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This wild tiger lily is one of dozens of these colorful roadside attractions lining Meyers Road between Ludington and Scottville. It is a bit breezy so I will have to shoot at a fast shutter speed and bump up the ISO to make a sharp image, but I like the way the picture looks in the viewfinder. F3.2 at 1/250, ISO 200, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

A monarch butterfly takes off from a milkweed flower along the west shore of Pere Marquette Lake. The scene reminds me of my childhood enjoying such natural wonders in the fields that bordered our Ludington home. F3.5 at 1/500, ISO 160, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

I am thinking I am in the Land of Lilacs as I hike across Mackinac Island en route to makes some images of the Grand Hotel. A horse coach from the Grand Hotel passes by as I pause to smell some lilacs and make an image that makes the flowers appear never ending. Brad and I are finding ourselves in lilac heaven today as we photograph Week 22 of "Tuesdays with Todd and Brad Reed: A Michigan Tribute." Now we know why so many people flock to the island for the annual Lilac Festival in June. F9 at 1/80, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 14mm

Nikon D850. F18.0 at 1/160, ISO 400. 14-24mm lens at 14mm. July 4, 2020 at 11:46am.

One of the many beloved features of Mackinac Island is the lilacs that blossom every spring. The island is full of many different colors and varieties of lilacs. The wonderful smell of the flowers helps hide the smell from all of the horses. F6.3 at 1/500, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 35mm

When getting extremely close to a subject with a wide-angle macro lens, you will notice some very obvious distortion, especially near the outside edges of the composition. I loved how this flower and bee on Mackinac Island looked in my viewfinder and I love the final print even more. F4.5 at 1/2500, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

After sitting for a Reed family portrait with Sue Brown, I found these daisies in my Uncle Budde and Aunt Sheryl's flower garden. Daisies just have a way of making people smile. F4.5 at 1/100, ISO 1000, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

This photograph reminds me of The Smurfs, one of my favorite cartoons when I was a kid. It would have been awesome to have one of the small blue figurines I had when I was young to stick below this mushroom. F5.6 at 1.3, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

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

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

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

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

This wild blue flag iris was spotted by my dad on Blueberry Island at the Ludington State Park today as we floated by on our little boat. We waited about 30 minutes for the sunlight to become less intense in the late afternoon before we beached our boat on the island so I could get out and make this photograph. With the aid of some cloud cover, we now had soft diffused light overhead, which helped make this iris glow. F8 at 1/500, ISO 800, 70-200mm lens at 170mm

Nikon D850. F22.0 at 1/100, ISO 1600. 14-24mm lens at 14mm. July 28, 2020 at 6:57pm.

Yes, purple loosestrife is an invasive species. And, yes, it is beautiful. This year it has invaded the wetland area along the north side of Ludington South Breakwater. I will enjoy it until someone sees fit to eliminate it. F2.8 at 1/800, ISO 200, 300 mm lens at 300 mm

Hoary puccoon flowers stand out amidst the rolling dunes of the Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area. These flowers are among the many natural gems waiting to be discovered here by hikers and photographers. The Natural Resources Trust Fund provided more than half the $19 million needed to purchase and preserve the 173 acres of prime real estate for the public. More than 900 families and individuals have pitched in to help make the land acquisition possible. F5.6 at 1/60, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 14mm

The roadside along Pere Marquette Highway at Kibby Creek looks like a garden this morning. I love watching to see what is going to grow next from spring to fall along Michigan roads. F4.0 at 1/400, ISO 200, 300 mm lens at 300 mm

Nikon D810. F4.5 at 1/100, ISO 400. 105.0mm lens at 105.0mm. August 2, 2020 at 4:31pm.

The brilliance of these cardinal flowers rockets out from one of my favorite estuaries along South Lakeshore Drive near Bass Lake. The oriental-looking plants look even more sensational close-up than they did when I first spotted them during one of our favorite summer pastimes

Nikon D850. F6.3 at 1/13, ISO 100. 60-600mm lens at 450mm. August 6, 2020 at 8:47pm.