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This moth was almost invisible while resting on a foundation brick of my garage in my backyard today. Luckily for me, the moth allowed me to get my camera, tripod, and macro lens in super close to make this image.

Just after we rounded one of the many bends in the Pere Marquette River tonight, a mature bald eagle landed in a tree less than 50 yards away from our drift boat. Our guide, Josh Mead, stopped the boat long enough for me to get my 70-200mm lens on so I could make this photograph of the beautiful river hunter. F3.5 at 1/500, ISO 800, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

When I finished playing soccer tonight at the fields along Bryant Road, I noticed two deer in the field of flowers across the street. Not wasting time to take my cleats or shin guards off, I snuck across the street and made this photograph. It was totally worth being sighted by innocent passers-by who must have thought I looked very strange. F5.6 at 1/400, ISO 1000, 600 mm lens with 1.4 extender at 850 mm

Bald eagles in Michigan are becoming so prevalent now that my dad and I have spotted at least one on almost every Tuesday of this year while traveling the state for "Tuesdays with Todd and Brad Reed." When I was a kid, if you saw a bald eagle in Michigan, it was a big deal and you couldn't wait to tell everyone. I am so glad the eagles are making a strong comeback nationally. F3.5 at 1/500, ISO 800, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

One of the best parts of summer in Ludington for me is to go boating on Hamlin Lake. Today we took the boat out to find some photos and these two bald eagles flew low right over us. I was glad I had my big lens already on my camera ready to make this image.

This rare piping plover and its mate are among only about five-dozen breeding pairs identified by Great Lakes researchers. That is about five times more breeding pairs than in 1983, before protection measures were implemented. A wire cage enclosure over its nest helps keep out predators such as wild animals and dogs. The birds are small enough to enter and exit the cage as they please. The area is posted and roped off to further protect the birds. F7.1 at 1/1600, ISO 400, 300mm lens at 300mm

When Betsy and I set out with the kids for a morning stroll through Cartier Park, I told them that my goal today was to photograph a snake sunning itself in the hot and humid air. A few minutes later, I spotted a small snake doing just that. To everyone's amusement, I ran in circles around the snake with my wide-angle lens to get the photo I wanted. F7.1 at 1/6400, ISO 800, 18-50 mm lens at 50 mm

A highly visible single black ring around its neck marks this as a piping plover. The multicolored bands on its legs, and on those of its mate, enable researchers and spotters to identify them as specific plovers and thereby keep track of the migrating birds' movements and activity. F4.5 at 1/3200, ISO 400, 300mm lens at 300mm

I could hear this little chipmunk inside of a huge downed tree in my side yard, but I couldn’t see it. I positioned my camera and tripod near one end of the hollowed-out log and had my focus and exposure already set. Then I used my iPhone and Googled chipmunk sounds. It didn’t take long for the chipmunk to come and take a look to see where that enticing sound was coming from.

An endangered piping plover walks along the Lake Michigan shoreline far outside its roped-off protection zone at Ludington State Park. The plover and its mate have established a nesting site that the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and University of Minnesota researchers have taken steps to protect. F3.5 at 1/4000, ISO 400, 300mm lens at 300mm

A pair of Canada geese keeps close watch on their goslings. The waterfowl bask in the morning sun on one of the lagoons at Epworth Heights Resort north of Ludington. F9 at 1/400, ISO 200, 300mm lens at 300mm

These four turtles were not the only ones enjoying a quiet Father's Day along the Sable River inside Ludington State Park. It was great to see the park filled up with people enjoying its endless beauty. F6.3 at 1/1250, ISO 160, 70-200 mm lens at 200 mm

What a day to be a turtle. The sun is shining and a downed tree provides a perfect sunbathing spot on the Sable River at Ludington State Park. F6.3 at 1/100, ISO 100, 300mm lens at 300mm

As I was opening the door to a Port-a-Jon in Cartier Park, I saw three baby raccoons near me. I decided I could hold it a while longer and ran back to my truck to get my biggest lens and tripod. I found the babies snuggled together on a tree branch, but my lens was so large, I could not fit all three raccoons in the frame, so I picked the cutest two. F4.0 at 1/80, ISO 1250, 600 mm lens at 600 mm

I can’t wait to see how big this buck in my backyard gets in the next few months. It always amazes me how close the deer in my yard allow me to get to them.

This eagle looked a little rough today as it soared over us on the boat. We all commented on how it seemed to be missing several feathers. Bright summer sun and clear blue skies are usually not a photographer’s friend, but today they worked in my favor for this image.

After taking some shots of Brad and a student of ours photographing a mature bald eagle at Ludington State Park, I switch to my big lens just in time to watch the eagle take off after an immature eagle swooped down at it. The mature bird flies over my head so close that I have to shoot without looking through the viewfinder to track with it. Awesome! F4.0 at 1/4000, ISO 800, 500 mm lens at 500 mm

Today we had a customer who wanted to take a private lesson with us and wanted to go shooting out in the field. The weather was great so we decided to take Billy York to Ludington State Park to try photographing the bald eagles. We succeeded on our first attempt. We had a blast and it was a great way to spend an afternoon. F5.6 at 1/320, ISO 100, 600 mm lens with 1.4 extender at 850 mm

Some images will always have a special place in my heart, and this is one of them. While having a blast golfing tonight with my brother Tad and Sean at Golden Sands Golf Course near Silver Lake, Tad spotted this large toad in the grass. I quickly grabbed my cell phone and lay on my stomach and got face to face with this prince. Lots of laughs and jokes went along with this moment that will always make me happy.