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My grandpa, Bud Reed, always gave a thumbs up as his sign of approval. The last few years of his life, he could not hear very well. The thumbs up was often his way of letting you know he understood what you were trying to say.

A mare and its foal look like they are attached at the hip as they graze in their pasture north of Fremont. I am struck by how synchronized they graze, walk ahead a few steps, then resume grazing side by side.

As soon as the Manitou Island Transit ferry landed at the dock, I made a beeline for South Manitou Light. I could see from the boat how beautiful the light and shadow were playing on the 100-foot-high white tower and knew I had to get to this spot ASAP. I waded into the shallows in order to use the intriguing water-covered rocks as a foreground base to my image.

As soon as the Manitou Island Transit ferry landed at the dock, I made a beeline for South Manitou Light. I could see from the boat how beautiful the light and shadow were playing on the 100-foot-high white tower and knew I had to get to this spot ASAP. I waded into the shallows in order to use the intriguing water-covered rocks as a foreground base to my image.

I haven't spent much time on sailboats, especially on Lake Michigan, but every time I see one catching the wind I think it looks like something I would really enjoy. From my aerial view, I could see the different wind currents on the surface of Lake Michigan. F9 at 1/2500, ISO 800, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

Tom and Yvonne Beatty own Trillium Creek Gardens on Conrad Road between Ludington and Scottville. Today, a beautiful double rainbow appeared to land in the farm field just behind the Beatty's historic red barn. I love when it is raining, but the sun is shining

In my mind's eye, I see this picture as all about patterns and not at all about color. Any of the color seems distracting so I make an image to emphasize the pattern and tonal values, knowing I will remove any color later. F18 at 1/125, ISO 100, 24-70mm lens at 70mm

I was intent on capturing a close-up image of the Super Blood Wolf Moon setting behind the Ludington lighthouse on January 21, 2019. Mother Nature had something else in store. I just had to have the presence of mind and heart to see it at 9 a.m. on a way-beyond-ice-cold winter day. We teach our workshop students that 90 percent of a good image is about the quality of the light and or atmosphere. It didn’t take me long to realize that I was in the presence of both great light and atmosphere. We also teach, “Bad is Good,” meaning that bad weather provides good conditions for making strong outdoor photographs. It was a good bad day.

Fire wake

Shoup Family Farm Weldon Creek Farms

Big Sable Lighthouse

A fast-response Coast Guard rigid-hull-inflatable boat flies over the water on Lake Michigan off Ludington.

Heaven knows how many times a God beam has lit the Ludington lighthouse. But when I saw this beauty shining down, I felt its spiritual quality more strongly than any other God beam I have seen before or since. On this calm May day of 1993, I was already underway in my tiny Boston Whaler skiff searching for photo opportunities because of the dramatic clouds. I quickly maneuvered closer to the lighthouse and centered the iconic Ludington landmark beneath the glorious beam. I laid over the low gunwale and fired away for about 20 breathtaking seconds before the clouds and spotlight moved away. As a longtime Lake Michigan mariner, there have been many times during the calmest or stormiest voyages that I have felt God’s presence; this was one of those times. As a longtime photographer, I have learned to better know when I am being presented with an extraordinary view with or without looking through the viewfinder; this was one of those views. The image I was blessed to make that day more than a quarter century ago remains my favorite calm day photograph with the Ludington lighthouse in the scene. In 2007, “God Beam” was selected for the cover of an inspirational book titled Hope: pure and simple. The book features “316 thoughts to lift your soul” by famous Christian author Max Lucado. I was humbled to have an image that means a great deal to me personally grace the cover of Pastor Lucado’s hopeful book.

Lake Michigan, during its calmest and kindest moments, provides a tranquil playground for a pair of kayaking souls on a summer outing south of Ludington along the Buttersville peninsula.

As young boys, my brother and I fished every bayou on Hamlin Lake in a boat similar to the one these fishermen were casting from on the lake's Middle Bayou on a summer evening.

On several past visits to Fremont, I was struck by the "Out West" look of the rolling hills in the farm and ranch lands between Hesperia and Fremont. This morning Brad and I started scouting for shots along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Holland. But when billowy cumulus clouds began decorating the eastern sky we knew if we drove 100 miles northeast to Fremont we could find a foreground like this to put in front of such a "big sky country" backdrop.

Lake Michigan at Point Betsie Lighthouse is so crystal clear on this hot summer day that I want to reach down and take a drink. I concentrate instead on trying to make an image of the lighthouse that emphasizes the clarity of the water and beauty of the rocky shore. F20 at 1/250, ISO 400, 14-24mm lens at 21mm

The SS Arthur M. Anderson steams through the Straits of Mackinac after passing under the Mackinac Bridge. The classic Great Lakes freighter is well known as the sturdy ship that survived the storm that sank the nearby SS Edmund Fitzgerald on November 10, 1975 on Lake Superior in one of the worst ever Great Lakes storms. F10 at 1/1250, ISO 800, 14-24mm lens at 24mm

Fresh Water Day

Dream Voyage - Panoramic