Monthly Archives: October 2023

Family Harvest

Posted by reesephoto on

These freshly loaded round bales are heading to the barn for storage. Dad is at the wheel while his two young sons are to the right on the fender learning the ropes. The harvester in the background was not a luck thing because I put myself in the right spot and waited for the two to converge in one shot. Farm kids learn early on about having a good work ethic and I never question the parents personal decisions on safety related activities, but if one of those boys slides off, that steel wheel tractor ain’t stopping in time! We have had several kids here in Lancaster county this year crushed under wagon wheels and they did not survive!

The Rumspringa Express!

Posted by reesephoto on

I mentioned previously that after the Amish girl Linda Stoltzfoos was abducted and murdered that I found I was affected by it so much I had no desire to go out shooting. Well I still do not shoot like I used too but I still enjoy documenting Lancaster county Amish life and our agricultural landscape. In case you don’t know the term Rumspringa , my understanding is it is a period in Amish teen years were they kind of are allowed to experience the trappings of the world with little repercussions from the elders. Beer drinking, parties etc are common events during this time. I am not sure you would say this shot represents Rumspringa but it’s not every day I get the finger from a wagon full of Amish teens, much less the one on the right giving me the loser salute! I remember years ago a Police officer told me he got a call from someone complaining about loud partying at a farm next door and the officer told me as he drove down the lane he noticed movement on the barn roof and upon shining his spotlight he witnessed half a dozen Amish girls without a stitch of clothing on. Now that is some serious Rumspringa right there.

My Hunch Paid Off!

Posted by reesephoto on

This is an Amish farm stand that has pick your own flowers but you can barely see them from the two roads that run behind the barn. I got a small glimpse and made up my mind I would ask permission to walk down here. The Amish can be quite reserved at times so you never know what answer you may get but to my surprise they were more than happy to let me wander. Even though the barn is not going to win any barn competitions, the flowers made it worth the effort! In the end I gave them a large matted and framed print and it was like they hit the lottery when they saw it.

Sanctuary in the Storm

Posted by reesephoto on

I was out getting photos of barns for a local Historical society tour book being produced when thunderstorms moved in and due to the rain persisting for a while I decided to head home for the evening. Halfway home I was passing this local church and two things caught my attention. The first thing I noticed was the rain had stopped, and even better the lightning seemed to be staying in the same area and was barely moving which was somewhat unusual. Lightning is serious business so even though getting out of my truck for two minutes to set the tripod and camera up is not very long, there is a little voice saying that was close!

After setting up, then I can safely fire the camera remotely from my vehicle. What made this storm special was how it barely moved over at least a 45 minute period. After deciding where to aim my camera, I started with 4 second exposures and was not having great success catching more than a single bolt on a frame so I lengthened it to 15 seconds per shot and the image here was my best. I literally had just hit the remote shutter button and I watched as the three bolts over the church flashed almost simultaneously and then the other two bolts happened farther into the exposure. I had a single blast I caught later that was so intense I could not salvage any detail due to overexposure. Best lightning conditions I ever shot under!

A Storm to Remember

Posted by reesephoto on

This storm was a month or two ago and it was a doozie. I was in Amish country when an alert came across the radio warning about the storm I was watching approaching on the horizon. The closer it got, the wilder the clouds were and they literally rolled like waves across the sky! I would look for a farm, wait for the clouds, shoot and then tear down the back roads trying to keep ahead to get another shot and repeat. I finally got done in by roads going the wrong direction. The middle photo is after the first wave came through and the last is 5 minutes later just as they were getting home!