Winter

Welcoming Winter

Betsie River near Crystal Mountain

I was driving along my parents’ dead-end road, watching the pastures as I always do, when I spotted a skunk! I jumped out and got my big lens on. Thankfully he was too busy searching for food to notice me!

Shadow Waves

Talk about a traffic stopper. Responding to a tip about some cool looking cows pastured along 72nd Avenue north of Hart, I had no idea they would be this impressive. As I slow to a stop on the side of the road, I attract their attention. I am far more excited and impressed than they are. F6.3 at 1/500, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

With the snow, ice, sunshine, and haze, this aerial photograph of Ludington looks like the old painting of the Ludington harbor that has hung in the local restaurant, The Grand, on Rath Avenue for decades. I have always loved that painting and now I have created my own modern version with a camera.

I took a quick drive to Hansen Road tonight, looking for the right foreground to go with the clouds. I quickly found just the thing!

The beauty that lies within Cartier Park is one of Ludington's best kept secrets. I especially appreciate the drive along Lincoln Lake, where the view changes dramatically with the season, day, hour, and even minute. On a February day, the wind had sculpted away snow to create "waves" on top of the ice. The fragile artwork disappeared with the next snowfall, leaving only this photograph to document nature's creation.

My dad and I have been trying all winter to take aerial photographs of Hamlin Lake for "Tuesdays with Todd and Brad Reed" but we have had so little snow this year it was never worth our time or money. Our luck finally changed this Tuesday when Dave Johnson from Mason County Aviation took me up in his plane and I captured this photo of Hamlin Lake covered in ice.

This little six-point buck acted as if he was the king of the forest tonight. He marched right up to me and responded to my fake grunts in our backyard. If you are looking to make a new photography equipment purchase, I highly recommend the Sigma 60-600mm lens. You can get it with different camera system mounts. Rachel and I love ours. I can handhold this lens in low light and get sharp photos, even at 600mm.

The Beach House at Ludington State Park stand out as the only building along the Lake Michigan shoreline for miles. It has been a landmark for mariners and a gathering spot for park visitors since the 1930s. During the times of year when few people see the beach house, it continues to stand out under all types of weather.

As I hung out the open window of a small airplane this morning over Big Sable Point Lighthouse at Ludington State Park, I was struck by how cool the shadow of the lighthouse was. The shadow reminded me of learning about sun dials in elementary school.

I have spent a lot of time photographing and exploring all of the bayous on Hamlin Lake at ground level, but it is so cool to see the South Bayou from the air. Dave Johnson, from Mason County Aviation, took me up in his airplane today so I could get some new aerial photographs of Hamlin Lake.

I have passed this pasture on Iris Road almost daily for 10 years. But it is not until today that I notice the beauty of this lone tree. Fog and melting snow make the tree stand out like never before. Still I wonder why I never noticed it. F4.0 at 1/320, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 17 mm

Of all of the bayous on Hamlin Lake, I have spent the most time on the Middle Bayou. My grandma, Linda Scott, and her husband Scotty had a restaurant and home on the Middle Bayou. The restaurant, Wren's Roost, burned down before I was born, but she still had her home there for several more years. My mom, dad, and older brother Tad used to live on the Middle Bayou as well, but moved into town when they found out I was on the way.

It is officially spring when the geese flock to my parents’ fields! This one was getting a running start before flying away. I was happy to capture the reflection in the quick click of the shutter.

All I could think about as I was taking this image in way-below-zero weather was how well it illustrated the impact on Ludington of the Polar Vortex. Just about everything was closed for a couple days as January roared to a close. This historic commercial fishing building at the Lake Michigan carferry docks looked like it was in Siberia.

From an airplane, you quickly realize how large Hamlin Lake's North Bayou is even though from the ground, it doesn't seem very large. That may be because it is so shallow and full of stumps and has very little public access. I really appreciate its more rustic, natural, and undeveloped look and feel.

John and Cheryl Larson own a beautiful home and piece of property on lower Hamlin Lake. They allow us to photograph their property and for that we are so thankful. This morning I enjoyed making images of several trumpeter swans with the famous Hamlin Lake dunes as a backdrop.

The Best Mornings