington North Breakwater.

My grandpa, Bud Reed, would have turned 93 today. Earlier today we dedicated a sculpture in his honor in the new Veteran's Mall in Stearns Beach in downtown Ludington. I felt my grandpa's presence on the Lake Michigan shoreline as I was making this image. I love this photograph and believe it is one of the best I have ever captured.

Workshop at Stearns Park