Search

Red Light

Summer 2008

This fisherman may or may not be catching fish but he definitely has a front row seat for one of the biggest and best sunsets so far this spring. I would like to trade places for a while. F5.0 at 1/640, ISO 100, 500 mm lens at 500 mm

Riveting Evening

The Best of Ludington

I learned in the Coast Guard to be “Always Ready” for whatever Lake Michigan threw my way. As an outdoor photographer, being “Always Ready” is still a motto I try to live by. And since a November gale is as predictable as a calm day in July, I make certain I am especially prepared and alert for the arrival of that big November blow. Sure enough, on November 6, 2007, Lake Michigan looked like it was in a Mix Master. I donned my waterproof, insulated clothing, Fuji S5 camera body and 500-millimeter Nikon lens and hustled to the water’s edge. Lying in the sand (and occasionally water) on the Ludington beach, I extended the tripod legs flat and let the occasional wave washing beneath me help bury the tripod solidly in the sand to minimize movement resulting from the powerful northwest winds. After nearly an hour of shooting, at about 2 p.m., sunlight began breaking sporadically through the storm clouds. The resulting “storm light” turned on my adrenaline like a light switch. I was totally engrossed in trying to shoot peak moments of light and wave. I made several images in which the waves totally obscured the Ludington North Breakwater Lighthouse as they flew over the top of the lamp house. Then came the moment I was looking for—that delicate balance between power and beauty. Mission accomplished.

The Shining

The Sun of God

I watched in awe for two hours as wave after enormous wave slammed into the Ludington North Breakwater Lighthouse on February 24, 2019. I have rarely witnessed or photographed bigger or more frequent waves exploding against the seemingly invincible structure. Many of my several hundred exposures show water flying up to 100 feet in the air and the lighthouse nowhere to be seen. Persistence paid off when I finally caught one huge descending wave still higher than the lighthouse as the next one shot skyward above the lighthouse during its ascension. I had never seen two waves tower above the Ludington lighthouse at once. I was fortunate to artistically document the rare moment.

White Lightning

It is a strange feeling hiking a half-mile out on a pier half-asleep in the middle of the night in almost complete darkness, especially when the sky appears to be otherworldly as you go. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. So into the night I hike out onto the Ludington South Breakwater until reaching the spot I had previsualized. As I had hoped, the waves are not too big for me to safely get near the South Breakwater Light. It is cold and windy but I am not cold anymore. All I can think about is getting this shot before Aurora's magic show diminishes. I quickly set the tripod up for an insurance shot, not certain yet of focus and exposure. Thirty seconds later, at 2:41 a.m. Tuesday, April 24, 2012, I analyze the results of my insurance/test shot. It looks sharp and the horizon line is straight, which can be tough to determine in the dark. I make two more identically composed shots over the next 10 minutes. My exposure is better on both of them but the Northern Lights are not dancing near as intensely. Thank God I quickly made that insurance shot; the other shots, although better technically, do not look nearly as out of this world. Thanks also to our Silver Lake photography friend Louise Olson for alerting us by Facebook that she was seeing the lights. What a spectacular start to our shooting day on this 17th Tuesday of "Tuesdays with Todd and Brad Reed: A Michigan Tribute." F4.5 at 30 seconds, ISO 800, 14-24mm lens at 18mm

“Aurora Moon” by Brad Reed Last night at the Ludington State Park, along the shores of Lake Michigan, my daughter Julia and I stood in wonder while watching the Northern Lights dance in the distance. The moon and Venus were perfectly reflected in Lake Michigan as well. You could clearly see the lights with the naked eye, but of course, the camera could capture them much better. Nikon D850. F4, 32 seconds, ISO 800. 14-24mm lens at 24mm. On a tripod at 10:03pm on March 23, 2023.

This is the perfect ending to an 80-degree-plus day. This is one more example of why people who have traveled the world are not exaggerating when they say the Ludington area is the best place in the world to experience sunsets. F3.2 at 1/1250, ISO 400, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm

Being alone in the rain on a weather deck of the carferry Badger as the ship departs Ludington harbor takes me back 40 years to the days when I stood lookout duty in all sorts of inclement weather on the North Atlantic aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Unimac. Tonight I can make this picture and retreat to the comfort of the Badger's interior. F4.0 at 1/50, ISO 1600, 12-24 mm lens at 12 mm

One of the most radiant sunsets of the year greeted me as I took a hike while my wife and her study buddies continued to study for yet another in a long line of nursing tests. This view of Ludington harbor was from atop a sand dune near my former home at Crosswinds

One of the most radiant sunsets of the year greeted me as I took a hike while my wife and her study buddies continued to study for yet another in a long line of nursing tests. This view of Ludington harbor was from atop a sand dune near my former home at Crosswinds

The beach near my Crosswinds home in Ludington often provides me a quiet, peaceful retreat from the often fast pace of life. Tonight I will make this picture and then savor the view for another half-hour while waiting for the moon to descend toward the lighthouse. F11 at 10 seconds, ISO 400, 80-200mm lens at 105mm

After a long day shooting my portion of Week 21 of Tuesdays with Todd and Brad Reed: A Michigan Tribute, I noticed while shooting the sunset afterglow that the crescent moon was high above the Ludington lighthouse. I was tired and hungry. I could have gone home content with the several good images I had already made during my 200-plus miles of Michigan photo hunting travels that special early summer day. However, more than four decades as a photographer had long since proved to me that patience and perseverance are rewarded. I also knew the moon would not be setting at a peak shooting time the next day. I was rewarded with one of my all-time favorite moonset images and an excellent home-cooked meal afterward. Fortunately, my wife doesn’t mind eating late. Living with an outdoor photographer does not lend itself to strict dinnertime schedules.

Our workshop students tonight are getting a lesson in shooting twice as close. I am demonstrating how shooting part of the Ludington lighthouse can result in fresher, more abstract views. They try it and like it. I try it and also like it. F22.0 at 1/15, ISO 100, 12-24 mm lens at 24 mm