Todd and Brad Reed’s Michigan: Wednesdays in the Mitten

Sitting in the middle of a Michigan field on a breezy summer day, I feel like I am watching a motion picture as the grasses and wildflowers sway in the breeze. Lowering my vantage point places me in the grass and makes the viewer of my images feel immersed in the grass with me.

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.

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.

Driving through the Michigan countryside on summer days is a good way to enjoy a mobile flower show. This tiger lily caught my eye as I was meandering down West Michigan country roads picture-hunting. You never know what is going to be around the next curve.

Brad and I are floating a stretch of the Pere Marquette River in avid fly fisherman Larry VonDrasek's drift boat when I spot an osprey perched in a treetop as we round a bend. Fortunately, I have my camera settings ready for "jump shots" because within seconds the osprey dives off the perch and soars right over our heads. I find the fast-flying bird in my viewfinder, swing with it like a duck hunter, and pull the trigger. My digital playback shows I was right on target.

Mother Nature and the Ludington Fire Department have teamed up to light up the Ludington waterfront on a July evening. The community bonfire special event gives the public a chance to enjoy a bonfire on a public beach where fires normally cannot be permitted for safety and environmental reasons.

One can only imagine how lonely it must have felt for light keepers to spend the entire winter isolated at Mission Point Lighthouse during times gone by. On this February morning the grand old lighthouse at the tip of Old Mission Peninsula north of Northport looks lonely but simply beautiful with a fresh coat of snow.

Like so many Michiganders and Michiganders at heart, I love looking at the barns scattered across the countryside of our great state. In recent years more and more Michigan barns are being adorned with wooden barn quilts for owners and passersby to enjoy. This barn quilt brightens a February day on Old Mission Peninsula along East Bay north of Traverse City.

Of all the farm stands I have seen in Michigan, this one on Old Mission Peninsula may be my favorite. The tiny, traditional hut at Twin Maples Farm on Center Road has a lot of curb appeal, compelling me to get out my camera. I also can't help but get out my wallet so I can take home some Michigan maple syrup.

A giant white cedar tree twists its way toward the sky like a giant corkscrew. This natural treasure is part of a several-hundred-year-old virgin white cedar forest on the southeast side of South Manitou Island. Visitors to the island can take a long hike to view these marvels or can sign up for a wagon tour of island attractions which includes a short hike into the cedar forest.

Fall color stretched as far as the eye could see, and the morning mist allowed, as I stood in awe at the edge of the Manistee River High Rollway, also known as the Buckley Rollway. This is, without a doubt, the best grand scenic vantage point for fall color I have discovered in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. How is it that I had never been to this magic spot before?

I marvel at how exquisite this lighthouse lens is as I view it from the underside in the lantern room of South Manitou Island Lighthouse. The beautiful and effective Fresnel lighthouse lenses, built in France in the 19th century, still grace a handful of Michigan lighthouses.

I wonder what the view from the Manistee River High Rollaway looked like in the 19th century when lumberjacks were rolling logs down it. I know for sure the view looks splendid roughly a century and a half later. This lookout near Buckley south of Traverse City belongs on every Michigander's fall color tour bucket list.

I wonder what the view from the Manistee River High Rollaway looked like in the 19th century when lumberjacks were rolling logs down it. I know for sure the view looks splendid roughly a century and a half later. This lookout near Buckley south of Traverse City belongs on every Michigander's fall color tour bucket list. D800, F22 at 0.3, ISO 100, 24-70mm lens at 34mm

The view from the top of South Manitou Island Lighthouse is well worth the long climb up the circular stairway to the top. The lighthouse has helped guide ships through the Manitou Passage between the island and Michigan's mainland since 1872.

No matter the weather, the bison often pastured along the highway south of Traverse City seem oblivious to the elements. I always enjoy seeing them but especially enjoy the winter views when the white landscape makes them stand out even more.

A Jeep passing by my camera position looks color coordinated with the fall color image I am working hard to make along M22. This might look like a stroke of luck, but after finding a vantage point that would show the highway, colorful trees, Lake Michigan, Frankfort Lighthouse, and Point Betsie, I have waited for nearly an hour for just the right vehicle to include in the scene. I have photographed others but when I see this one I know it is the perfect added ingredient.

Lillies collecting rain on a summer evening catch my eye in a Pentwater garden. The flowers have caught some sun as well, making them stand out even more. Often I like to feature one flower over the other through vantage point and selective focus, but I am thinking this is a pair that complement each other perfectly and they should therefore receive equal attention.

I need look no further than the end of my street at Crosswinds in Ludington to be shocked by the brightness of these flowers. I decide to make one of them stand out by getting very close to it and choosing a shallow depth of field that will put only it in focus. My intent is to keep the focus of attention on the foreground flower.