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Calm water, geese, fog, and a colorful sunrise are common ingredients in outdoor photography. When you combine all four of them in one photograph, you have a recipe for success.

Tuesdays With Todd and Brad Reed

Determined to safeguard their offspring, a pair of proud-looking Canada geese share the watch while their tiny gosling peers out from beneath its mother's chest. I love exploring Ludington State Park in the springtime, looking for scenes like this one of the natural world coming alive with new life. I made this image from a respectful distance with a large telephoto lens, then moved on to seek other discoveries.

A Canada goose keeps a watchful eye out as she escorts her goslings along a bank of the Sable River at Ludington State Park. I love seeing all the new life of spring in the Michigan outdoors.

As I was photographing a snowy owl, I heard the loud honking of a flock of Canada geese heading my way. The golden afternoon light combined with the dark blue January sky was the perfect backdrop for this large bird as it flew overhead.

It's comical to watch geese trying to walk on land, especially when they are only a few days old. This particular group of goslings seemed to be quite fond of the game leapfrog. As they passed by my camera, they clumsily hopped over each other while trying to keep up with the rest of the family.

After cresting the first massive sand dune near the end of the Ridge Trail in the Ludington State Park, my dad and I were blown away by the number of canvasback ducks that congregated on Hamlin Lake below us. As we stood catching our breath, a pair of large geese flew overhead and startled some of the ducks. With a thunderous roar, several hundred birds took to the air at once. The partially frozen lake and the fog amplified the sound and also created a gorgeous backdrop for this photograph.

Calm water, geese, fog, and a colorful sunrise are common ingredients in outdoor photography. When you combine all four of them in one photograph, you have a recipe for success.

It’s comical to watch geese trying to walk on land, especially when they are only a few days old. This particular group of goslings seemed to be quite fond of the game leapfrog. As they passed by my camera, they clumsily hopped over each other while trying to keep up with the rest of the family.

Attention on deck! A family of Canada geese appears at full alert along the north bank of the Sable River on a summer afternoon. Perhaps they are watching for the fox that lives just around the bend, or perhaps they have already spotted the sly predator.

Evening Tranquility

Attention on deck! A family of Canada geese appears at full alert along the north bank of the Sable River on a summer afternoon. Perhaps they are watching for the fox that lives just around the bend, or perhaps they have already spotted the sly predator.

Nikon 810. F6.3 at 1/1600, ISO 400. 60-600mm lens at 600mm. March 10, 2020 at 5:36pm.

Two Canada geese flew in tandem next to me this morning as I stood on the side of Long Bridge Road near the Pentwater River flats. I love the graphic nature of this image and it shows the power and beauty of these giant birds. F7.1 at 1/2000, ISO 2200, 600mm lens at 600mm

Ludington State Park

I have never seen so many Canada geese goslings in one parade as this morning in the Tobico Marsh State Game Area at Kawkawlin, Michigan, between Bay City and Pinconning. Their two parents, or adopted parents, guide them through the waters of the big marsh near the Lake Huron shoreline. The geese are among dozens of game birds and songbirds seeming to pop up everywhere during my hike through the marshland set aside for them. D800, F5.6 at 1/800, ISO 400, 500mm lens at 500mm

Nikon D810. F6.3 at 1/1000, ISO 1600. 60.0-600.0mm lens at 360.0mm. April 16, 2020 at 8:03pm.

The Pere Marquette River Flats south of Ludington is a mecca for waterfowl. As the sun rises this morning, the river and marsh come alive with Canada geese. F2.8 at 1/500, ISO 100, 80-200 mm at 200 mm

Nikon D810. F6.4 at 1/125, ISO 6400. 60-600mm lens at 600mm. May 17, 2020 at 8:43pm.

Nikon D850. F6.3 at 1/200, ISO 800. 60-600mm lens at 600mm. May 17, 2020 at 12:59pm.