Search

I enter a dark woods off of Piney Ridge Road and soon come to a wall of sand. I start to ascend the massive sand giant, stopping occasionally to let the burning in my legs recede. It is a race. Photographer versus the sunlight of early morning. I crest the peak and turn to the east to see if I've won. I notice beautiful yellow flowers at my feet. I get into position and only have to wait two minutes for the sun. Beautiful!

Catching sight of a pair of kayakers paddling in one of the many picturesque coves on Lost Lake, I momentarily find myself wanting to join them, to discover what they are discovering, to see what they are seeing. But I have already made my choice to hike the Island Trail this day and I am content to return to my own path of discovery.

I am following the Great Lakes freighter Saginaw into Ludington harbor, simultaneously concentrating on steering my 13-foot Boston Whaler and photographing the classic ship.

This morning I went flying with Ryan Johnson from Mason County Aviation. We left Ludington and immediately flew north towards the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula. To get the photographs that I had previsualized, Ryan estimated that we needed an altitude of at least 11,500 feet. From that height, I opened the window of the small plane and stuck my head and camera out into the cold, thin air. It was an awesome adrenaline rush. I made this photograph of Big Sable Point and Hamlin Lake upon our return to Ludington. F8 at 1/250, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

I am obsessed with photographing water ripples. Some day we hope to do an entire book of these abstract ripple shots. Blue is my favorite color and I love how many different shades of blue appear in this photograph. The sky tonight was bright blue and had tons of huge white puffy clouds that reflected on the calm waters of Lake Michigan as we stood at the elbow of the breakwall in Ludington with several workshop students. Fuji S5. F2.8 at 1/400, ISO 100. 70-200mm lens at 200mm. On a tripod without a flash. July 2, 2009 at 7:51pm.

An hour or two before sunset, my dad can usually foretell whether the sky will produce great color. I have endeavored to learn this skill from him. On this evening, my dad and I both noticed that the sky looked very similar to four nights earlier when I photographed the particle ray behind the Ludington North Pier. We immediately drove to Pentwater and our predictions were realized.

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.

Fall is a nice time of year to shoot sunrises because you don't have to get out of bed as early to catch the first light of day. The best light to photograph a sunrise often appears 20 minutes before the sun actually appears on the horizon. I made this photograph at Lost Lake during one of our "Picture Perfect Weekend" Workshops. Several of our students made equally compelling photographs.

The Hollyhock, a 225-foot Coast Guard buoy tender, made a surprise visit to Ludington Harbor this week. Tonight, we loaded our family into my dad's little Boston Whaler in order to get a closer look at the beautiful Coast Guard ship. Once we got close, we noticed that the Hollyhock was reflected on the surface of the water. F5.6 at 1/250, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

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.

The clean, sandy bottom of Lake Michigan near Ludington is what has helped make the Ludington City Beach world famous. Every year it is rated as one of the best beaches in the country and more than once it has been made the list of the top 10 beaches in the world. I used that clean, sandy bottom to my advantage today to make this photograph. F5 at 1/400, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

Mackinac Island

Radiant - Panoramic

 Most days I drive along Fountain Road from my home on Ford Lake, to Jebavy drive and then into town. I love the peacefulness of this drive, the country view, and the special feeling I get to start my days with. Being a country girl, I am always in awe of the beauty of the countryside. There have been many mornings that I pass by scenes, seeing the potential someday, but maybe it wasn’t THAT day. Other mornings I see the potential in front of me, but I am in a hurry to get into town and start my work day, and the scene quickly passes me by, on these days I regret not stopping and making the image that I have now only in my memories. This particular morning the sunrise was so beautiful I had to stop, I just couldn’t drive by without capturing this image. Now, I’m happy that I not only have this scene in my memories, but also in a way that I can share with others.

While standing on the deck at my dad and Debbie’s Harbor Terrace Condo, I made this image of the Badger coming down the channel into Ludington. It was so foggy that we couldn’t see the 410-foot ship until she was about to start her famous docking spin maneuver.

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.

4th of July Parade

4th of July Parade 2023. Our Famous Scottteville Clown Band or Otherwise called "The Big Noise from Scotteville"Have been around since 1903. Every Year Ludington Looks forward to our 4th July Parade and when the Band finally shows up. Though it marks the end of the parade, people always wait for the best finale Show to mark the beginning of our celebration.

4th of July Parade 2023. Its because of Heroes like these we get to celebrate this day

4th of July Parade 2023. Our Famous Scottteville Clown Band or Otherwise called "The Big Noise from Scotteville"Have been around since 1903. Every Year Ludington Looks forward to our 4th July Parade and when the Band finally shows up. Though it marks the end of the parade, people always wait for the best finale Show to mark the beginning of our celebration.