Tuesdays with Todd and Brad Reed: A Michigan Tribute

My dad and I have been blessed with many great employees at our downtown Ludington photography gallery. Sarah Genson, our general manager, and Rachel Gaudette, our assistant manager, are both awesome people and managers. This is an early morning photograph of the four of us near Fort Michilimackinac, which can be seen in the background. F8 at 1/200, ISO 400, 18-50mm lens at 24mm

Like sculptures, the twin spires of the Mackinac Bridge rise above the fog in the Straits of Mackinac. While built mainly for function to support one of the world's longest suspension bridges, the spires were designed with an artist's eye as well. F22 at 1.6 seconds, ISO 100, 80-200mm lens at 200mm

My dad and I are always photo hunting as we drive or ride in cars. This morning we passed a huge swamp that was full of dead trees. One of the dead trees was tilted at a 45-degree angle and it caught my eye as I was sitting in the passenger seat of my dad's Suburban. I had my dad pull over and turn around. I grabbed my camera and tripod and a few seconds later made this composition. F8 at 1/2000, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

Water rushes over Munising Falls. A small pile of snow remains as a reminder on this 78-degree afternoon that this is the next to last day of winter. Spring has come early to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. F22 at 0.6, ISO 100, 24-70mm lens at 31mm

As I am working to compose this picture, it suddenly strikes me that I see what looks like a face amidst the rocks and rushing water. I liked this scene downstream from Munising Falls before seeing the face; now I like it even more. F22 at 0.5, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 24mm

One of the treats of going to Michigan's Upper Peninsula is that you can still see large stands of birch trees there. As I drove around a curve on H58

Au Train Falls is my favorite waterfall to photograph because you can stand right in the water. That helps photographers create strong immediacy and make the viewers of the work feel like they are really there experiencing the waterfall for themselves. My camera and lens got very wet, but that is the reason for insurance! F22 at 1/5, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

Sarah Genson is our gallery's general manager. Sarah is undoubtedly one of the very best landscape photographers I have ever met. Her sense of composition is a gift from God. With her quick learning abilities, she is starting to master the technical aspects of manual metering and lens choice. F5.6 at 1/100, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 35mm

We are all so blessed in the United States to have millions of acres of federal and state land that is preserved and protected. At very little or no cost, we all have the freedom to explore this great country. To make this photograph at Au Train Falls near Munising, Michigan, I got in a cave behind the waterfall and shot at a shutter speed of 1/4000 of a second to freeze the falling water. F2.8 at 1/4000, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

After lying down in ice-cold water while making photographs at Au Train Falls, it warmed my soul to see the giant smiles on the faces of Rachel Gaudette and Sarah Genson. Great photography adventures bring joy to all of us. F2.8 at 1/80, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 20mm

Some say that when I am editing photos and weeding out the keepers, I have a heart of stone. When I found this rock on the beach along the shores of Lake Superior near the Hurricane River Outlet, it made me chuckle and it reminded me to be a little more sensitive to people's feelings when editing their work. I am ruthless to myself, which is fine, but I shouldn't have a heart of stone when editing other people's images. F9 at 1/250, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

Normally my dad is standing on soft sugary sand along the shorelines of Lake Michigan, but today he is standing on the famous sandstone beach along the shoreline of Lake Superior at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. On most March days the Lake Superior shoreline would still be covered in ice, but today the temperature is over 80 degrees. We took advantage of the warm weather and sunshine with our cameras. F9 at 1/125, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

Ansel Adams believed in having at least one small area in each of his prints that was pure white or without tone and at least one small area of pure black. I love the range of tones in this image of the sandstone shoreline near Munising, Michigan. F9 at 1/125, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

The shoreline near Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior is diverse and varied in height, textures, and color. As I was walking along the shoreline the little rock that was trapped in this s-shaped cavern caught my eye. With the bright mid-day sunlight and the range of tones from very dark to bright, I knew this photo would look best in black and white. F9 at 1/40, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 38mm

The 80-degree weather today along the shoreline of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior was good for my soul. With the low angle of the March sun, I was able to capture all the shadows of each beautiful rock and the majestic looking piece of driftwood. The shadows and the warm quality of light are my favorite parts of this photograph. F8 at 1/200, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 34mm

Growing up we had a beautiful yellow Labrador Retriever named Sundance. She loved to spend time along the shores of Lake Michigan. Like many labs, she had an amazing ability to retrieve sticks. Sundance however, had a unique ability to retrieve rocks thrown into Lake Michigan. Somehow she could find the exact rock you had thrown on the lake bottom. These rocks on Lake Superior reminded me of Sundance and made me miss her. F8 at 1/80, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

A fisherman has a stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline near Hurricane River Outlet all to himself. What a peaceful way to enjoy a next to last day of winter that looks and feels more like summer. F18 at 1/200, ISO 400, 14-24mm lens at 23mm

The Hurricane River Outlet looks like a boiling caldron tonight as melted snow dramatically increases the flow of water downstream to Lake Superior. This spot between Munising and Grand Marais is one of my favorite places in Michigan's fabulous Upper Peninsula. F4 at 1/640, ISO 400, 24-70mm lens at 26mm

The power and force of the rushing water tonight at the mouth of the Hurricane River really caught me by surprise. I had been to this same spot six months earlier and the water was flowing slowly enough that I could stand in the river with my camera and tripod. If I tried to replicate that photograph today, I'm sure I would instantly be knocked down and washed violently into Lake Superior. F22 at 1.3 seconds, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

A golden sunrise over Hamlin Lake is hard to beat. I really like all the layers in this photograph. The soft rays of light in the clouds combined with the beautiful ripples on the water made for a picture perfect moment this morning as I stood with my camera and tripod near the warming shelter on the north end of the Island Trail at the Ludington State Park. F8 at 1/1000, ISO 100, 70-200mm lens at 70mm