An Amish buggy makes it way home after a fresh winter storm. No need to rush, just soak it all in.

Another image from the Christmas decorating event I participated in this year. This display was done by a local doll club. Their is a little Dog in front of the fireplace that has been in their scenes for over ten years and it’s like seeing an old friend each time. He has managed to maintain his youthful physique all these years though.

This is a private retirement home in a nearby town. I have been here for work a few times and it always feels like a home away from home. This snow just seemed to compliment the whole vibe you get here.

Believe it or not what you are basically looking at is a parking lot covered by an overnight Winter storm that dropped 4-6 inches and coated everything in fluffy powder. The park entrance comes in to the left straight in front of me and everything behind the big tree is parking lot. I was blessed with a quiet Sunday morning, very little wind and next to no one to interrupt me! That is until about twenty minutes after shooting this when a crew came through and quite literally stopped their big old pickup dead center between the two trees. They got out, noticed me shooting that direction and kind of chuckled as if to say “sorry dude,we got snow to clear”. I knew they had every right to park where they did to do their job and the one guy asked should we move the truck? I said no need. I had gotten several decent shots before their arrival so I was already quite satisfied with the morning. The park itself was named in honor of a gentleman named Tom Grater who was very active in the local recreation center for years and who I personally interacted with as a young boy. He had a very down to earth way of communicating with kids and was always trying to steer them in the right direction.

This is another image taken during the recent snowstorm that wrapped up on a Sunday morning. Thanks to the timing of that storm I found myself basically alone to shoot several scenes of this local downtown decked out for the holidays. I always like having time to do what I want, when I want without complications and that might possibly come from being an only child! When I was young my parents would have fights and the talk of divorce was spoken out loud frequently and became a very real fear that occupied a lot of my mind. Those days of my youth were indelibly burned into my mind,not knowing where I would end up or what might unfold and that is still etched in my memory almost 50 plus years later. To their credit they somehow managed to reconcile their issues, but whenever I see a child who has to deal with the finality of divorce, I remember vividly how it affected me even though my parents stayed together, so I have much empathy for those kids. Now back on track, My wife loves to come up with things to do when I take vacation but those ideas are usually not well received. For some reason I count the days till going back to work and when someone suggests using a day for whatever unplanned idea they have, it usually ends up with me getting irritated and dwelling on the vacation getting shorter? These moments out in the elements and the gift of being able to see and capture the beauty is something I need to express my gratitude for the blessings I have been given more often! Any psychoanalysts out there who have a hypothesis for my strange vacation reasoning?

I recently mentioned that we were participating in what is known as The Ironmaster’s Christmas event where the mansion gets decorated with trees done by a variety of individuals and groups. Last year I wanted to photograph this wagon so I offered to help decorate it. This year it seems I was somehow voted on to do it again. This is what me and my wife came up with and to my delight it snowed while it was decorated. The Gruber Wagon Works is a National Historical Landmark located at the Berks County Heritage Center. This thing is solid and well made.

Christmas Eve we had a family get together at my brother in laws house and while I wish this was his home, it unfortunately is not! My wife suggested we take her parents along because her fathers night vision is not so hot and when he does drive I am praying he stays in the slow lane because there is usually someone road raging a few feet off his bumper in the passing lane. Anyway I digress back to the Christmas Eve get together and the evening was winding up, so as we go to leave I say anyone up for Christmas lights? The in-laws said sure and I proceeded to head to a beautiful neighborhood I had driven through in the past and the combination of Gorgeous homes and Classy decor made for a lovely evening drive. This particular home was one my mother in law really had high praise for and I was impressed as well so I went back Christmas night and captured it. The four lanterns at the entrance was an element I wanted to emphasize so the wide angle allowed them to show prominently in the composition. There are more lights than shown here but the lanterns added that extra touch. The owner did swing by to ask what’s up and I said just capturing Christmas scenes and he was understanding and it all worked out. The more I looked at this place, it suddenly dawned on me that I had shot this place 15-20 years ago but trying to find that shot is not going to happen. That might be going back to the days of film? Snow would have been the added piece de resistance but someday maybe!

