Winter

Tuesdays With Todd and Brad Reed

I photographed two deer in a stand of sumac and was pleased with the shot until I saw this view of the Ludington South Breakwater Light right after sunset. The tube-shaped light tower is usually unattractive but tonight it looks like a lit candle dripping wax. I concentrate on keeping my biggest lens still on the tripod. F4.0 at 1/50, ISO 800, 500 mm lens at 500 mm

On our way to an indoor water park in Frankenmuth, Michigan, this red barn and its silver metal roof glistened in the sunlight. I pulled off into the ditch and quickly made this image, so we weren’t late to the water park. Frankenmuth is definitely one of Michigan’s coolest towns!

Jagged icicles in the foreground create a unique look at the Lake Michigan shoreline. The ice formation changed before my eyes with each powerful wave that pummeled the shore.

Dancing In the Dark

This small section of woods by my late Aunt Mary and Bespop’s (grandpa) drive is always so captivating this time of year. The sun crosses its path in the best way.

I spot turkeys almost daily along Iris Road south of Ludington but this morning they look more splendid than ever. Hold that pose while I grab that camera off the car seat. Thank you, turkeys! F8.0 at 1/60, ISO 800, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

This is the first photograph I have ever made of a Michigan coyote. Photographing a coyote has been near the top of my bucket list for several years. This wily coyote was circling around in long grass to get closer to a herd of deer. I shot this photo with a 600mm telephoto lens from about a 800 yards away near Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Leelanau County. Hopefully next time I will be able to get closer, but I still really like this environmental portrait of the large coyote.

The Rieth-Riley asphalt company in Ludington always has large piles of crushed up material behind their headquarters. I have always thought they would make an interesting photograph, but never took the time to do it. Today the giant pile of black asphalt looked strikingly beautiful against an all-white sky. F11.0 at 0.3, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

Charlevoix has always been a favorite vacation place for my dad and my stepmom, Debbie. I have been there several times with them. We love photographing Lake Charlevoix and also their beautiful red lighthouse on Lake Michigan. I drove over three hours in a snowstorm to make this image. I am so glad I did!

This alpha doe was protecting her family from a hungry wounded coyote near the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Leelanau County. To get a little closer to this scene, I used a 1.4 extender on my 600mm lens. That made my lens 840mm and with my cropped sensor my lens became 1260mm at F5.6.

Driving from Michigan to Georgia makes for a long haul, but the journey does have its benefits. Spectacular views

Ludington Lighthouse During Storm

Something about this dead tree attracted me to it when I spotted this snow-covered bog along US131 north of Manton, Michigan, and decided it would be a good place to make some early morning images.

My stepmom's mother, Marjorie Brye Vyse, attended this old school house in her youth. The school sits vacant today on the corner of Hawley Road and Old US 31. I find it fascinating how Mother Earth is slowly reclaiming this building. F8.0 at 1/200, ISO 100, 18-50 mm lens at 18 mm

I walked out into Grand Traverse Bay early this morning to make this image of a large tree stump covered in snow and ice. I enjoy making photographs when the sky is reflected in slow-moving water.

The Ludington North Breakwater Light looked wonderful this morning! I made a pit stop before heading to work to capture the ice, clouds, and magic light.

 

An outdoor photographer is dwarfed by the large Northern Michigan bog he is exploring on a winter morning. The bog lies along US131 north of Manton, Michigan.