These three young owls are located in a tree in a local park and are quickly growing toward adulthood. They are in a spot that has drawn a lot of onlookers and thankfully there is a creek separating them from the curious.They say its unusual because there is rarely a hole this big in a tree to nest in and to see them so readily as well. I shot this with a 600mm.
An Amish family takes a lazy afternoon stroll near Strasburg,Pa and the two children enjoy being pulled along.
One Amish girl helps another work through deep mud at a recent mud sale.They had quite an adventure getting from one side of the puddle to the other.
This Amish family of five crammed into this little wagon to take an afternoon ride and when the buggy on the left got behind them,he figured it was time to drop the hammer and zip around them.It was around 70 degrees this day and riding in the wagon must have been great fun with the small pony pulling them around the back roads.
Spring planting in rural Pennsylvania creates this curving pattern in a freshly worked farm field.
I light painted this rural scene during the last snowfall of the season.
These Amish girls check out the selection of buggies at the mud sale. Amish customize their buggies in a variety of ways from carpeting to stereos to new led lights.I recently saw one going down the road with blue leds underneath and that’s something I thought I would never see.I also thought I would never see beer cans being thrown out of a buggy but I did a few years back as the youth were sowing their wild oats during whats referred to as rumspringa.
The first rays of sun begin to skim across the frozen landscape in this rural location.
Amish boys bring their wagons to the mud sales and offer assistance to buyers who need to get purchases to their cars from the auction site.The popularity of the mud sales means parking is hard to come by and walking a half mile or more is not unheard of. For me,I get there around 530 in the morning,get the best parking available and then sleep till the sun comes up. The boys make a few dollars off each patron and the english as they are referred too, love to have the boys help, and for many it is their closest interaction with the Amish. Each worker tries to stand out, and customizing their wagons with signs is all part of the fun as shown in the middle image.The bottom photo shows how muddy it usually is and shows the boys hauling practically anything.
As I have said before, the Amish are incredibly aware of their surroundings and capturing images can be a challenge. In this instance at the mud sale,I was practically hidden behind a full skid of wood,and yet as soon as I snapped this shot from forty feet away,he suddenly knew I was there.This was my only image I got without him looking my way.
Yesterday I posted the six boys looking the same direction and after reviewing my images from that day,I realized I had another image of them earlier in the day. This shot stands out in my memory because of the shot I missed right after this one. Whenever I attend events like this were Amish will be attending, I try and lay low below the radar and I try to capture spontaneous moments using long lenses. I snapped this image and immediately looked away to not draw attention to myself but as I glanced back at them I saw the smallest boy had both his thumbs against his cheeks with his hands stretched open and his tongue out as he made the funny face at whoever they were looking at.I no sooner started to lift my camera and he was finished with the show,and I can only imagine the unique shot I would have gotten. The Amish are generally conservative but I do occasionally see glimpses of things that reflect what the rest of the world does and these were just boys being boys.
This is one of those fleeting moments that lasts just long enough to get one shot and then its gone.These six Amish boys were intently looking at an auction item that was being bid on at the mud sale and I had enough time to see the moment,raise the camera and snap one frame till they all lost interest and their attention went all over the place.
Two Amish elders discuss the latest goings on at a mud sale in this light-hearted moment.
flood waters provide an opportunity to catch this reflective scene right around sunset when the evenings chores are getting underway at this Amish farm in Lancaster county,Pa.
These four Amish men join forces to move a newly purchased buggy at the mud sale. The mud made the moving of items extra difficult.
A young Amish man speaks with an elder as they push the buggy through the mud. The buggy needed a good wash and shine after this trek.
An Amish family heads through the rain on the way to the mud sale.Dad and his son seem unfazed by the rain.
These Amish youngsters checks out kids motorcycles at the local mud sales. The boy in the upper photo tried the throttle and nothing happened but his imagination was wondering what it might be like to ride this pint-sized Harley, and the boys in the lower photo seem to have a need for speed as the check a kids road bike.Both cycles are kind of unique at a mud sale but you will see all kinds of stuff there.
This family heads to the mud sale amidst pouring rain and is doing their best to stay dry.
This Amish family arrives at the local mud sale in the rain and everyone quickly gets out so dad can go park the buggy.Pouring rain made this a miserable day but I shot this from the comfort of my truck up the road with a long lens.
These two Amish men talk about the goings on at this years mud sale while they try to stay as dry as possible.
It was so wet at this mud sale these corn shock horses were even wearing rain gear,which made these Amish boys stop and take a look.
Mud sale season is in full swing and this father and four children walk along the snow-covered road together as a pair of buggies pass. This is the first time I remember so much snow when mud sales are happening but the snow did not stay around too long.
This Amish man has a long beard which is worn by many Amish in my area. He was at the mud sale bidding on items.It would take me decades to grow a beard like this.
The sun rises to illuminate this old bridge sitting amid a winter wonderland.
Snow clings to trees on this beautiful winters day in rural Lancaster county ,Pennsylvania.
Snow blankets the landscape in this late winter storm.
This is another image I captured after looking for water collecting in fields this spring. This old mill sits right along the road and with just a short walk down the bank here,I was rewarded with the morning sun creating this lovely reflection in the ice.A barn across the street adds to the composition in this country scene that would make a gorgeous painting.
A small shack sits at the entrance to this snow covered lane.
Donald Reese Photography 