These two photos were taken minutes apart but I wanted to show the difference between letting the sun blast you directly or what it looks like when you move to use something as a shield, in this case it was the chimney of the house. The sun was starting to move out of the smoke and was getting harder to look at by the minute, so I moved in 20 feet and voila the sun is now more manageable. My biggest gripe when the sun is included is the flare that starts showing up with different lenses. If you look at the driveway in the top shot, you can see a blob of glare that I don’t care for plus the flare hides detail.

This was taken on a recent frosty morning and what caught my eye initially from a mile or so away was the way the smoke was rising to a certain height and then no farther? I thought there must be some sort of temperature deviation that was locking it in at a certain elevation but who knows. As I reached this spot and glanced over to see the subdued sun through the smoke, I pulled over and hit the ground running before the moment disappeared! I kept snapping various angles as things would fade into the mist and then reappear. I hope to post a couple other views coming up, but I can tell you this image is one I love the way everything came together.

This snow shot was jazzed up by using my flash to up light the gazebo to produce beams of light in the humid air.

I think each version has its own merits but I am leaning toward the black and white version?  This was a very foggy morning and I knew there was a horse off in the distance that I hoped would come to the fence. He eventually did but never gave me a full profile and I was sure two more steps forward and I would have nailed it, but of course he turned his head down and to the right as he moved so this was the best I could get. The rays were even more distinct than they appear here and they were going out in all directions.

Sometimes even I question my sanity when it comes to getting a shot I envision. Me and my buddy used to say we just like to hear the shutter click sometimes and this reminds me of an example of that. I was heading home from work and the sky was getting better by the minute so I started down back roads to see what I could find. So I see this wet section on the road ahead and for some reason I felt this is it and I just had to record this. I had to park about a hundred yards away and till I got here and set up, the sky was nothing by a dark mass. I was optimistic it would get better so I settled in for the duration.

Now I come to the reality that I literally need to have my tripod at the edge of the road to get the color and reflection to show and with my tripod as low as it goes, the legs extend almost 2 feet out from the camera position. When I first set up, it was very light out and my genius plan was to stand right beside my tripod at the edge of the road so cars would give me a wide berth because it appeared I was ready to cross the street to the house. Everything is going great and everyone is going wide as they pass, but then I start to notice its getting darker and cars are seemingly getting closer. Right about then I hear this pickup truck thundering down the road in my direction and I stay put and he never so much as blinked an eye as he passed me about 2 feet or less. I was thinking the guy was trying to send a message, but then I looked at my attire and I had on dark blue jeans, a black sweatshirt and brown hat and I realized he never even knew I was there. The red streaks are his tail lights as he blew by me. The sky did in fact get better but I keep asking myself why so risky for this so-so image?

This is another shot I took on Christmas Eve and it includes the Lititz Springs Park Christmas tree and the building on the right is the former Wilbur Chocolate plant that has been transformed into higher end condos and off on the left is a brand new condo under construction. Reflection courtesy of a big puddle.

The sun sinks low on the horizon offering one last touch of warm light amidst the cold blue landscape. I remember this evening well because it was out in farm country and a few farms occupied most of the area. As soon as I pulled to the side of the road near a farm lane, here comes a big tractor out the lane, so I moved my truck to be along the road in a ditch basically and sure enough the tractor turns around. So I think to myself that was bizarre and I begin to set up my tripod. There is a house just to the left of this shot and as I am snapping photos, I hear a gunshot, a slight pause then another, and finally after three shots it stopped. I have no idea if this was an attempt to intimidate me to leave or just another idiot shooting at something that moved? How about that catchy title folks?

This image was taken during the areas only real snowstorm so far this Winter. It was one of those days where you are at work, the storm is already making travel dangerous and it is expected to dump 12-18 inches. You start to notice fewer and fewer cars driving by outside and thoughts of will I make it home begin to creep in. Finally the boss calls it and everyone prays they get home safely. I consider myself fairly well prepared if I get stuck and despite being worried about the ones that have no clue in the snow, I made my way home just fine. Then after sitting at home 5 minutes, I decided this might be one of those nights I might have the whole area to myself to photograph and so I loaded up and off I went.

It is hard to tell from this shot but the road to the right is actually a decently steep hill that can test your skill in weather like this. I parked on the opposite side and no sooner got out when this little tuner type car with tires as smooth as a bowling ball started up the hill. As soon as the incline started he was sitting still and he thought the faster he spins his tires, the better off he was?  He tried numerous times and he was making me nervous how he was fish tailing near my vehicle. To my amazement, he persisted with the pedal to the floor technique and inch by inch he conquered that hill!  Who knows what else he did to that car mechanically speaking that night.

This picture looks nice and calm but it was hard driving sleet straight into the camera while I shot this using an umbrella as a pitiful means of defense . I love nights like this when it seems the whole world is happily hiding inside while I am out taking in all the beauty of the storm!

Since I lead a fairly mundane existence, I decided to head out and do a shot on New Years Eve. Traffic was fairly light but when you are doing exposures ranging from 2 to 8 seconds, that is plenty of time for cars to ruin many shots. This is the emptiest I think I have ever seen the main street and not a single car parked anywhere. I went to bed at 11pm, only to be woken at midnight by a barrage of gunfire that lasted till almost 12:30? It was so ridiculous that I moved my vehicle into the garage because all those projectiles are coming down somewhere!