Miscellaneous Images

The Budweiser Clydesdales have been a favorite icon for the Reed family for decades because of the Ludington Beverage Company. A few years ago my uncle, Budde Reed, purchased a life-size statue of a Budweiser Clydesdale for the front lawn of Ludington Beverage. Today, I took Julia to see the statue and to make my photo of the day. F6.3 at 1/400, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 20 mm

After waiting without success for a pair of sandhill cranes to show up along the Pere Marquette River and resume their courting ritual, I find myself zeroing in on the sun rising in front of the hardwood forest east of the marsh. F5.6 at 1/160, ISO 100, 500 mm lens with 1.4 extender at 700 mm

On Earth Day I am delighted to find a tree that appears to be the perfect color and design complement to Leonard and Bev Gavigan's grand Ludington home on Court Street. F4.0 at 1/160, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 19 mm

One of Michigan's most beautiful economic success stories is the renovation and adaptive reuse of many of the buildings of the former Traverse City State Hospital as shops, offices, restaurants, and more. As an artist, I appreciate seeing many of the historic buildings on the grounds of the Village at Grand Traverse Commons restored to their 19th century and early 20th century architectural grandeur. F9 at 1/800, ISO 200, 80-200mm lens at 80mm

On my way to play basketball tonight, I noticed the shadow of the American flag on the side of West Shore Bank. I used my wide-angle lens to distort the building and make it appear larger and more castle-like than it already is. The gold light from the setting sun and blue sky also worked in my favor. F8.0 at 1/200, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

A snowboarder cruises through the glades at Crystal Mountain Ski Resort near Thompsonville. Glade skiing and snowboarding has long been popular at ski resorts out West. Crystal Mountain is one of the Michigan ski areas that have developed more ski runs through the woods in recent years. I feel blessed to have been able to enjoy the exhilaration and beauty of skiing at Crystal for more than a half century. Skiing and snowboarding in Michigan rocks!

My neighbor down the street, TJ Christiansen, has built a 16-foot giraffe out of four sheets of steel. It is shocking how realistic the magnificent piece of artwork is. He has nicknamed the giraffe Geoffrey. F16.0 at 1/60, ISO 500, 18-50 mm lens at 40 mm

Brad and I both got to witness and photograph the second "Blood Moon" of the year. The earth has eclipsed the full moon on this October morning, blocking direct sunlight. The scattering of the sunlight is causing the red color. I like learning the science behind the "Blood Moon" but it is the resulting art I love.

I made a family portrait of Sean, Betsy, and the kids today on our hike at the Ludington State Park. I used my external flash to light up their coats and faces. We don’t shoot portraits for hire at this point, but we might someday, and I enjoy practicing on my family.

Orvis fishing guide Frank Willetts looks on as customers fly fish for trout on the Pere Marquette River, one of many world-class trout streams in Michigan. Customers come from across the country to fish the Pere Marquette. Willetts co-owns the Pere Marquette River Lodge in Baldwin.

Stained glass windows have always been one of my photography muses. I found this beautiful window at the Lakeview Cemetery in Ludington.

One-year-old Caly Eisenlohr stands out beautifully in a sea of dandelions. I was making an image of an orchard and the dandelions in full bloom along Pere Marquette Highway when Caly's parents, Jerrod and Tara, decided this was the perfect setting for them to take pictures of Caly and her three-year-old brother Owen. F4 at 1/320, ISO 400, 500mm lens at 500mm

My wife Betsy and I left for Hawaii today. While we were flying over the mountains in California on our way to the Los Angles airport, I used my iPhone and took this photo out the window of the airplane. I loved the patterns on the Earth in the foreground of the photograph. The patterns helped create a very three-dimensional feel to this photograph. F2.8 at 1/1000, ISO 70, iPhone camera

Today was our first full day on the island of Maui. We took our rented Mustang convertible for a nice drive to the Iao Valley State Park. The peak on the left hand side of this photograph is the Iao Needle. The famous Hawaiian landmark is covered by dense rain forest and measures 2,250 feet above sea level. F7.1 at 1/320, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 24 mm

Golfing with Papa Bill is a favorite pastime of mine. Last year I was his golf partner on a league at Hemlock Golf Course, not far from his house in Ludington. Today we hit some balls for fun, and as usual, he beat me by 10 strokes.

The newer portion of the beautiful Amway Grand Plaza Hotel was casting a cool shadow on the Grand River today and Sarah Genson and I spotted it at the same exact time. We fought over who actually discovered it first. Honestly, she probably saw the photo opportunity a second before me, but I pulled the trigger first. I never had a sister until she came to work for us and now we have our own unique version of sibling rivalry. F14 at 1/500, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 23mm

For my dad’s 71st birthday today, the kids and I stood outside his condo on Rath Avenue and waved up to him and my stepmom, Debbie, on their deck. We sang happy birthday to him from a distance. This is one of the super-sucky parts of COVID-19 and social distancing.

The delicate, curved, repetitive patterns of newly formed spring leaves contrast and complement the bold, linear patterns of a downtown Grand Rapids modern skyscraper a couple blocks away. I choose to shoot with a telephoto lens to draw the two subjects together and crop out unwanted distractions. F5.6 at 1/200, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 100mm

The Mason County Courthouse looked stately as ever today with the beautiful clouds and crisp blue skies above it. The red sandstone was shining bright and the details really were popping in the magic light.