Tuesdays with Todd and Brad Reed: A Michigan Tribute

As I look up the trunk of this stout old maple tree in rural Mason County, it occurs to me how strong a maple tree has to be to hold up all of its branches and leaves. Then it occurs to me how life-like the tree looks. Knots look like eyes looking down at me. I can imagine it walking through the forest. Visually escaping reality can be very entertaining. F9 at 1/60, ISO 400, 24-70mm lens at 24mm

While walking past the Dahlmann Campus Inn in downtown Ann Arbor today, we noticed a cool sculpture and fountain. Upon further investigation we found Colonel Mustard playing in the rain. The fanciful sculpture looked even better when the magic light shone down on him from above. F9 at 1/80, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 38mm

Zingerman's Delicatessen has made 422 Detroit Street in Ann Arbor, Michigan one of the most famous and adored locations in Michigan. Day-in and day-out people from all over the Midwest flock to this cultural icon to experience the top shelf customer service and quality food on which Zingerman's has built its success. F10 at 1/100, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 26mm

My dad and I have several people every year ask us if they can paint one of our photographs and we always say yes, as long as they give us credit. We love when people make art out of our art. Today, that is what I did in downtown Ann Arbor with a beautiful bronze sculpture that was created by Herbert Dreiseitl. The sculpture catches rainwater and represents the water cycle on Earth. F10 at 1/80, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

The American Institute of Architects has voted the William W. Cook Legal Research Library on the campus of University of Michigan in Ann Arbor among the top 150 most admired architectural works in the country. The gothic style building was constructed in 1931 and is covered in red and green ivy. F9 at 1/40, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 18mm

The William W. Cook Legal Research Library on the campus of University of Michigan in Ann Arbor is a powerful looking structure. As I stood below the grand building and looked upward, I noticed the two faces made of stone. I zoomed my lens from 50mm to 18mm while I was making a 1/5 second exposure. F22 at 1/5, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

In 1978, the University of Michigan Law School decided that the existing law library was not large enough. They needed to expand the library, but did not want to disturb the look and feel of the existing historic building so they built the addition underground. In August 1981, the Allan and Alene Smith Law Library addition opened to students. The subterranean glass walls of the new building are a perfect complement to the original building. F9 at 1/160, ISO 800, 18-50mm lens at 24mm

The University of Michigan's football stadium is nicknamed "The Big House" because it is the largest stadium in the United States and the third largest in the world. The Big House can hold over 114,000 people. Someday I hope to see Michigan State play Michigan at the Big House. Of course, I will be wearing green and white to that game! F16 at 1/60, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 30mm

With a single lens reflex camera, the viewfinder shows the image at the largest aperture available to the lens in use. In this photo, I had my camera on full manual and set my aperture to F22, yet in the viewfinder I saw the photo at F2.8. I often use my depth of field preview button to see what the final photo will look like in terms of depth of field. F22 at 1/10, ISO 800, 105mm lens at 105mm

The wind caught a brilliant maple leaf and blew it into these beautiful little flowers. My friend, Jennifer Batts, pointed this photograph out to me. I put my macro lens on and captured the scene with my camera and tripod. F29 at 1/13, ISO 800, 105mm lens at 105mm

Ron and Donna Sanders live across the street from Betsy and me on Riverview Drive in Ludington. As I was pulling out of my driveway early this morning I noticed their yard light creating beams of light as it shone through one of their bushes. I could not resist making a photograph of the beautiful scene. F6.3 at 30 seconds, ISO 100, 18-50mm lens at 50mm

This morning our assistant manager Rachel Gaudette and I are back at my favorite spot on her family's farm along the banks of the Pere Marquette River near Walhalla, Michigan. To make this image I had to slide on my butt down a steep clay bank. I aimed for a large tree to stop me part way down so as not to slide into the river. Luckily for my camera gear, and me, the tree did the trick. F22 at 1/10, ISO 100, 14mm lens at 14mm

Fall color can be so fun to photograph in the fog. The vibrant colors of the leaves are muted by the fog, but still help define the lines in a photograph. I made this photograph of Epworth while standing on the Lincoln River bridge. F22 at 1/6, ISO 100, 14mm lens at 14mm

A pair of mute swans keeps its lone surviving cygnet close at hand as they float along the shoreline of Pere Marquette Lake just after sunrise. Mute swans have proliferated in Michigan to the point that efforts are being made to reduce their population. I, for one, never tire of seeing the graceful birds and watching for peak or unique views of them. F2.8 at 1/2000, ISO 1600, 80-200mm lens at 145mm

A great blue heron stands as motionless as a lawn ornament in the yard of a cottage on Bass Lake near Pentwater, Michigan. I have to look twice to make certain the bird is real rather than plastic. F3.5 at 1/2500, ISO 1600, 300mm lens at 300mm

Our friend, Don Nelson, notified my dad and me about a wild ruffed grouse that had befriended him during the last two weeks. Wherever Don went around his yard, the gorgeous bird would follow. After a week, the bird would even climb onto Don's shoulder. Right after I made this photograph, Herkimer (the bird) climbed up onto my camera and posed for an iPhone photo. F2.8 at 1/320, ISO 800, 300mm lens at 300mm

This wild ruffed grouse befriended our friend, Don Nelson, last week and I couldn't wait to photograph the beautiful animal. After I made the photograph I had imagined of the bird in some brown ferns, I asked Don if he could get the bird to land on my 300mm telephoto lens. With surprising ease, Don had Herkimer posing on my lens in no time. F8 at 1/125, ISO 800, iPhone

Driving along the US31 Expressway between Hart and Shelby, Michigan, I spot some of the most colorful sumac I have ever seen. I pull into the rest stop just beyond the sumac and am greeted by more of these colorful plants. The symmetry of these two neighboring sumacs catches my eye. F28 at 1/640, ISO 800, 300mm lens at 300mm

Colorful leaves of a bush along one of the trails at Van Buren State Park look to me like a butterfly. I feel compelled to make an image that makes the "butterfly" stand out by getting very close to the three leaves and minimizing depth of field (focus). F8 at 1/60, ISO 800, 105mm lens at 105mm

A Lake Michigan beach isn't where I expected to find fall color shots today, but dune grass along the shoreline at Van Buren State Park caught this transient leaf. I like the resulting colorful arrangement of angular and curving shapes. F3.2 at 1/250, ISO 100, 105mm lens at 105mm