Todd and Brad Reed are a father-son outdoor photography team based in Ludington, Michigan. Todd has been recording Michigan scenes for over 40 years. Twenty-three of those years Todd spent as a photojournalist for the Ludington Daily News, where he won dozens of industry awards for his photos portraying the beauty and telling the stories of everyday life in small towns and rural areas. Todd is considered one of the leading photographers in the United States. Todd’s love of the Great Lakes was enriched by 33 years of service in the Coast Guard Reserve.  In 1988, the U.S. Coast Guard honored him as top “Outstanding Enlisted Reservist” in the nation.

Brad’s journey as a photographer started as a young boy. He jumped at every chance to carry his father’s gear on photo shoots throughout the region. Without a camera in his hand, Brad practiced seeing the world in photographs and learned that extraordinary photography requires chasing the light and capturing the defining moment. After graduating from Calvin College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and working on a Master’s Degree in Social Work, Brad followed his heart and journeyed into the world of photography and has quickly become a national leader in his field.

In 2000, Todd released his first book, Ludington Point to Point. This book covered the waterways and countryside between Big Point Sable and Little Point Sable Lighthouses. In 2005, this father-son team collaborated and released their first joint book, Lake Michigan Point to Point, a visual journey of the waters and shores of the same region. In 2006, Todd and Brad released their first DVD, Lake Michigan Point to Point. In 2008, Todd and Brad released a new fine art book and DVD called Ludington State Park: Queen of the North. The book and DVD feature beautiful photographs from inside the 5300-acre Ludington State Park.  The Reeds’ newest and most exciting photographic venture is their 365 Project, a year-long photo shoot in which Todd and Brad each shot one photograph daily during 2010, posting them weekly on their web site and Facebook.  In April 2011, they published all 730 photos from the project in a limited edition coffee table book entitled 365 – A Year in the Photographic Lives of Todd and Brad Reed. The book sold out the day it was released.  They have also published a 365 Michigan Calendar and a 365 DVD.

In 1998, Todd’s image “God’s Light”, which shows a lighting bolt hitting near the Ludington North Breakwater Lighthouse, won third place in the world in the Nikon International Photography Contest.  In 2005, Brad’s image “Power & Light” won runner up in the emerging artist category in the Nikon International Photography Contest. The powerful image shows a large piece of limestone fortifying the breakwater in Ludington being hammered by a huge wave. Todd and Brad have each had images featured by the North American Nature Photography Association.  Many magazines, including Traverse, Michigan Blue, and LAKE, have featured the Reeds’ photographs and galleries in their publications.

Todd and Brad have a simple approach to photography. They choose subjects that touch them in emotional ways, and strive to convey their emotions through the photographs they make. They are both known for saying that good photography is all about feeling. To see and appreciate a scene in the natural world is one thing; the artists’ challenge is to capture visually the emotions of that scene and that moment. It is simply a matter of being present at those rare moments and letting the heart guide the composition.