Ludington State Park

Hamlin Ablaze

Ludington State Park Workshop

Moon Walker

 

Patient and Kind by Rachel Gaudette We are so blessed to live near the Ludington State Park, which includes 7 miles of sandy Lake Michigan shoreline. The shoreline allows endless possibilities as each day brings a new scene to capture. Clouds flooded the sky, creating breathtaking reflections as the sun set below the horizon.

Wednesday

The State Park Sand Dunes

The magic light accompanying a rainbow turns dune grass to gold on an October morning along the Lake Michigan shoreline. I have seen this dune on a thousand different days, but none more beautiful.

Lake Michigan was a breathtaking color today, and the overcast sky was a wonderful complement. I hiked along the snow-blown dunes along M-116 until I came to a spot of uncovered sand. I composed my pyramid at my base and clicked the shutter.

Workshop at LSP

The light is blazing along the Lake Michigan shoreline tonight. I quickly line up some dune grass and the sun in a way that gives me the feeling that the sun is a big ball rolling down hill. F4.0 at 1/6400, ISO 800, 500 mm lens at 500 mm

Fresh Lake Michigan air blowing in my face. Magic light hitting the dune grass in front of me. Roiling waves. Huge clouds. I feel alive and at home at this moment. F11.0 at 1/160, ISO 100, 14 mm lens at 14 mm

Sunset Off Buddes Deck

Only a few minutes after a downpour interrupted one of our photography workshops and sent Brad, me, and our students scurrying back to vehicles, a rainbow and accompanying storm light appeared in the southern sky. The rainbow sent us all scrambling to make a picture. I remembered a nearby pond between dunes. Bingo! The magic light was reflected in the glassy surface of the pond. Each of us realized this was a spectacular moment in time.

The scene before me reminded me of mountains I have seen and skied down with my sons in backcountry areas of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. These "mountains" are actually sand dunes in the southern part of Ludington State Park. On this day, I enjoyed the mountainous look that an unusually heavy snowfall had helped create.

A cold, windy night is brightened by a beautiful sunset at the Ludington State Park Beach House. My dad, Rachel, and I always try to create triangles in our compositions, especially in the foreground

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.