I passed this scene in a local town during the day and decided to make a return trip that evening. I shot both these images the same evening and the bottom image was no problem but when I crossed the road to get the wider shot, I knew it was going to be a challenge. This Church is along a major highway with heavy traffic a good part of the day. Add to that there is a second road coming out on the right. So to offer a glimpse into my setup, first my tripod gets setup across the street with my camera and my Camranger wifi box attached to it and also the flash signal sender. I am across the street moving around the Church with my flash and my tablet which controls all my camera settings. I can set shutter speed, white balance, f-stop, bracketing etc. So I set everything on my tablet which sends a wifi signal telling my camera what I want things set at. Now I simply aim the flash where I want extra light, hit the fire button on my tablet which fires the shutter which in turn fires the flash trigger on my camera and my flash fires at the exact moment the camera fires. I lit the steeple, the tree, the front and side, all while trying to aim the flash properly, and also glance at my camera to make sure there is an opening so a car is not directly in front of the camera as it fires. It may sound complicated but it is not and it expands what you are able to do by being at your subject and not your camera.

Merry Christmas to all that follow or visit my site, I appreciate your interest!

This series of images capture a downtown business as it is decked out in a fresh blanket of snow. When I say the perfect storm, what I mean is to be able to get these shots, it took the right combination of circumstances to come together. The snow began falling on a Saturday afternoon and was supposed to continue all night into early Sunday so I had a destination in mind and left the house at 5am. As I was driving to my chosen spot which was actually yesterdays photo location, I came into the square of this town and just couldn’t pass up the shots I saw there. The snow was still coming down so out came the golf umbrella and I hit the ground running. The second key to success was it being Sunday morning and the whole world was snoozing peacefully in their warm beds while I kept thinking this is awesome being out here all by myself. No walkers, no snowblowers or snow removal crews as far as the eye could see! At one point the wind picked up and Snow blew in my lens, which I quickly wiped off but without realizing it I left a fine smudge which caused some of the street lights to flare. At one point I was shooting in the middle of the normally busy street with my tripod because it was so quiet! I played around for an hour and a half in the pristine landscape thinking how everything came together in this unique moment. You could see this repeat itself in two weeks or not for the next 50 years and that is part of what makes the photographic journey worthwhile!

This is an old Iron Furnace production site that has been transformed into a community park. It is called Poole Forge and this old home was in bad shape until a serious effort at restoring it was made. This bridge is a recent addition and it was all decked out in Christmas lights for the semi annual Christmas at the Ironmasters event which I also had a display at this year! We were blessed to have a decent snowstorm drop 4-6 inches during the show which was awesome! This image was actually taken a little later than I would have liked because the light was really fading which meant the balance was off and contrast was rearing its ugly head. The lights on the bridge were flaring due to the longer exposure which would have been avoided had I attempted this shot a half hour earlier. There is a point when shooting subjects like this that the ambient light balances with the Christmas lights but it doesn’t last long. To see for yourself, set up a tripod before dusk and shoot a series of bracketed exposures every few minutes. You will start out barely noticing the Lights, then slowly but surely the ambient light will start to dim and as it does the bulbs effectively become brighter to the point where the exposure for them and the exposure for the available light is balanced!

This red barn caught my eye from a Ridge I was driving on because the sun was shining on it. The only problem was the sun completely disappeared before I made it there. I knocked and got permission to get a shot and this was the best I could muster! The way the trees and bushes were positioned prevented me from finding a view that included the whole barn with any nice views of the snow.

This Winter storm seemed to slip in under my radar but thank goodness my internal clock was at peak performance so I didn’t miss it. I usually ask my wife to set her phone alarm when I am going out on these early morning adventures but for whatever reason her phone is not playing by the rules! I don’t know how other people operate but I rarely get let down by my built in clock, and the last two times I requested a wake up call, the phone never went off! I asked for a 5 am alarm and the first time I woke up at 4:58 and most recently at 5:03 so that’s pretty good in my book!

This particular storm only dropped around 5 inches but it was very clingy and it fell overnight leading into a Sunday morning. I was actually headed to another location but as I drove up main street in this local town I was struck by how pristine and quiet everything was. It’s a little rare to find untouched sidewalks, next to zero cars driving by and the parking spots empty. I roamed around for 2 hours only seeing the occasional walker go by and captured what I could while it lasted! It was still snowing for the first hour so I had to use an umbrella to keep the lens clean but it finally stopped which allowed much quicker composing and what not. This scene captures the local downtown bank which serves as the location of the town Christmas tree. You only see a part of the front which was designed by the talented C.Emlen Urban, an architect from Lancaster county who designed over 100 buildings from the 1890s to the 1920s.

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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