This is the first image I did of this Victorian masterpiece and if you look closely you can see the shadow of the ornate iron fence revealed on the roadway in front. That shadow is the result of multiple attempts with my flash to backlight the fence and cast that shadow. I finally got the right flash height to reveal the rounded design detail of the fence on the road!

The old building on the left is a popular local restaurant and the scene on the right is decor on a private home that once served as a bank!

These two scenes are from one store with the entrance being between them. Top is on your left, bottom on your right.

This old pickup was parked at the entrance to the town park and was set up to allow anyone passing by to climb on back for family photos! Thats small town charm right there!

This private porch caught my eye while walking through Lititz. I got permission and got right on it. The only thing I might mention is the reflection of the deer and Christmas ornaments. When I set my camera up I noticed the light reflecting off a few wet spots on the porch so my wheels started turning and I decided a few bottles of spring water might help get the job done and thats how that was done. I did have to wipe up after I was done but I like the result.

This Historic Inn is called The Smithton Inn and is located in Lancaster County, Pa. It is a bed and breakfast that really feels like your home away from home. The owners inquired if I might have time to capture it in it’s Holiday best and I said all I could do was keep it on my radar. Well days kept slipping by and although I wanted snow, that was not in the cards this year so I knew there was a day coming up that was calling for rain all day! I should have taken a picture of my camera setup that was needed to pull this shot off. First it was very cold and raw with constant rain blowing in 20-30 mph winds. I set my tripod fairly low to get the reflection and then had to set another heavy bag against the tripod with an umbrella on top that got velcroed tight to my tripod, and then finally another bag with weights in it hung on the tripod to keep everything from moving! That umbrella bounced around violently but all the images were in register so the weight kept it rock solid.

To look at the shot you would think that no cars were on the road, but there is a stop light just to the right and it was right at rush hour so I would watch the light go green , pray all cars would get through and then shoot as many frames as I could till the next line of cars blocked my view. A couple times I sat through three light cycles till I had a clear view. The other issue is shooting 6 and 10 second exposures that basically eat up the only segment of time with no cars, so one shot and wait. Till I was done I was soaked and my hands were screaming from the cold because it is problematic wearing gloves, operating my tablet and carrying a large flash all at the same time.

Well I kind of ran into a wall posting my Christmas photos on time. All I can say is my old nemesis depression showed up and left me with a combination state of sad, miserable and weary of the world essentially, so anyone dealing with the same thing know you are not alone! This old Victorian was a bright spot for me as the year drew to a close. I do have a shot from the week before that I will share in the next week or so as well.

I left home 12 miles away in the rain which is why I headed here in the first place to get a reflection, but when I arrived I was greeted with the remnants of a light snow that had yet to be shoveled from the sidewalk! I could not find a parking place so I asked the owner if there was any chance I could park in his large driveway? He said no problem, which I needed because the light was dropping fast. I set up and waited for the light to balance out and I began shooting. One technique I have found to help get the results I want is to hit the subject with a bright burst of flash and in turn you get a more detailed reflection in the road that appears. Almost everything reflected in the road to the left of the round corner turret with the green lights is thanks to adding light to the house. Hope everyone has a wonderful 2023! Oh and the sidewalk crew showed up just as I finished so I was grateful for that!