Tuesday With the Reeds: 1,000 Michigan Moments

Nov. 15, 2014

Together, they put 35,000 miles on two vehicles over the 52 Tuesdays of 2012. Photographing their surroundings from sunrise to sunset, they covered almost the entirety of the state in the process.

The result is a photographic labor of love from a father-son photography team that calls Michigan home–a strikingly beautiful coffee table book called "Tuesdays with Todd and Brad Reed: A Michigan Tribute."

UNEXPECTED CAREERS

Todd Reed began his writing career by first attending Northwestern Michigan College and then Michigan State University, where he earned a journalism degree. A job at the Ludington Daily News sidetracked him to photography when he was handed a camera to go with his typewriter.

"It was on-the-job training; sink or swim with 10,000 people seeing the results every day–not always pretty!" Todd said.

Reed stayed at the News for 23 years before leaving to pursue a fine arts photography career.

His son Brad had never planned on being a photographer either. Instead, he earned a degree in elementary education at Calvin College, taught school for a while, returned to school himself and then, ultimately, decided to run the business end of his father’s photography business.

"I was not going to be a shooter," Brad said. "I was just going to organize the business. The first thing we did was buy two digital cameras, Photoshop and a Mac. But in January of 2004, we discovered that I could shoot like my dad."

DUAL VIEWS

One year later, the father-son team established Todd and Brad Reed Photography as 50-50 owners. The photographic partnership, Brad confirmed, was a "natural fit."

"We believe in each other and know how to push each other," he said. "We laugh a lot and we both love meeting new people and facing new challenges."

His father’s greatest strength as a photographer, he added, is shooting photos with people in them.

"We don’t shoot portraits or weddings, but my dad’s 23 years of photojournalism and his infectious personality help others feel comfortable around him and his camera."

By turn, the elder Reed admires his son’s ambition and broader view.

"I have three sons and love them all dearly," Todd said. "I am blessed to be able to work side by side every day with one of them. Brad thinks big. I love that about him–no risk, no gain!"

VISUAL DEDICATION 

The risk of all that travel and photo time has paid off with their 400-page "Tuesdays" book, which Todd calls "an eight-pound Michigan baby," that includes a two-disc DVD set with a photographic slideshow, select videos from the project and an interview with the Reeds.

1,014 images from all corners of Michigan are included in the tome, from as far west as the Porcupine Mountains in the Upper Peninsula, as far south as Monroe, as far east as Port Hope in the thumb region and all along the Lake Michigan shoreline from St. Joseph to the Straits of Mackinac.

"I can’t imagine a master’s degree thesis taking more work and dedication than this intensive effort to see as much of Michigan as we could on a year of Tuesdays," Todd said.

"I think everybody with a love for Michigan will find themselves in the great variety of magic Michigan moments Brad and I captured, from mountain top to cityscape, from rolling farmlands to college campuses."

FAVORITE SHOTS

Asking two artistic men about a favorite photo after they’ve spent a year shooting over a thousand of them was an equally risky prospect.

However, both Reeds find themselves remembering a few of the photos more than others.

"My favorite image is "˜Orvis,’" Todd said, "a photograph of a guide fishing for steelhead on the Pere Marquette River while his trusty sidekick, Orvis the Labrador, sits patiently on the bank with snow piling up on both dog and fisherman. It is one of the best portrait-personality shots of my 45 years as a photographer."

Brad has two favorites: "’The North Star,’ which is the cover of the book," he explained. "It is a 32-minute time exposure of Little Sable Point lighthouse and the North Star, with the rest of the stars spinning in a circle, and the northern lights in the background. I also really like the image "˜Tubular,’ which I shot with underwater housing for my Nikon D7000."

The weather was often a challenge while the team shot, but could also be a blessing, Brad said.

"If you wait long enough, Michigan is guaranteed to show you some magical moments, at least for a few seconds, each and every day."

Todd pointed out that, no matter what your favorite shot, "Tuesdays" "captures the essence of Michigan in a way no other Michigan book ever has before."

"I think it shows so much about what is good and special and grand about Michigan," he said. "I know this book will stand the test of time."

"Tuesdays with Todd and Brad Reed: A Michigan Tribute" can be ordered at www.toddandbradreed.com. Their photo gallery is located at 114 W. Ludington Ave. in downtown Ludington. Call 231-843-0777.