Pere Marquette River/Lake

Aerial photo of PM River with fall color.

Tuesdays With Todd and Brad Reed

I could see the makings of a colorful sunrise as my kids got on the bus. I drove quickly to “The Point”, one of my favorite spots on our family farm. Hesitating slightly at the thought of getting my minivan stuck in the snow, I decided it was worth the risk. The Pere Marquette River glowed pink, just as I had envisioned.

Tuesdays With Todd and Brad Reed

Tuesdays With Todd and Brad Reed

It never gets old photographing the sunrise at the north bridge on Old US31 over the Pere Marquette River flats. This morning, my dad and I are greeted with a unique cloud pattern and a powerful sunrise.

A stretch of the Pere Marquette River known as the Claybanks looks like a winter fairytale world this morning as the biggest, stickiest snowflakes I have ever seen cling to everything in sight. Professional fishing guide Chris "Uber" Raines appears oblivious to the elements as he fly fishes for steelhead.

Orvis the dog watched intently as professional fishing guide Chris “Uber” Raines defied the wintery weather to fly fish for steelhead on a flies-only stretch of the Pere Marquette River near Baldwin. The stretch of the National Wild and Scenic River known as the Claybanks looked like a winter wonderland as the biggest, stickiest snowflakes I had ever seen clung to everything in sight. “There is something almost magical about standing in the river as the water sweeps past you and the snow is coming down; it’s mesmerizing,” Raines said. This was a perfect day for die-hard fishermen, Labrador Retrievers and photographers. It didn’t start out that way. January 17, 2012, started out with pouring rain. Brad and I had committed to a yearlong book project, photographing Michigan all day each Tuesday of the year. This was the third Tuesday, so we had to find a way to make good images despite the ugly weather. We say, “bad is good” in outdoor photography, meaning that often the best images are made in the worst weather. I spotted and photographed misty-looking Emerson Lake near Walhalla with a giant weeping willow in the foreground making the scene appear more mystic. Ten more miles down the road Brad spotted a scene sure to brighten the gloomiest shooting day—bright red winter berries amidst cattails. The rain and mist softened the swampy background and made the winter berries rocket out of the scene far more than they would on a sunny day. Even with two good images in the bank, it looked like a very challenging day to make strong book images that would wow people. But onward we went; we were not about to give up. Michigan would surely find a way to deliver on her worst day. By mid-morning we had worked our way to the Pere Marquette Lodge Orvis fishing shop south of Baldwin, hoping to learn where we could photograph some trout fishermen. While owner Frank was obliging us by arranging for us to rendezvous with one of his guides who’d be doing some off-duty fishing, we noticed the rain was turning to snow. A half-hour later, when we started hiking a wooded trail to the river at Claybanks, the world had been transformed into a fairyland. Chris was hoping the fishing would be good. Brad and I knew at that point we were going to catch some magical photographic moments. We each did. This image wound up being my favorite shot of the entire year-long book project, during which I tripped the shutter more than 20,000 times. I sure was glad we overcame our gloomy attitudes at the start of that rainy morning and kept on keeping on. “Don’t be a quitter,” is a lesson my dad insistently taught me, and I’m glad the lesson stuck.

Today was a difficult day. When my tasks at work are very systematic and methodical, it is hard to shut that off and let my creative eyes SEE possible compositions. It is past sunset and I have not clicked the shutter yet. I stop at the Custer bridge, grab my camera and tripod, and hope that I can make an image I would be proud of. I carefully took several shots, and then sat there in the silence.

 

It was a colorful and dramatic sunrise over the Pere Marquette River Flats at the North Bridge on Old US-31 this morning. The light kept changing and I was able to make several very different looking images for over a half an hour. This was my favorite image that I made.

Deer Creek

Deer Creek (Black and White)

High above the Pere Marquette River at the Rainbow Rapids picnic area, the heavy wet snow contrasts beautifully with the dark blue-black water to create a very painterly scene. I love the lines and forms that make up this delicate, yet powerful scene.

I have always liked how oak trees hang onto their leaves long after the maples have fallen. Today some oak leaves and trees look like winter etchings along the banks of the Rainbow Rapids stretch of the Pere Marquette River.

A well-known fishing hole in front of our family cabin on a large bend in the Pere Marquette River looks tranquil in the sunshine this morning. We often try to put leading lines in the exact lower corners of our compositions. It is not an accident that the water and ice meet in the bottom left corner of this image.

The Ludington Dow Chemical plant stands out as it towers over the Pere Marquette River flats south of Ludington. Motorists entering or leaving Ludington by way of Pere Marquette Highway (old U.S. 31) often see the plant framed against dramatic evening skies.

Fears of a gray day are quickly dispelled by the dawn's early light and color as I look eastward across Ludington harbor toward the Occidental Chemical Corporation plant. This beats the strongest coffee for waking up an outdoor photographer.

After capturing the Pere Marquette Sunrise photograph, I put my dad

I abruptly awoke one Sunday morning at 5 a.m. and could not get a haunting image of the Pere Marquette River out of my mind. I was positive that if I ventured out to our property and stood in the exact location I had envisioned, I would see a beautiful sunrise. I shot out of bed and was on my way. I guess you could say I got bit by the photo bug in my sleep.