This home has been decorated for fall and the owners have really put some time into it. The multi colored lights, 15 foot skeleton and ghosts flittering about in the trees makes for an eye catching presentation that is more of a treat to look at than a trick.
This is my favorite time of the year and the last couple weeks have me running all over trying to capture what I can before the leaves are gone and Winter sets in. Fall for me is a time where the chill in the air invigorates the soul and colors transform for one last dazzling show of the season. Its taking a walk on a blustery day with leaves crunching under your feet and perhaps a warm cup of apple cider or hot chocolate to take the chill off. This shot is a good example of finding beauty if you look hard enough, it is at the end of a school parking lot but looking west toward the setting sun provided a glorious backlit shot.
This lovely farm and the daylilies that border the fence made a serene combination for this summer evening photo. I was also highly frustrated by the two horses who kept coming up to the fence blocking my view of the barns. They would stand with their back ends in my shot but not their heads. Every time the camera fired they would either become very attentive or just take off in a mad dash. I did miss a great silhouette shot of the one horse kicking his rear feet out to tell the other one to back off. I tried my best to horse whisper them into a good position but this is as close as I got.
This image captures one ladies love of color and gardening. I drove past here and was amazed at the sea of color flowing down from the porch to the sidewalk below and believe it or not it was much more impressive one week earlier but still very nice when I found time to shoot it. It is in a tough spot to capture with limited places to set up and shoot but I am satisfied with the result.
A second image from the local park includes lighted lamp posts providing some warm light on an otherwise rainy and blustery fall evening!
I recently did a photo to recognize a local scout who completed his Eagle Scout project. The young man laid a new paver path, made many improvements and fixed a variety of issues that time and the elements had affected at this place known as the Grotto. I honestly know very little about the Catholic faith or for that matter what exactly the purpose of the Grotto is? My impression is it’s a place to pray, find peace and practice your faith? This is located on Catholic Church property and is really off the beaten path. It is under heavy mature trees and believe me when the sun went down it got extremely dark real quick. My idea was to light the scene and create a kind of outward illumination emanating from the central figure of Mary? I do know that this young mans eagle scout project was greatly appreciated by many people.
I am certainly slowing down when it comes to shooting, but I still thoroughly enjoy capturing new images. This photograph was taken a few days ago in our local park which year after year never seems to disappoint in it’s display of autumn color. This park is very popular and I even played little league baseball here almost 50 years ago. Not sure if I ever told this story before but down the slope on the right is a pond and when I was in my early teens a bunch of my friends and I were sledding here. It was getting late and to be funny I pushed my friends sled toward the frozen pond so he would have to take a long walk to get it back! The entire pond was frozen except one 10 foot circle of open water at the edge where a spring fed in. Guess where the sled went? It went in and sank like a rock and I cannot remember how but my dad found out what happened the same day, so he loaded me up in the car to go retrieve the sled from the frozen pond! He stood there and ordered me to start walking in till I felt the sled! I think I was about waist deep and crying like a baby because all I could imagine was getting caught under the ice and dying. Needless to say we did not get the sled but my dad drove me to the store to buy a new one and deliver it to my friend’s front door the same night! I can tell you I never did that again!
Donald Reese Photography 