Shine Down on Me
Beside Still Waters
Tunnel Vision
Sometimes I can see the weather starting to bring all the pieces together for a dramatic sunset and this evening was one such instance. I noticed some cool clouds covering most of the sky except toward the horizon where it was a mix of clear and some cloud streaks. This scenario is what you look for in the hopes the setting sun lights the whole cloudy sky dramatically. Now to the tunnel vision, I set my tripod up in a field way to the right of this image viewpoint and was looking directly at the setting sun behind the farm. Things were getting better and better and I was fixated on the developing shot before me when all of a sudden I noticed the grass being illuminated by the sun and the sky was looking nice as well. I left my tripod set up and ran to get a second camera to capture this fleeting moment which reminds me of a painting. I did get my shot from the original spot and it is nice, but the sunset never really reached its full potential and that’s how it goes sometimes.
Those are Cool!
This image was taken a few weeks ago at a local funeral home. The intense blue planters went well with the burgeoning tulips. My only wish is that the planters had plants in them but it was early in the season
Spring Paints a Lovely Canvas!
This local field was just popping with this purple flower which might be a weed but I am not sure. At certain angles it would appear almost without color but with right angle of sun and a low perspective, this section was just beautiful and very colorful. There is a main road just to the right but it seemed barely a single soul even glanced at the natural spectacle.
Welcome Home!
Super Moon Spectacle
I found this field of mustard the other weekend and the first shots I did were looking the opposite direction during daytime. I knew a Supermoon was coming in the next few days so I used an app called the photographers ephemeris that shows you any location you enter and where Sunrise, Sunset, Moonrise and Moonset will happen within that location. I entered the address here and it showed the moon rising right behind the barns. I was eager to arrive and get my shot composed before the moon began to appear. Now even though you have a good idea where it will appear, I find it hard to get an exact pinpoint location on site instead of looking at the app. I started out much farther to the left and kept waiting and waiting and finally walked along the fence to see if it was possibly rising behind the barn and sure enough, that was the case. One very important factor in getting these shots is the balance between when the sun is setting and the moon is rising. On this evening the moon was rising about 15 minutes before the sun was setting and this helps greatly by allowing the ambient light to be extremely close to the bright moon. By doing this exact shot the next day, you would be looking at the moon rising under pitch black skies a couple hours later. The other thing I see are gigantic moons in scenes that are obviously not where the moon was. The only way to make the moon look very large in relation to the subject naturally is to find a subject at a great distance from the camera and by using a strong telephoto you can compress things and make the moon look huge in the background.
Springtime Reflections
If you follow my blog, you know I enjoy capturing images on rainy evenings. Two simple reasons and they include the fact that no one else is usually outside getting in the picture and the added reflectivity brings an extra element to the scene. This particular night my gear was being very finicky which made holding a tablet, flash, remote and umbrella a veritable disaster! Sometimes rain seems to interfere with the wireless image transfer to my tablet, so dropped connections, images taking minutes to download etc etc were all happening this night. Out of frustration trying to juggle everything, I ditched the umbrella and till I got the shot there was barely anything left dry on me. By adding some extra flash to illuminate things I was able to get the colorful trees to reflect on the driveway which I found nice. This is the Moravian church in Lititz,Pa. Just imagine if the sanctuary lights had been on!
Magnificent Magnolia
Star of the Show
Solace Awaits
Sunset by the Lake!
A Calm Spring Evening
Patience pays off!
Roadside Blossoms
A Mother’s Frustration
Good Night for a Skate!
This is one of my last winter shots for this winter. The whole house lit up part way into shooting this and was a great added bonus.
Woodstock or Bust
Full Moon Illumination
This was taken on a night when the moon was full and very bright and it is the closest I can remember for the ground and sky being as bright the illuminated buildings! I added some flash from behind the fence to create those lines in the snow..
Quarry Ice
I think this is my last Ice shot from the festival and it was sponsored by a local quarry. I get the pick digging into the rock, but the boots puzzle me? Maybe everyone working in the quarry wears steel toed boots?
The Golden Mane
Another ice sculpture from the Lititz ice festival. I used an LED light with a colored filter that I placed behind the Lion to get the golden mane against the blue sky.
Hex Barn
I have to admit I don’t have many photos of Hex barns but this nice red one in the snow just had to be captured. I know next to nothing about their origins or significance to the culture. This one has 5 hex signs on the front between each window.
Where Large Trees Rule
The Superhero
This ice sculpture featured what I think is a Superhero Bear representing Penn State Health. The window in the back was not lit when I first set up but then I noticed green color in the ice which added a nice touch. The shop on the right is Candyology and the Edison lights in the trees are compliments of Stray Lighting in Lititz.
Chandelier Assist
I cannot definitively say this is a racoon hugging a tree stump but its my best guess. This sculpture was part of the Ice Festival in Lititz and I knew as it got darker the light from the Chandelier was going to help bring some internal color out. Another cool sculpture of ice to celebrate Winter activities.
Seasons First Monarch!
A Heart for Art
This is the second image I have to share from the Lititz Ice Festival this year. It features a beautiful double heart sculpture and I have yet to figure out what is between them? Looks like a dog bone to me but I am sure it is obvious to all except me? The shop is named Purple Robin Reserve and is a very popular one in town because it showcases the works of 150 talented local artists in a multitude of genres. The two hand drawn chalk signs were sitting there and helped balance the shot with the store window just behind. The owner is always very accommodating in helping me get the shot, and for this one she lowered the inside lights so I could keep the carving as the focal point. I used flash to get the colors to pop in the ice but I am not at the point yet of knowing what angles yield the best results, but I am finding that lighting colorful items behind the ice and not the ice itself can do wonders.. If I can find the enthusiasm to follow up, the owner may include some of my work for sale here but time will tell I guess.
Let’s Jump Right into it!
For the last several years, the quaint little town of Lititz has been holding what has become affectionately known as the Fire and Ice festival. Well thanks to good old Covid 19, this year’s event was scaled back with no displays of fire, no food trucks, and the event spread over two weeks to keep crowds from gathering. The opening night featured a couple dozen ice sculptures throughout the downtown and the two ice girls jumping rope were among several sculptures that were real crowd pleasers. the next week will highlight a few I captured during this chilly event.
Your Tee Time Got Canceled!
These golf carts are encased in a fresh layer of new snow and will have to sit idle for a little while before spring begins to break Winter’s icy grip. I suppose you could play a round but finding your ball may be a little time consuming. That idea is about as stupid as the time I was invited to play in a one club tournament! That’s right, you pick one club to use for all your shots, including putting! I picked a driver which turned out to be poor choice for every shot other than your first one.
Red,White, and Blue
