Well it is the time of year I simply love taking photos of all things Christmas related, and the coming weeks will feature scenes from a holiday tree event as well as scenes from Lititz ,Pa and shop windows there. This is the first shot featuring two bears riding in a very nice miniature sleigh as they head through some deep snow at the mansion tree event.
I went to an event last friday evening thinking I was going to get to photograph the most stunning Russian sleigh I have ever seen, but it turned out they put it inside to protect it,which makes sense,so a shot was not possible. Anyway,I left there kind of dejected about it and on the way home I passed this little scene and decided to do a shot here. Well I knocked and asked if they minded and they were fine with it,so I asked them to turn on some interior lights and they obliged. After getting so far with it,I wished the church lights were on,and so I knocked again and it turns out it was the youth pastor living here and he offered to make my wish come true. The only thing he could not do was get the large stained glass window lit,so in frustration I shined my bright flashlight on it and amazingly got it to show its color. I would not have guessed it would work but thank goodness I tried.
Take a real foggy night,add a very bright flashlight and you can have loads of fun light painting.It is quite amazing how you can create rays of light if you have enough fog and the right angle with your light.Wish I had more nights to play in the fog. The three lit trees are the proud trio.
Downtown Lititz is all ready to greet Christmas shoppers.The trees are set,lights added and music fills the air.
A Lancaster county B&B is framed by lovely autumn color.
Days like this are perfect for taking a walk or cozying up by the fireplace with a mug of warm mulled apple cider. The warm interior lights beckon you to come inside and relax. A light fog adds to the atmosphere and fallen leaves signal the changing of seasons.
This old ivy covered tree caught my eye as I drove by, so I came back in the evening, asked permission to go in the yard and then lit it with my flash.The owner was an elderly lady and she could not figure out why anyone would want to photograph the tree? I am pleased with the result I got with a few pops of the flash,and I thought the contrast of the green ivy and fall foliage made a nice scene.
The mature old tree on the right is bare and the Ginko across the pond is at peak color.Wont be too long till snowflakes start to fly.
Never understood why there are two one room schools side by side here,but it makes a nice image and the fall tree adds a touch of color to round out the shot.
This dilapidated gazebo sits beside a creek and looks like the perfect place to sip hot chocolate on a cool fall evening. Reality is no one ever uses it or appreciates what they have here.One day it will collapse into the creek and wash away. I think about the hundreds of people who drive by here every day and never see the beauty thats right in front of them.
This image was a quick grab shot while I was shooting fall foliage. I noticed this boy and his grandfather looking around the fallen leaves and I was not sure what they were doing but I mostly ignored them as I was photographing the Ginko leaves here. I turned around and saw they were near the water, so I got my camera ready and captured this intimate scene. To be honest I never even knew they made a small leaf boat to set sail till I was reviewing my images at home. I wish I had asked for their contact info to share this with them.
This is my latest creation for our gnome village that sits along the rail trail behind our place. I spent the last two months whenever I had free time building this chapel. My wife painted the glass windows and the sign and I built the rest. It has speakers underneath to play music and has been very well received by those walking the trail.The little gnome couple by the door got married this week inside the chapel.
A great blue heron takes in the fall color while hunting for lunch.
This small building is in a county park and it might just be some sort of utility building but it has a lovely style that is most certainly more than was needed but it is pleasing to the eye and hats off to whoever went the extra mile.
This curving stream is starting to fill with fallen leaves as autumn marches on.
When it comes to fall color,the Ginko tree is hard to beat. One thing I have come to realize about the Ginko is that if you see it in full color, shoot it immediately or you might miss it. Case in point was one of these trees I saw almost at peak color on a friday evening and by monday morning every leaf was down on the ground.It has some sort of crazy mechanism that signals every leaf to drop at the same time, unlike every other tree I know of.This shot shows the freshly fallen Ginko leaves at a park.The leaves are a fan-like shape and vary from leaf to leaf.
A steady supply of fallen leaves flows through this stream marking another season of life.
This is the same place I posted the other day,but this was shot at dusk for a more alive feel. To shoot this image I started with a base exposure before it got dark,then I started to light the various aspects of the shot with flash. This home used to be a neutral tone and the owner had asked me to try another shot since he had painted it this more intense hue.I finally decided to give it another go after I saw the carpet of leaves surrounding the place. At one point the lady of the house came out and I mentioned that turning some lights on would give it a much more inviting feel and much to my surprise she went and turned on every room light,which looked awesome.One complication I had to deal with was the doggone street lights came on halfway into the shoot and totally complicated things but I pulled it off despite that.
Fall has come to the rail trail behind our house,and a lone bike rider takes it all in.
This local yard was bursting with fall color recently. Better get the rake ready.
It seems every year I drive by this place at just the right time.This year was no exception.
I think this is a field of soybeans being harvested,and he is taking 7 rows at a time.
A nice set of fall trees compliments the red barn and white fence.
I wonder where this peaceful path leads?
Have not had my normal desire to go out shooting due to trying some new medicine the last month,so I apologize for not being on top of my game photographically speaking. Captured this rainy scene yesterday as fall quickly begins to fade.
Donald Reese Photography 