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 On July 21, 2011, I had joined Todd Reed for a 20/20 Vision Workshop that Todd and Brad Reed Photography put on. When we started our night shoot down at the end of the Ludington Avenue, the sky didn’t show any signs of a great sunset. At best, we had a 50/50 chance for ANY good light to come our way. We were pleasantly surprised by this burst of color after sunset. It was one of the most spectacular sunsets that I’ve ever seen!

May Workshop at LSP

One of my son Brad’s first fine art images, photographed on the Ludington South Breakwater

When God creates a scene this extraordinary, you pray to God you will be there! Lake Michigan waves flooded the Ludington State Park beach on October 18, 2007, during one of the most apparent meteotsunamis Brad and I have experienced in our photographic lives. These Great Lakes weather-driven meteorological tsunamis happen many times a year. They quickly raise the water level and flood the shoreline. Most of these meteotsunamis have little impact. We have left camera bags high and dry, only to find them sitting in a lake that wasn’t there 15 minutes earlier. We knew from experience to respect the water and realize we and our camera equipment could get swept away if we did not maintain situational awareness. This day, I had chased the storm clouds to Ludington State Park after spotting them while driving to the Ludington beach. Moments after I arrived, I heard noise behind me and turned to see Brad running down to the shore wearing soccer shorts, shoes and T-shirt. It was hilarious to see someone running toward a fall Great Lakes storm dressed in that outfit. But, like me, he knew time was of the essence when he interrupted his participation in a soccer game to chase a storm. People often think we wait for hours to get our shots. But, especially in the case of fast-moving storms, we are often chasing the storm like mad dogs. Just as Brad arrived, the sun popped out of a hole in the clouds and flooded the beach with light. Before us was one of the rarest magical Lake Michigan views of our lives. I will never forget the experience of being there in sun and wind and water. Less than five minutes later, I would witness and capture with my digital camera an equally memorable out-of-this-world moment. Bottom line for photographers, when it looks this great, focus with all your being on your photography until the magic disappears.

I had finished making an afterglow image at the Ludington beach that I was very happy with, but before heading home this November 2, 2020, evening I decided I should give the sky another look from a different perspective. Fifteen minutes later, when the afterglow seemed long gone, my nephew Ryan Reed and I could still see distinct pink color in the dark night sky from the foot of Ludington Avenue. I made a test shot to determine exposure and was impressed by the color. This next tripod mounted shot, 25 seconds long, proved how well modern digital cameras see in the dark and how much color was still present.

On the Western shores of Bass Lake, near Pentwater, three large tree-covered hills grace the horizon. I have heard many names for these hills, but the local favorite is The Three Sisters.

My grandpa, Bud Reed, would have turned 93 today. Earlier today we dedicated a sculpture in his honor in the new Veteran's Mall in Stearns Beach in downtown Ludington. I felt my grandpa's presence on the Lake Michigan shoreline as I was making this image. I love this photograph and believe it is one of the best I have ever captured.

This has been a great week for extraordinary light and clouds over Lake Michigan. On Monday night after work, we headed to First Curve at the Ludington State Park to shoot the sunset. The light just kept getting better and more beautiful. It was a wonderful evening to be making art!

As Good As It Gets

Each night that I step onto the shores of Lake Michigan, I am amazed by the unique light show that unveils itself. No two sunsets are the same. Just when you think you have seen them all, Mother Nature renders a refreshingly new display of her beauty.

My dad and I try to position ourselves at dynamic angles to our photograph's subject. In this photograph, look at the triangles that are created throughout the composition. By placing the jetties at a dynamic diagonal on the left side of the image, it creates a more powerful and three-dimensional look and feel. F7.1 at 1/20, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 20mm

My dad and I try to position ourselves at dynamic angles to our photograph's subject. In this photograph, look at the triangles that are created throughout the composition. By placing the jetties at a dynamic diagonal on the left side of the image, it creates a more powerful and three-dimensional look and feel. F7.1 at 1/20, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 20mm

I tend to prefer sharp light and haze-free skies at sunset. But I have learned that the softness and toned-down colors of a hazy sky sunset sometimes look and feel better.

Electric Beach

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.

On an autumn evening at Ludington beach, I watched the waves take turns running toward and breaking upon the shoreline. While the light was changing, creating radically different photographs from minute to minute, the camera's view remained locked in place. The fickle light sometimes becomes dramatically more intense, and other times it just seems to fizzle. Staying, and watching, is the only way to know what the quality of light will be.

Northern Reflections

Northern Reflections - Panoramic

Southwester waves rush at the Ludington South Breakwall while others rebound off them, creating confused seas--a condition sailors like to avoid when the waves get this big. Changing colors faster than a chameleon, this sea and sky would soon become blood red.