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This sight greets me as I crest a hill on Scout Road while searching for blossoming fruit trees between Shelby and Hart. This scene definitely merits a photograph.

The students in my Photo 1 class at West Shore Community College have set out this morning to find images that will render well with color film. I enjoy watching them use their own vision to find images I might never see. We talk about looking close; I follow my own advice and find this frosted maple leaf. F20.0 at 1/15, ISO 100, 105 mm lens at 105 mm

Tulips and the De Zwaan Windmill are two of the spectacular ways Holland, Michigan celebrates its Dutch heritage. Today I search for just the right tulips with which to frame the centuries-old windmill. I set up the tripod low to the ground to make several foreground tulips stand out and surround the tall windmill.

I have only ever witnessed one better particle ray in my lifetime. That was back in 2004 when I shot “Sunburst.” Tonight, was a close second! I made this image off Uncle Budde and Aunt Sheryl’s deck. I was out of breath from running as fast as I could with my gear to get in position before the light show started to fade away. I could see Rachel down the beach at the water’s edge at Stearns Beach.

These grand old maple trees look particularly attractive to me wearing their maple syrup pails in the morning light. I am sure my friend from high school days, Stanley Peterson, won't mind me stopping in the front yard of his beautiful farm on Benedict Road to make this image. F22.0 at 0.3, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 24 mm

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.

Spring Blossoms and Flowers

What we feel and what we at first see through our camera lens often bear little similarity. Identifying feelings causes me to realize I need to haul out my largest telephoto lens to match the painterly, impressionistic feeling I am getting from this tulip garden in downtown Holland. Now all I have to do is organize my composition and focus only on my chosen star tulip so the viewers of my finished image will easily make their way through the maze of flowers in front to the one on which I want them to focus their attention.

Engine 1223 looks like it could still be steaming along the tracks but is actually a static exhibit in Grand Haven. The 1941 Pere Marquette Railroad locomotive built in Lima, Ohio, reminds me of the heydays of trains in Ludington when the Pere Marquette Railroad operated here. F10.0 at 1/25, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 13 mm

Windy Night at Sleeping Bear

With everything shut down, Betsy, Sean, the kids, and I all decided to take a hike at the Lake Michigan Recreation Area between Ludington and Manistee. After we all played in a stream and made a bridge to cross, we found this unique looking stump on the Lake Michigan shoreline. Getting off the couch and getting outside is always so rewarding!

In the Fall of 2011, I stood in the water in this same spot and photographed a double rainbow over the Mackinac Bridge during a rainstorm. This morning is a very different type of atmosphere. The foggy, still morning and muted pink and blue colors are picture perfect. F22 at 3 seconds, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 34mm

The sky wasn’t as exciting as I would have liked today when I got out to shoot. I decided to turn my focus on the reflections in the Sauble River. I love the greens and blues.

I love watching the natural world come to life along the Pere Marquette River. It is Saturday and I have slowed down to savor the morning, quietly watching the river flow by our cabin. F6.3 at 1/125, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 165 mm

Golden Moment

I barely got in position in time to make my all-time favorite image of the Mackinac Bridge on March 20, 2012. It was the 12th Tuesday of 2012, and Brad and I were out early to photograph the foggy sunrise for our year-long project to showcase the beauty of Michigan all day every Tuesday of the year for our book, Tuesdays with Todd & Brad Reed: A Michigan Tribute. Brad and the two other members of our Team Reed full-time staff at the time, Sarah Genson and Rachel Gaudette, shot out of my Suburban when we reached our preselected shooting spot in the Straits of Mackinac. They ran like jackrabbits to the shore’s edge and began shooting the fast-changing, gloriously atmospheric scene in front of them. As I was bringing up the rear, I spotted a cloud formation that looked a lot like a bear. The trouble was, my view of the cloud bear was partially obstructed by the south tower of the five-mile-long suspension bridge connecting Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas. I know how fast cloud shapes change. I knew if I could get far enough, quickly enough, to the east I might have a shot at lining up the cloud bear right between the towers. I ran like I was being chased by a bear. I must have run 250 lung-busting yards before the bridge in the middle ground and cloud bear in the background lined up from my perspective. I slammed down the tripod and fired off a quick shot to capture what I saw while it looked almost perfect. Then I took a momentary physical and mental deep breath and began analyzing at warp speed how to improve the image. I quickly shifted my tripod less than two feet to the left to make the rocks in the foreground layer better balance with the middle and background layers. The cloud bear continued to cooperate. I have taught photographers for years “Clouds are your friends.” They become your very best friends when they are exactly the right shape in exactly the right place. I love clouds, and I love bears. Seeing this view, experiencing the chase and coming away with an even better image than I had envisioned is like winning my personal and private world series of Michigan outdoor photography. This image remains a winner for me. A lot of visitors to our gallery have appreciated it, even before spotting the cloud bear. Children, with their keen, fresh eyes excited about the world they see, tend to be quickest to spot the bear and other imaginary creatures. But once spotted by viewers or pointed out to them, smiles invariably follow. That makes me happy, particularly because I know how much of myself went into making the image.

Today I stumbled upon a beautiful feather that was wedged between some wild grasses and a fallen tree along the shores of the Pere Marquette River in front of our family cabin. I had no idea that my dad had been out shooting in almost the same exact spot a few hours earlier. That is the second time that has happened so far with the 365 Project. F2.8 at 1/250, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

Trillium Grand Rapids Aman Park May

My dad and I have been blessed with many great employees at our downtown Ludington photography gallery. Sarah Genson, our general manager, and Rachel Gaudette, our assistant manager, are both awesome people and managers. This is an early morning photograph of the four of us near Fort Michilimackinac, which can be seen in the background. F8 at 1/200, ISO 400, 18-50mm lens at 24mm

What a way to celebrate the official arrival of Spring. It is Sunday evening and any visitors to the Silver Lake sand dunes at Silver Lake State Park have long since left their footprints behind. I alone am appreciating these grand dunes. I feel privileged. F22.0 at 1/40, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 12 mm