As usual I have no info on this new addition to downtown Lititz but whoever completed this has done an excellent job. Jolly old St Nick was not around this evening so I blasted my flash through the side window to get some interior illumination!

Well I am taking you back to fall again with this local barn I noticed one slightly foggy morning. Thankfully the owner was very friendly and gave me the okay to get these two images. Even the little red barn for the cattle had appeal so I shot it before the frost disappeared. The friendly family dog followed me everywhere I was walking and enjoyed every minute getting attention from me.

This is the parlor at the local Historical society all decked out for Christmas! There is an antique Stereo Viewer and photos resting on the chair in the foreground, and some children’s toys from the era.

I have been a fan of this old farmhouse and barn for decades. When I was around 10 years old my grandpa took me here to cut firewood and I have no clue how he knew the owners but it was a great experience. So as far back as I can remember being a photographer, I remember having an appreciation for the place. The current owners are very friendly and allow me to capture the occasional photo that catches my eye. this was a week ago after the Ginkgo dropped most of it’s leaves. The road you see cuts right through the middle and gets very busy at times but the walls are so thick I don’t think you hear a thing. I would love to see this road when it was just a dirt path going through. You have to be very alert crossing from the house to the barn.

Last week I left work and the sky was starting to get very colorful, so I headed down the back roads looking for a nice farm or subject to include with the gorgeous sky that was unfolding. Well the further I drove the more it faded out until I finally conceded defeat. I headed home and out of feeling like I needed to still shoot something, I stopped here. There is a bridge literally right to my left and the road on the left has a stop sign just out of sight and the road going to the right has no restrictions. So I am off the road behind a guard rail that is right in front of me trying to capture this scene that is getting foggier by the minute. The problem is this is all happening as folks are headed home from work and about every three seconds a car rounds the bend in front of me and ruins the shot. It was interesting to see how fast and close drivers came to the guard rail as they took the curve off the bridge. I could have literally high five’d any passengers going by. Try doing 10 second exposures when the entire world is eager to get home after work!

This is a late season fall shot at a farm that grows apples. Their is a pond down to my left that I hope will work for a winter shot this year.

Well I still have a ton of fall photos to share but here I am starting to Capture Christmas scenes wherever I can find them. Lititz around Christmas time comes to life with the decorating of the shop windows. To be honest I used to share my images with the town Facebook page but then they got a new leader and my “Zest” for sharing my images waned due to way the posting changed. I would like to believe my images were one of the reasons some folks decided to visit there because I certainly received a great response every time I shared. So tonight on a whim I paid the town a visit to decide if I was going to bother and I decided to shoot maybe 4 or 5 of the best ones when I have time. While I was shooting, another photographer walked by and stopped and asked if I might be the guy who shoots Christmas in Lititz? I said yes and we had a brief conversation where she shared she follows my blog and appreciates my work. I appreciate meeting people with an interest in photography and just when I think no one really appreciates my work, someone surprises me with a compliment which is always nice to hear!

Recently I posted a shot of this brewery/restaurant and I got lucky when two things came together. The first was a rainy evening and the second was they are closed on Mondays. The more you look at the details in this place, the more impressive it becomes. From the multiple lamp posts to the black and red inlaid tiles on the sidewalk to the gorgeous painted accents this is an amazing location. They do have accent lighting on many areas but I lit up the entrance, the steps going down and a little on the facade. I feel like the owner may live on the top floor where the room is lit in the middle.

This post is a little different than my normal photography but I wanted to share my experience thus far when it comes to A.I.. Obviously A.I. is here to stay and it is certainly presenting challenges when it comes to artists and creative individuals. I have a subscription to Fotor A.I. and for me it is simply something to use to bring my imagination to life and create anything I can envision in my mind. The problem artists are experiencing is this technology is so good, it can create paintings, photographs,music etc etc and it is quite amazing in what it can do to the point no one knows reality from Computer generated anymore.

The comparison images here were done because my wife and I are participating in a Christmas tree decorating event that is held every two years in an old Iron masters Mansion. 8 years ago I started what has become a very popular destination along the rail trail behind our place. It is known as the Gnome Village and I built numerous buildings revolving around all things Gnome.It has impacted not only kids but adults as well who seem overrun by reality and are looking for a simple escape to just let the imagination roam free. If you are on Facebook, we can be found at Railtrailgnomes. Anyway getting back to the event, I offered to be a participant in this years decorating event and we are doing our display with a Gnome Christmas theme. My wife loves to remind me I always go overboard in creative endeavors and since I have real photos of the mansion and grounds, I decided to use A.I. to create scenes where the gnomes are on location. I simply uploaded this covered bridge photo of mine from the property, add the prompts to direct A.I. what I want to see and in about 10 seconds it creates the second image! I plan to put these images in our display for a bit of humor.

