Some Amish visitors enjoy watching a threshing demonstration at farm days.

The men were offering advice on how to get this tractor started at farm days.

Hooking up the steam engine to run the saws at farm days.

The baby of the family is not sure about the parade he is about to take part in.

The boys were enjoying dreaming of driving these tractors that were on display at farm days.

This young horse hung real close to the others during the parade at farm days.

A third angle of the team of horses and Conestoga wagon.

Another shot of the Conestoga wagon at farm days.

I should have just deleted this shot because it is so grainy from being shot in extreme conditions but it did amaze me how much dynamic range was able to be captured in one exposure from bright sun to black clothing.

A rainy night helps capture the reflecting lights in the roadway.

Late afternoon light skims across the corn field and finding a high vantage point allowed me to look directly down the rows.

I went on my first visit to Big Spring farm in New Holland,Pa for two days of exhibits and live demonstrations of traditional threshing and harvesting methods using restored antique and vintage tools.There was hay making,threshing and countless displays that offered a glimpse into the past.The image above was one I was hoping to get all day, and amazingly I somehow got drafted to shoot it. It includes a gorgeous Conestoga wagon that was part of a wagon and tractor parade held during the event and the team of horses was equally impressive. It was packed all day long and people were walking everywhere,so even if I was lucky enough to see the wagon in the right spot,there was always a million people walking in the shot.

The end of the day came and it was really thinning out and I noticed they were hitching up the horses,so I just hung close to see what was going on. Turns out they wanted a shot with the wagon and the old log cabin and I assume since they saw me with a decent camera,that is why they asked if I would do a shot? Of course I was all over that opportunity and we tried several angles and locations and this was one of my favorites.The poor Mennonite girl driving the wagon was getting frustrated with me because it was cloudy all day until of course the time came to shoot this. Clouds were overhead but they refused to block the sun and I kept saying just one minute,just one more minute.Even without the soft light,I was pleased with the shots and the opportunity to shoot this without all the junk around.I even asked one guy to move his truck for this,but if you want something nice,you do what it takes sometimes.

These Amish boys were  fooling around on their scooters when I stopped to grab a quick shot and then they all darted off in a blaze of glory.This is the only shot I got and the dude looking back at me has the look of a model to me.

I found this curving road that has nice side light early in the morning but I have not quite come up with the perfect composition yet. I shot this last Sunday and these two buggies were all that came by in two hours time.I found that by putting my tripod on my truck roof,I was able to see the meandering fence better than at ground level. I tried the same spot a week ago and had some really cool buggies go by but I had pre-focused too close and everyone was blurry which really frustrated me.

The Old Country Store in Intercourse,Pa has a cute little window display with clothes on a wash line and an Amish scooter

This hot air balloon was carrying tourists over the countryside in Lancaster county and as it cruised by one of my favorite farms,I was able to get a nice tight shot with a long lens.

Rows of tobacco create interesting patterns in the fields of Lancaster county.

Not much of a  shot other than the beam of light aiming down toward the farm.It was literally the only hole in the sky that light could get through and it was impressive.

Two guys and three girls are aboard the lavender express heading out of Strasburg,Pa. Wonder who the odd lady out is going to be?

These two Amish families pass each other on a recent Sunday morning on a stretch of road I find appealing. The red barn was recently painted the rich red and offers a nice background for the shot. The horse on the left has some strange contraption over his eyes that I have never seen before.

I took these two images last week during a downpour near Intercourse,Pa. I had been shooting late in the day in the rain and all of a sudden here comes this family with a full complement of umbrellas overhead as they head for home. It was incredibly dark when I took this and I had to crank the iso way up to get a shutter speed fast enough to avoid blur. The second image shows a friendly wave and smile from a couple of them as they made the best of traveling in a downpour.

I never even saw the boy peeking out from the buggy as the group of girls gather to welcome the youngest addition to the family.He seems very intent on listening to what the topic of discussion is.

The sun cast these long shadows across the fog this morning in Amish country.

Dramatic clouds dominate the landscape in this Lancaster county scene that I shot right before sunset.

This set of three shots illustrates how well these horses listen to their Amish owner. I stopped to photograph them because they were starting to line up in a pleasing composition and the background was nice as well with the harvested wheat stacked up, when all of a sudden their heads pop up and they all look across the field with great attention. About two hundred yards away, I could see the farmer looking our way and although I heard nothing,they obviously did and just like that they all made a beeline to the barn. Not sure if the farmer just doesn’t like his horses photographed or perhaps it was feeding time,but whatever he did put a stop to my little photo session.

Ominous skies warn of an impending storm in this rural scene.

I was out looking for photos after it had rained one evening and I decided to shoot this quaint little church,which is in my home town. I set my tripod up in the middle of the street to get a view of the front when it started to pour after only taking about three shots, so I had to pack it in and as I pulled out in my truck I decided to turn around in the back parking lot and I was greeted by this awesome reflection so I set up again.This time I dug my umbrella out to battle the pouring rain again and as soon as I found the composition,the rain came to an abrupt halt and I had about two minutes to get the shot till the water ran off the lot and no more reflection was visible.Street lights added the extra warmth on the back wall.I have always liked this church because it reminds me of the ones I saw in New England years ago.