Tuesdays with Todd and Brad Reed: A Michigan Tribute

Like an enormous tidal wave, a shelf cloud hundreds of feet high extends out of sight as it sweeps ashore. I have an eye-level view of the fast-approaching front from the observation platform built atop a 450-foot-high dune bluff on the Lake Michigan shoreline at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. F11 at 1/1250, ISO 280, 14-24mm lens at 14mm

Clouds bear down on Lake Michigan's eastern shoreline and begin to climb the bluff toward me at Sleeping Bear Dunes. Moments later my son Brad and I are literally in the cloud in near-zero visibility. What an incredible experience! F11 at 1/1600, ISO 280, 14-24mm lens at 14mm

Moments after videoing the granddaddy of clouds rushing toward him on the Lake Michigan shoreline, Brad Reed grins like a photography junkie that has just been smacked with the best video footage of his lifetime. He is on cloud nine literally in the clouds on the observation platform high atop the Sleeping Bear Dunes bluff. F11 at 1/640, ISO 280, 14-24mm lens at 14mm

What a way to end Week 19 of "Tuesdays with Todd and Brad Reed: A Michigan Tribute." Where in the world can you find a better view of the sky and sunset than along the Lake Michigan shoreline? Nowhere, I think, as I view what Mother Nature has to offer this evening at Ludington. F3.5 at 1/200, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 14mm

After spending the day photographing the Leelanau Peninsula, I return to Ludington in time to vote in the local school election. On my way home from voting I am rewarded with this uplifting Lake Michigan view from the bluffs of Buttersville. F11 at 1/500, ISO 100, 14-24mm lens at 24mm

Early this morning we met our advanced photography workshop students at the McDonald's parking lot in order to carpool to our first shooting location in Pentwater. I couldn't resist getting my 600mm lens out of my truck and laying down in the parking lot to shoot the crescent moon before we headed out. F5.6 at 1/13, ISO 100, 600mm lens at 840mm

The Pentwater River flats along Long Bridge Road are always a great place to photograph the sunrise in Michigan. This morning, the water was actually more colorful than the sky. It was worth getting up at 4:45 a.m. to get here in time to make this picture. F8 at 0.4 seconds, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

I micro-compose this composition and lock down the tripod 15 minutes before sunrise, then help some of our photography workshop students fine-tune their compositions in the Pentwater River marsh east of Long Bridge Road. The sun pops up and my shot is completed with nothing more than a quick push of the shutter button. F10 at 1/1000, ISO 400, 14-24mm lens at 24mm

Cattails, known as "punks" by some, were glowing this morning along Long Bridge Road just southeast of Pentwater. I created a pyramid at the base of the photo with the short, dark grasses and then also positioned my camera so the tall cattails created another pyramid. I love how this photograph feels. F8 at 1/50, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 30mm

I compose this shot of cattails along the Pentwater River with my largest telephoto lens. On my Nikon D7000 camera body, which does not have a full-frame sensor, my 500-millimeter lens is making an image that is the equivalent of 750 millimeters or a 15-power scope. The resulting compression and shallow depth of field or focus helps me make a dreamy-looking image that emphasizes the fuzziness and large amount of cattails. F5.6 at 1/1000, ISO 800, 500mm lens at 500mm

Canada geese are beautiful creatures. I think a lot of Michiganders take their beauty for granted because we are so used to seeing them all the time. They are loud and can make a mess of a yard in a hurry, but they are truly picturesque. F5.6 at 1/800, ISO 800, 600mm lens at 840mm

Showing off for the girls, a tom turkey struts through a West Michigan orchard. This is one of those "wing shots" for which you need to be prepared. My camera with zoom telephoto lens was preset to a high shutter speed and high ISO in anticipation of moving wildlife that often have to be "shot" quickly without the aid of a tripod or monopod. F4.5 at 1/320, ISO 800, 80-200mm lens at 200mm

I have spent much of my life along the Pere Marquette River and have seen many deer swimming in the river. At this moment I am experiencing a first: a deer has decided to leap in the river and cross directly in front of our drift boat. At automobile speeds, our vessel would have hit it. Deer swim fast so at river current speed our boat left the deer time to safely cross and join its mother on the opposite bank. F3.5 at 1/800, ISO 400, 80-200mm lens at 135mm

Michigan views like this one on the Pere Marquette River make me feel unbelievably fortunate to be a guest in nature's home. As we float past these deer, they pause long enough to decide whether we are forest friends or foes. Photographing from a moving boat is like watching a moving picture. I study the constantly changing relationship between the deer and the forest, clicking the shutter to "stop the movie" and make still-shots only at what I see as optimum moments. Anticipating, seeing, and acting quickly are the keys to voyage photography. F2.8 at 1/640, ISO 1600, 80-200mm lens at 155mm

I swing my camera like a shotgun to get and stay on target with this suddenly appearing female wood duck as it performs a high-speed fly-by on the Pere Marquette River. I love the rush of spotting fast-flying wildlife and trying to make good "wing shots" of them. F3.5 at 1/640, ISO 1600, 80-200mm lens at 135mm

The Pere Marquette River has a national blue ribbon fishery rating due to the number of fish caught out of the river and the scenic beauty of the entire river area. I love the blue ribbons of water that were flashing above the gorgeous river rock this afternoon. My camera captured the beauty perfectly. F6.3 at 1/320, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

The fishing was a bit slow on the river tonight for everyone. One of the guides did land this little rainbow trout smolt. I had him hold onto it long enough for me to make this photograph. I am looking forward to when I get a picture of a mature rainbow trout caught in the fly-only zone of the Pere Marquette River near Baldwin, Michigan. F2.8 at 1/640, ISO 800, 70-200mm lens at 160mm

Just after we rounded one of the many bends in the Pere Marquette River tonight, a mature bald eagle landed in a tree less than 50 yards away from our drift boat. Our guide, Josh Mead, stopped the boat long enough for me to get my 70-200mm lens on so I could make this photograph of the beautiful river hunter. F3.5 at 1/500, ISO 800, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

Bald eagles in Michigan are becoming so prevalent now that my dad and I have spotted at least one on almost every Tuesday of this year while traveling the state for "Tuesdays with Todd and Brad Reed." When I was a kid, if you saw a bald eagle in Michigan, it was a big deal and you couldn't wait to tell everyone. I am so glad the eagles are making a strong comeback nationally. F3.5 at 1/500, ISO 800, 70-200mm lens at 200mm

Wild mustard grass grows all over Michigan and is one of our favorite "added ingredients" in our photographs. Today I wanted it to be the "special of the day," so I got in close and isolated one plant that looked particularly beautiful. F2.8 at 1/500, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 44mm