Wonderous West Shore

I am obsessed with photographing water ripples. Some day we hope to do an entire book of these abstract ripple shots. Blue is my favorite color and I love how many different shades of blue appear in this photograph. The sky tonight was bright blue and had tons of huge white puffy clouds that reflected on the calm waters of Lake Michigan as we stood at the elbow of the breakwall in Ludington with several workshop students.

I am obsessed with photographing water ripples. Some day we hope to do an entire book of these abstract ripple shots. Blue is my favorite color and I love how many different shades of blue appear in this photograph. The sky tonight was bright blue and had tons of huge white puffy clouds that reflected on the calm waters of Lake Michigan as we stood at the elbow of the breakwall in Ludington with several workshop students. Fuji S5. F2.8 at 1/400, ISO 100. 70-200mm lens at 200mm. On a tripod without a flash. July 2, 2009 at 7:51pm.

I am following the Great Lakes freighter Saginaw into Ludington harbor, simultaneously concentrating on steering my 13-foot Boston Whaler and photographing the classic ship.

My grandpa, Bud Reed, would have turned 93 today. Earlier today we dedicated a sculpture in his honor in the new Veteran's Mall in Stearns Beach in downtown Ludington. I felt my grandpa's presence on the Lake Michigan shoreline as I was making this image. I love this photograph and believe it is one of the best I have ever captured.

Today my dad helped me make this image with our underwater housing at Little Sable Point Lighthouse. These were the biggest waves I have ever taken our housing out in. I wore a survival suit and had a rope connecting me to my dad. He stood on shore and was my anchor. We had magic light on and off all day long. When I made this image, it was lightly raining, but the sun was shining brightly. It was worth being knocked over, face planting in the water, and eating a lot of sand to make this image!

Too magical to be real, a white horse made an already beautiful Michigan fall color view truly magnificent. One never knows what wonder will appear when traveling the byways of West Michigan.

This has been a great week for extraordinary light and clouds over Lake Michigan. On Monday night after work, we headed to First Curve at the Ludington State Park to shoot the sunset. The light just kept getting better and more beautiful. It was a wonderful evening to be making art!

I have photographed fall color along M22 all day and now, during a diversion from the long ride home, Mother Nature has presented me with an entirely different color show. This sunset afterglow just keeps growing more vivid by the minute. I love how unreal reality can be on the Lake Michigan shoreline!

I had the luck of the Irish tonight while chasing the northern lights over Hamlin Lake with our manager Rachel and her sister Sarah. We were all fortunate to make images of the northern lights before they disappeared. My best image of the night was my first image. This was a St. Patrick's Day I will never forget.

Lake effect snow is dreaded by many, but not by many outdoor photographers. I am out early this morning traveling the countryside near the Lake Michigan shoreline, looking for a picture perfect scene. Here it is!

White Lake bustles with recreational boating traffic in the summer. On this July evening, an impressive catamaran is one of many vessels passing by White River Light Station en route for an evening cruise on Lake Michigan.

When the waves are this big and the light and shadow at times this intense, I know to wait longer, watch longer for peak moments of waves and light. I made this image in 1/2500 of a second after looking for this moments for hours.

I made this image during one of our Advanced Weekend Photo Workshops. Michigan State was playing Michigan and it was towards the end of the game. Several photo students were listening to the game on their cell phones. I wanted to listen, but the light and clouds were getting so good that I knew it was "game time" for me to shoot. I got the shot, but better yet, Michigan State had one of the best comebacks of the entire year to win the game on the last play. Go Green!

We took our Heaven on Hamlin Weekend Workshop students on a pontoon boat ride to the southern edge of the Ludington State Park to try to photograph bald eagles. After a long search, we found this eagle perched near the nest. It appeared to be guarding the nest from other predators.

As I was standing at the water's edge of Lake Michigan at the Ludington State Park with a workshop student, I saw one single leaf wash ashore. I quickly grabbed my camera and made this image. A moment later, a wave came and took the leaf back to sea. Nikon D800. F5.6 at 1/50, ISO 3200. 14-24mm lens at 24mm. Handheld without a flash. October 14, 2017 at 7:06pm.

I tend to prefer sharp light and haze-free skies at sunset. But I have learned that the softness and toned-down colors of a hazy sky sunset sometimes look and feel better.

As I was standing at the water's edge of Lake Michigan at the Ludington State Park with a workshop student, I saw one single leaf wash ashore. I quickly grabbed my camera and made this image. A moment later, a wave came and took the leaf back to sea.

We always tell our workshop students to stick around after the sun goes down to see the afterglow. Tonight, we had several workshop students on the Manistee beach with us. The sun had already set and the sky was dull. We decided to get a group photo together. Just as I was making the group shot, the sky erupted with intense color. We all split up and ran for our camera gear. It was a great teaching moment!

A breaking wave splashes onto the rocks protecting the Pentwater South Pier. I am one of only a few visitors to the Pentwater waterfront this evening. I savor the sunset in solitude.

My grandpa, Bud Reed, always gave a thumbs up as his sign of approval. The last few years of his life, he could not hear very well. The thumbs up was often his way of letting you know he understood what you were trying to say.