Ludington State Park

Cross Country Skiing at the Ludington State Park

Large Tree at the Ludington State Park

When I looked out over Lake Michigan from my truck at the first curve inside the Ludington State Park, I chuckled to myself when I realized this huge storm cloud looked like a dragon. This photo reminds me of Smaug from The Hobbit.

Hustling from Scottville, Michigan to the Ludington State Park to photograph the sunset, I made a last minute decision to not shoot right along the shoreline of Lake Michigan, and instead, turn down Piney Ridge Road and shoot from a location that my dad discovered during Week 6 of our Tuesdays Project. Once I got on top of the massive dune, I knew I had made the right decision. F11 at 1/13, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

While on a hike with my cousin Ryan, I made this image south of the first curve at the Ludington State Park. I stood at the bottom of this steep dune and shot upwards.

Until tonight, I had never seen purple sand at the Ludington State Park. Not far south of the first curve at the park, I was walking the shoreline when I spotted purple, magenta, and black sand all mixed together. When I went in for a closer look, I found this heart shaped rock sitting in the uniquely colored sand.

Before I went to bed last night I saw on Facebook that the Northern Lights might appear during the night or the early morning and I texted my dad to let him know. I fell asleep early. A few hours into the night I dreamed a friend yelled to me in my sleep that the Northern Lights were out. In my dream, I shot out of bed and literally flew through my house and outside to my truck. The sky was raging with color. When I woke up in real life at 1:20 a.m., I went into my son's bedroom and looked out his window to the north. No Northern Lights were visible. I was disappointed and got back into bed. Unable to fall back asleep, I got on Facebook. About 20 minutes later I stumbled upon someone's post that they could see the Northern Lights. At that moment I shot back out of bed, threw on my clothes, and was off to the Ludington State Park. I texted my dad on the way and when I arrived at the First Curve the lights were barely visible. I knew I had to call my dad to wake him up, but my cell phone wouldn't work at the park. It always works there, but maybe the Northern Lights were interfering with the cell signal. I debated what to do. Since this was a Tuesday, I decided that I would gamble and not shoot any photos at that point and drive back into town until I had a cell signal to call my dad. I drove, and drove, and drove and still had no signal. I ended up at our gallery in downtown Ludington and used the landline to call him. I told him the good news and I headed back out to the First Curve at the Ludington State Park. Just after I arrived the Northern Lights started exploding. I put on my warm clothes and darted across M116 and into the nearest open field across from the First Curve parking lot. I made my image "Northern Lights Dream" at 2:17 a.m. Week 17 of "Tuesdays with Todd and Brad Reed: A Michigan Tribute" was starting off with a bang. F2.8 at 30 seconds, ISO 400, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

“Aurora Moon” by Brad Reed Last night at the Ludington State Park, along the shores of Lake Michigan, my daughter Julia and I stood in wonder while watching the Northern Lights dance in the distance. The moon and Venus were perfectly reflected in Lake Michigan as well. You could clearly see the lights with the naked eye, but of course, the camera could capture them much better. Nikon D850. F4, 32 seconds, ISO 800. 14-24mm lens at 24mm. On a tripod at 10:03pm on March 23, 2023.

For my second composition of the morning, I ran down to the edge of Lake Michigan and set my tripod up in the cold water. I made sure to have the tallest parts of the old jetties high enough in my viewfinder to break the horizon line of the photograph. I knew this would help tie my foreground elements to my background, which in turn would make my photograph look and feel more three-dimensional. I used my remote shutter release and my iPhone for a stopwatch. Based on the exposure I used to make "Northern Lights Dream" earlier, I calculated that I needed about 18 minutes for my shutter speed. With that long of a shutter speed, I knew the stars would spin in a circle around the North Star. I could see with my eye this fat white beam of light that appeared to be coming from the ground and aiming directly at the North Star. You can see it pretty clearly in the photograph. I have no idea what was causing that beam of light, but it sure makes my composition a whole lot cooler. My dad could even see it five miles south of me as he was photographing from near the end of the Ludington South Breakwater. I made this image at 2:45 a.m. F5.6 at 18 minutes 5 seconds, ISO 200, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

I was drawn to Lake Michigan this evening. I sat and enjoyed the sounds and the smells of the lake before making this image.

The great state of Michigan has more freshwater shoreline than any state in America, yet for the most part, Michigan's beauty is still a secret to the majority of Americans. Tonight, the Lake Michigan shoreline is whispering quiet secrets to my heart as I photograph her simple, elegant beauty near the First Curve at Ludington State Park. F11 at 1/60, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

It has been a while since I was able to make it to the lakeshore for sunset. Tonight, I needed the sound of waves and the sun on my face.

Several customers came in the gallery earlier today telling us how unbelievably warm the water was in Lake Michigan. Tonight after work, I went to the second curve at Ludington State Park. I stood waist-deep in the warm water with my camera on a tripod and used my flash to help freeze the motion of the rushing waves. F4.5 at 1/25, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

After a whirlwind trip, we arrived back home from St. Louis close to sunset. It was nice to take in this view at Stearns Beach. A great end to a fun trip.