I know we are in uncharted waters with A.I. and there are already amazing breakthroughs in Medicine as an example but lets hope the good will outweigh the bad which there will be plenty of for sure. Another observation I have made is the music that A.I. is creating is simply unbelievable. You take any artist you really like, buy their album and there will always be songs you love and others you can’t get into. One day I listened to maybe three dozen songs in a genre that I like, and out of 36 songs, maybe two didn’t hit the mark. I have no idea how the music A.I. gets created but everything from lyrics to the musical arrangement is stunning. Being the old fart that I am I generally view technology such as the internet, phones etc as being a part of what is making us less social and compassionate as devices demand our total attention. A.I. will most certainly not reverse that trend. Being in my 60s I have seen so many changes from when I grew up till now. I will stop rambling now. Share you thoughts if you like

Fall trees at their peak in the Moravian square in Lititz, PA.

A Small local farm is framed by a red maple on a pleasant autumn afternoon!

I have wanted to try some sort of shot of this old home for a while. I happened by last week and this neighboring property across the street had this maple that was on fire. After a day of work I head here and I parked in the restaurant lot beside the maple and went and asked permission from the homeowner to be on the corner of their yard to do the shot. They graciously agreed and I set up to capture the scene. Now what you don’t see in this image is the homeowners car that was parked right in the middle of the shot at that stone wall. I had high hopes they might move it if I asked nicely but I got a solid no on that question. At this point I was thinking why am I even attempting this but I went through the motions anyway. Got home, downloaded the files and started to work on the image. I was about a minute away from deleting the whole shoot when on a crazy whim I thought I will give Photoshops new A.I. generate feature a try. On the first attempt it got rid of the car , built the wall that was hidden by the car and I just sat and stared in total shock at how incredibly clean it completed the task. the tree was lit by me using flash as well as the shine on the driveway. By looking at my photo you would have no clue that dozens upon dozens of cars were flying by here on their commute home. Its not too bad when your exposure is like a quarter second but when you start doing 8 and 10 second exposures, you get halfway and here come the headlights! Often when a car comes mid exposure i will block the lens with my hand and then move it when the car is gone.

I happened to take a right turn in this town and happened upon this striking old building Bathed in sunlight and dark ominous clouds. I really hope to get back here on a rainy day and get those lamp posts shimmering in the wet pavement.

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This rail trail path is one I drove by and happened to notice the bright fall foliage. I was here maybe 5 minutes when I started hearing something in the distance. Well it wasn’t very long till I saw a township employee heading toward me clearing the leaves with a backpack blower.

This location is a state run historic site that thankfully had a nice mix of leaves on the trees and leaves on the ground. The fence adds to the scene but I am at a loss to say what style of fence this is called?

This big old Ginkgo Always puts on a beautiful display in autumn and his little buddy the Japanese Red Maple is there to add his accent to the scene. This is located right beside a busy road and every year I wonder what percent of passersby even notice its spectacular fall color? It could probably use some pruning down low but the growth helps hide the neighboring house behind it.

Two Shots, One Close and one wider of this lovely fall farm scene.

It’s a shame all these pumpkins go to waste every October in Lancaster county. I guess its a combination of more pumpkins than there is demand, and keeping prices higher to get more bang for your selection. I guess it is easier to bring in a wagon load to sell at 5 dollars a pop than it is to bring 5 wagon loads in at a dollar a pop.

Went out looking for fall foliage and ended up turning into a neighborhood full of nice homes. For whatever reason this home gave me a Castle vibe.

The Japanese maple offers a lot of bang for the buck in fall as it turns a fiery red. I have seen some with gold, red and brown mixed which are pretty as well. I thought between the tree and the nice barn, we had a winner.

Actually just over the creek.

Always surprises me to see these Azaleas Blooming at the same time fall color is happening

Large pots of colorful Mums Sit waiting for fall decorating enthusiasts.

A Light mist adds to the appeal of this soft colorful patch of fall flowers.