Recently I shared the story of the Mennonite boy I crossed paths with riding home from school. Well this is where he lives and where his parents allowed me to shoot their flower garden. The sun setting on the left was pure luck but I am pleased with my result as it balances nicely composition wise. This was just on the edge of getting hit by frost and a week later they were toast!
The inside of one of Lancaster Counties numerous covered bridges and on the outside some colorful fall foliage around a small old building awaits anyone strolling through! This was shot on a tripod with one exposure capturing the dark interior and a second exposure capturing the bright exterior. An overcast day would possibly allow a single shot to capture the dynamic range of both inside and out but there usually is some part that just falls apart in deep shadows or bright highlights. As a side note, I actually got permission like 10 or 15 years ago to string Christmas lights up on the exterior roof edge, but that was when I was young and nimble. It drew a lot of people to see the lit bridge. I still have huge totes full of icicle lights I purchased to do that. Just another fond memory of my many endeavors to do something special with my photography. I should write a book detailing my adventures including a few times I almost paid the price for what I will call my momentary loss of common sense..
This is a rather unique sight for Lancaster County and reminded me of the Budweiser Clydesdale team. The group was very friendly and waved as they passed by. One thing I could not figure out was they had a lone car tire hanging off the back?
This giant harvester is on the move on the back roads of Lancaster county and the horse pulling the buggy is not exactly happy with having to share the road!
This sunflower field was great but there was nothing to include when looking into the heads so I shot them from the rear so I could include the small farmette.
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!
Approaching storm.
This crew of Amish kids were headed out for a day of fishing, but I thought it was interesting how the two runners are in the exact same position!
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.
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.
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!
An Amish girl lets her little brother hang onto the basket giving him the impression he is in control.
It’s not every day you see a golf cart full of Amish tearing up the field, but the only thing I could think of was they forgot the clubs back at the buggy and their tee time was only minutes away. They could also use new golf shoes in my opinion!
This was a gorgeous field of flowers that the family that lives here told me was clover? I missed the reason it was here but I thought they mentioned it was simply something planted between regular crops? Whatever the reason I am glad I happened upon it and got to capture it! The complementary blue sky rounds out the shot.
This adorable Amish boy complete with his colorful blue shirt and straw hat sits back and takes in the beauty of a slow meandering scooter ride while his Grandma keeps her eyes on the road ahead..
An Amish clothes line provides a colorful backdrop to the families flower garden.
Amish family siblings set out along a back road in Lancaster County wearing a lovely shade of purple. I really have no idea why they dress alike or how they decide on the colors but I cannot recall ever seeing a family wearing different colors while out as a family. Maybe it basically is to conform and not be so worldly by expressing to much individuality?
This is the Hunsecker’s Mill covered bridge in Lancaster county and it is the longest single span bridge in the county at 180 feet. It has always been painted in some drab shade of gray or brown as long as I can remember and because of that I never really got too excited about it. Most of our local bridges are red, one is white and then this. Here are a few facts, it was built in 1843 at the astronomical cost of $1,988 dollars, and got washed away and destroyed in 1972 by hurricane Agnes. In 1973 it was rebuilt at a cost of $321,302 dollars which is like 166 times more. It is quite common to hear car horns beep as they go through and I have heard it is for good luck or to let oncoming cars know you are in there. The fence was not always here but I like the addition of it as it leads the eye right into the bridge.
I was driving looking for photos recently when I came down a hill and saw some Amish buggies heading out from a farm on the road I was ready to turn onto. I had heard that Tuesdays are a traditional wedding day and this was in fact a Tuesday so I thought this will a happy occasion. So I drive by carefully and just as I approach the main entrance, this crew of Amish young men come barreling out the lane onto the road pushing this giant wagon that they use to haul chairs, benches and what not to various farm gatherings. I had to stop for them and then a little voice said there is a photo op right in front of you! Since I was stuck there I put it in park and opened my door to get a good angle and I took several quick bursts as they moved down the road.
