Lost Lake
Out of the Mist
The symmetry of this tiny Hamlin Lake island at Ludington State Park has caught my eye for several years. I tried many times to make a photograph that portrayed its symmetry in a special way. At last, one spring day Mother Nature provided the perfect atmosphere. The island was barely visible in the early morning mist. I composed a picture, set up the tripod and waited. Soon the island emerged out of the mist just enough to appear extraordinary. The view made my entire day extraordinarily great.
Clouds Are Your Friends
My dad is fond of saying, "Clouds are your friends!" This photograph is all about the quality of the light that is bouncing off the clouds and onto the water.
Sunrise on Lost Lake
Generally, to make a powerful grand scenic photograph, you need a strong foreground, middle ground, and background. The trick is to get the three separate layers of the photograph to overlap in a way that the viewer's mind will not get bored and "leave" the photograph. You want to encourage the viewer's eye to move all around the photograph. The viewer will also tend to have a greater emotional interest in the piece of art.
Framing Autumn
One of the concepts my son Brad and I emphasize to our photography students is framing. Using something in the foreground to frame or partially frame an image provides immediacy, depth and added interest elements. I framed this shot shortly after sunrise at the beginning of November along the Lost Lake Trail.
Framing Winter
I photographed Ludington State Park for several hours on a glorious January morning after the biggest snowfall of the winter. Then it occurred to me that a spot where I had taken a photograph of fall color might also look spectacular in winter. A half-hour of hiking later, I was making this picture. The two shots show how places that are beautiful in one season may well be beautiful in another.
Discerning Light
The island in front of the swimming area at the Ludington State Park has many different names. I know two different families who have named the island in honor of their dogs because it was their pets' favorite stomping grounds during family vacations. The most common unofficial name that I have heard for this glorious piece of God's creation is Blueberry Island.
Northern Exposure
Tuesday night usually finds my wife singing in the community choir at West Shore Community College. That means that on Tuesdays I get our daughter Julia all to myself. I often load Julia in the jogging stroller and we head off the beaten path looking for photographs. I believe Julia is my muse because every time we go picture hunting together I am able to see the world in photographs better than I can alone.
Todd Reed's Day 142 of 365
I have used this same tree to frame pictures in both fall and winter. This morning