Ludington North Breakwater Lighthouse

I watched in awe for two hours as wave after enormous wave slammed into the Ludington North Breakwater Lighthouse on February 24, 2019. I have rarely witnessed or photographed bigger or more frequent waves exploding against the seemingly invincible structure. Many of my several hundred exposures show water flying up to 100 feet in the air and the lighthouse nowhere to be seen. Persistence paid off when I finally caught one huge descending wave still higher than the lighthouse as the next one shot skyward above the lighthouse during its ascension. I had never seen two waves tower above the Ludington lighthouse at once. I was fortunate to artistically document the rare moment.

White Lightning

It is a strange feeling hiking a half-mile out on a pier half-asleep in the middle of the night in almost complete darkness, especially when the sky appears to be otherworldly as you go. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. So into the night I hike out onto the Ludington South Breakwater until reaching the spot I had previsualized. As I had hoped, the waves are not too big for me to safely get near the South Breakwater Light. It is cold and windy but I am not cold anymore. All I can think about is getting this shot before Aurora's magic show diminishes. I quickly set the tripod up for an insurance shot, not certain yet of focus and exposure. Thirty seconds later, at 2:41 a.m. Tuesday, April 24, 2012, I analyze the results of my insurance/test shot. It looks sharp and the horizon line is straight, which can be tough to determine in the dark. I make two more identically composed shots over the next 10 minutes. My exposure is better on both of them but the Northern Lights are not dancing near as intensely. Thank God I quickly made that insurance shot; the other shots, although better technically, do not look nearly as out of this world. Thanks also to our Silver Lake photography friend Louise Olson for alerting us by Facebook that she was seeing the lights. What a spectacular start to our shooting day on this 17th Tuesday of "Tuesdays with Todd and Brad Reed: A Michigan Tribute." F4.5 at 30 seconds, ISO 800, 14-24mm lens at 18mm

This is the perfect ending to an 80-degree-plus day. This is one more example of why people who have traveled the world are not exaggerating when they say the Ludington area is the best place in the world to experience sunsets. F3.2 at 1/1250, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

Being alone in the rain on a weather deck of the carferry Badger as the ship departs Ludington harbor takes me back 40 years to the days when I stood lookout duty in all sorts of inclement weather on the North Atlantic aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Unimac. Tonight I can make this picture and retreat to the comfort of the Badger's interior. F4.0 at 1/50, ISO 1600, 12-24 mm lens at 12 mm

The Badger’s maiden voyage each year is a really big deal in Ludington. For me it feels like the official kick-off of summer. The Badger had smooth sailing today to start its sailing season.

One of the most radiant sunsets of the year greeted me as I took a hike while my wife and her study buddies continued to study for yet another in a long line of nursing tests. This view of Ludington harbor was from atop a sand dune near my former home at Crosswinds

One of the most radiant sunsets of the year greeted me as I took a hike while my wife and her study buddies continued to study for yet another in a long line of nursing tests. This view of Ludington harbor was from atop a sand dune near my former home at Crosswinds

The beach near my Crosswinds home in Ludington often provides me a quiet, peaceful retreat from the often fast pace of life. Tonight I will make this picture and then savor the view for another half-hour while waiting for the moon to descend toward the lighthouse. F11 at 10 seconds, ISO 400, 80-200mm lens at 105mm

After a long day shooting my portion of Week 21 of Tuesdays with Todd and Brad Reed: A Michigan Tribute, I noticed while shooting the sunset afterglow that the crescent moon was high above the Ludington lighthouse. I was tired and hungry. I could have gone home content with the several good images I had already made during my 200-plus miles of Michigan photo hunting travels that special early summer day. However, more than four decades as a photographer had long since proved to me that patience and perseverance are rewarded. I also knew the moon would not be setting at a peak shooting time the next day. I was rewarded with one of my all-time favorite moonset images and an excellent home-cooked meal afterward. Fortunately, my wife doesn’t mind eating late. Living with an outdoor photographer does not lend itself to strict dinnertime schedules.

Our workshop students tonight are getting a lesson in shooting twice as close. I am demonstrating how shooting part of the Ludington lighthouse can result in fresher, more abstract views. They try it and like it. I try it and also like it. F22.0 at 1/15, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 24 mm

I never get tired of photographing the Badger as she makes her way in or out of port. The carferry may be converting from a coal-fired steam system to a diesel-powered system soon. I hope for my sake as a photographer and for the sake of all the Ludington area that the Badger continues to set sail on Lake Michigan for another 50 years! F9.0 at 1/60, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

It wasn’t until the day after shooting this photograph of the Badger and Ludington North Breakwater Light from the Loomis Street Boat Ramp, did I learn that Rachel had been shooting the same scene from the other side of the channel. She was on the south side at Crosswinds. As usual, I like her image more than mine.

Our photography workshop students are getting a lesson this evening in getting close to your subject. My wide-angle lens is close enough to this wave and reflection to be getting wet on some of my shots. This wave is close, not too big and not too small

It is a beautiful evening to take three of our grandchildren

This has to be one the best summers ever for photography on the Lake Michigan waterfront. Besides being unusually warm, this summer has presented many amazing cloud formations and dramatic sunsets. Tonight I am shooting westward onto Lake Michigan by the Ludington South Pierhead Light near my home at Crosswinds. F8.0 at 0.5, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 12 mm

It is past midnight and still I am not seeing any Northern Lights tonight. This is the third night in a row I have stayed up late hoping to see and photograph the Northern Lights. I decide to make a several-minute time exposure of the stars, including the Big Dipper, and "paint" the Ludington South Breakwater Light with flashlight light. F4.0 at 220 seconds, ISO 800, 12-24 mm lens at 24 mm

While Brad is photographing some of the reddest light we have ever seen hit the carferry Badger, I am shooting the same colorful light reflecting off the black iron base of another Ludington icon

I decided that today was a good day to take my dad’s 13-foot Boston Whaler out onto Lake Michigan and try to make some unique images with our underwater camera housing. After a lot of trial and error, I was able to capture an image I had envisioned for over eight years. I wanted to make an image that made it appear like the Ludington North Breakwater Light was floating on top of the water.

The Lake Michigan Carferry, SS Badger passes by the Ludington North Breakwater Light upon reaching its homeport. The historic carferry can transport more than 500 passengers and dozens of vehicles on each of its crossings between Michigan and Wisconsin. F4 at 1/2000, ISO 800, 500mm lens at 750mm