So I was almost done when I heard a voice 30 feet behind me say, ”okay lets move it on now”? I usually stand my ground when someone thinks they are going to force me to listen to their orders but this guy was different and asked in a nice friendly tone. I gave him a puzzled look and he informs me there was a funeral here today? I said I thought it was a wedding and he said I thought that might be the case. I said sorry and made a hasty departure. He must have been a driver who hauls Amish around in a van because he said he never saw anything like this before. Anyway I still like the image I captured on this snowy winter day and the men were laughing as they were pushing the cart so that didn’t exactly help in my decision to shoot.
I had been looking for snow scenes recently and was traversing the back roads thinking how nice it would be to see a sleigh and to my surprise a few minutes later one came up the road. The bottom photo was my first glimpse of the sleigh and to the left of the tree is a farm lane the sleigh is about to take which leads to a country store. I was fairly confident he was heading there so I slowly made my way up the lane to the store and the middle picture shows the young lad finishing up tying the horse. For some reason at this point I decided to stop shooting and set the camera back in my bag. I glance back over and the kid is now lifting a whole rack with fresh bread from the back of the sleigh. He took the bread into the store before I could even try to get a shot. So I thought to myself he will probably be coming back out the lane shortly and I could try to get a shot again. So I parked on the road and sure enough it was only a few minutes and here he comes but he noticed me up the road and all of a sudden you would have thought he was running the Kentucky Derby as he exited the lane onto the main road! I am almost certain this horse has all four hooves off the ground.
This is among one the first Amish images I have taken since the abduction of Linda Stoltzfoos and this location might be 3 miles from her home. This heartbreaking event left its mark on many, including me and I feel for the family and their loss. I feel like I have been blessed to be able to capture the Amish in a variety of ways and have gotten a small glimpse into the way they live. Hopefully I will regain my passion for capturing our county and them after this event fades a bit.
I got lucky and found this local covered bridge surrounded by fall foliage. It had just the right amount of fall color, from the fallen leaves on the wet road to the trees both near and far.
The boy on the left has a genuine happy smile as he watches the boy on the tricycle coast with his feet up. I think he may be due for a new hat?
I was coming down a local backroad yesterday and up ahead I noticed an Amish farm stand and there was a buzz of activity focused in one area beside the road. Luckily there was another business straight across the street where I could park unnoticed for a while. There were kids, teens, and adults all filling pots with soil that were then lined up in rows in a growing area. I may be wrong but I think they were the beginnings of fall mums because this same location has had a large crop of mums in this exact spot for several years. With that being said, I watched all the activity around the farm for photo ops and I noticed way back the lane there were some youngsters playing with this tricycle/cart setup. I was quite frustrated because they were about 75 yards away and my longest lens was still not able to reach them so I waited and hoped.
Before long they disappeared behind the barn but a few minutes later they reappeared on a lane that went around the barn in a U-shape. I watched as the came almost to the road and then rode away again and I thought well you missed your chance. I then drove to the opposite end of the lot and there was exactly one spot left and guess where it was located? Â You got it, it was straight across the road from the lane they were playing in! Â I watched as they came toward me and rode away and tried my best to look disinterested and on the third trip, I brought the camera up and got this image as they turned to go back. What was funny was how they were having such a good time as I snapped this image but I think it finally registered that I had a camera and then they became much more elusive. They would dart out and make funny faces and quickly retreat but they were having fun hiding and reappearing. I keep looking at the image trying to figure how three kids fit in that little trailer. It has been a long time since I took any Amish photos but shots like this remind me why I enjoy capturing moments in their lives.
Hello again from the inactive photographer. I do miss hearing from folks here but my enthusiasm is still pretty lackluster, yet occasionally I feel a little like the old days and doing some photography. I shot this during the past week when we had 90 degrees one day and in the 60s the next day. That crisp fall air still ignites something inside and I found this harvesting shot on the backroads of Lancaster County.
I happened upon this little cutie at a public fishing spot where her Amish family was having a picnic. The parking is literally 15 feet from the picnic tables, but as I have said before the Amish have very good radar for photographers, and I did give my best performance of acting uninterested in them, but the dad was glancing at me every two minutes,so I knew his spidey sense was tingling. The little girl made eye contact at one point and I smiled at her which seemed to keep her fixated on me. I played a little peek a boo from my car and got this cute shot of her as she reacted.
Donald Reese Photography 