I was sitting at a stop sign when this crew came around the bend. A quick snap and they were gone.
Category Archives: Landscape
Toe to Toe
This scene is one I have seen played out countless times over the years, but only recently did I decide to capture it. I never gave it much thought till I stopped and evaluated my image, and it is not too hard to imagine that this could potentially turn ugly if the puller in front slipped, and the pusher did not stop soon enough. Maybe its the way he is leaning to go up hill that made me pause,but she can’t be more than 4 feet in front,but she still has ten toes,so they have a system.
Personally I am getting more frustrated every day with the direction I see our country headed,but maybe old age is just making me more irritable.Here is one example in contrast to the Amish. Our local elementary school has now decided that they are removing all the swings sets because they are a liability issue. For over 200 years,children have been able to handle this dangerous item, but now we must protect them from this danger. Life is meant to be lived and taking responsibility for our choices and the results of those choices is all part of it.I say If you want to mow your grass in bare feet, have at it,because its your decision. these siblings really are going toe to toe in their chores together as they get a firm lesson in team work.
The Light Still Shines
This image was taken this past weekend in the town of Strasburg,Pa, and was shot at St Michael’s Lutheran church, which dates back to the early 1700s. I had been driving around looking for scenery and the evening was a little lackluster so I decided to stop and light paint this scene.The Angelic statue was lit using a small flashlight to bring out the details and the rest of the scene was illuminated by flash.
Blue Amish Rickshaw
This cute little scene had me all excited as I drove by. I always have the camera in my lap and ready to shoot,so I managed to get a few frames off till they went around back.Shot this with an 80-400.
Saddle up your Horse
Another day of driving around found youngsters out of school and having fun on the farm. I guess the scooter driver is trying to race the horse on the reigns. I like the way they are really in sync as they charge ahead. Hopefully the suspenders will not break or the horse might get a snap on the back.
Down in the Meadow
I had to post these two images to help tell the story. I was driving around looking for images and although you would never know it by the appearance of these, it was very late and very dark. I was using an 80-400 and was at 300mm or so and a shutter speed of a 350th second. That is too slow for this lens,but I braced myself on my truck window and snapped a few shots. All four siblings were near the wheelbarrow and the little one in the wheelbarrow with grass clippings piled on her had me in stitches. The father came pulling up with the team of horses and their attention focused on him. I really like the top image but if the little one in the wheelbarrow would be visible in that image,it would be priceless.All I needed was for the older boy to step to his right and she would have been in the image.
Life in the Slow Lane
This image turned out pretty well considering it was shot through my truck windshield. I had snapped a few frames from the side of the road and the boys saw me ,so they looked away. I drove around a little while and found them again,so I tried shooting through the windshield as they paused at a stop sign and sure enough,it was sharp. The whole family was dressed in the same color and the little girl looking out the back window and the mom smiling at her were added touches.
The Gathering
This group of Amish women came together on ascension day,and a local park was the meeting spot for a meal,some singing and recreation. The blue dress was the attire of choice this day.
Spring Palette
Spring is advancing rapidly and this most special time of year will soon fade away. I photographed this lovely garden scene that is located within an easy walk from my home and this was shot with winds in the 5-10 mph range, and for this type of work,that’s a little strong. The owners were not home,so I had to light everything from the sidewalk,and wish I had been able to get in different angles with my flash,but this turned out nicely despite that. The scene was shot with a 70-200 mounted on a tripod and linked to my laptop. I used radio poppers to fire the wireless flash,and a wireless transmitter to fire the camera. I shot about 50 frames,lighting the plants as needed and then brought the pieces together for the result. The owner takes great pride in the property and has a wide variety of unique plants throughout the season. The Wisteria was my main objective,and its fragrant blooms were a delight to see and smell.
The Cobblestone Bridge
One of Acadia National parks many bridges. The cobblestone bridge is very lovely and is found after a casual hike.Looks like something from a fairy tale.
Stubborn as a Mule
All eyes are on the left mule as he turns his back on his friends.He insisted on standing in the middle of the row,but the boss who had a size advantage set him straight. Now he turns in disgust avoiding any photographs with his team.
Train Daredevils
This motel is entirely made up of cabooses and as luck would have it,the little boy and girl poked their heads out just as I was composing the shot. At the time I did not notice the boy had no underwear on,so I had to clone out a tiny protrusion. Looks like they are headed down the tracks.
Sit and Rest
This statue sits on a grave overseeing a section of an old cemetery in Pennsylvania. Colorful flowers have been placed in her hand by an unknown person,and I found that the green aged patina on the statue contrasted nicely with the purple and white bouquet.
Night in Town
Another exercise in light painting. I lit all the porches and steps with flash to help show the details.
Mechanized Steel Army
Sometimes I think I just like to hear the camera shutter fire,and really have no clue why I chose to shoot this,but it strikes me as some sort of mechanized squad,ready to do battle. I can’t quite figure out what the contraption on the front is for unless it attaches to a dozer or something?
The Rabbit Lodge
This scene is one I decided to shoot this past weekend after we had a light snow pass through the area. This neighborhood has some very nice older homes and some include architectural elements that appeal to me for photos. This scene is right along the road,so I could shoot it from the street. The old dilapidated shed with lanterns that have been dark for years beckoned me to add some light to bring them to life. I placed a flash behind the lanterns to light them and then lit the snow and shed to show the details.The bottom photo shows my starting point and the top my final result. The title refers to the three rabbit tracks heading toward the shed.
Blacksmith Shop
Another foggy morning across the region. The old blacksmith shop is not open at this early hour,but a light on the barn shines on the sign hanging off the tree out front.The trees are looking a bit rough from being trimmed.
Quit Your Wine-ing!
This wine store is decorated for the holidays. I light painted the wine press and bottles with flash to bring the scene to life.
Flowers behind Glass
This close up window scene was captured at a state historic site,and I utilized flash to add some light to the scene inside.The flash also helped reveal the window texture,adding another detail. Everything was lit from outside by carefully directing the light.
Church Doors
These church doors were lit by multiple flash pops to bring out the beauty of the wood and stone.
Take a Bite
This digger could take a serious bite out of almost anything it dug its teeth into. I lit this in overcast conditions with a flash and the bucket alone was lit with one series of eight flashes on multiple exposure on my camera. I set the shutter speed to the highest allowable on my camera at a 250th of a second and set the camera to record 8 exposures on one frame. Eight shots were just on the edge of possibilities because each ambient exposure built up on the frame as I shot,so you have to watch for overexposure when you do that many on one frame. My usual technique is to overlay separate frames,but multiple exposure allows flash to build up on the frame with each blast,so you effectively can make your weak flash more powerful.I wish they used this thing to give you a scoop of mulch for landscaping,although my trailer tires would explode when it dumped the bucket.
Gazebo in Fog
This image comes thanks to encouragement from my friends who have been exploring light painting in the fog. The scene you see was taken in the dark on a very foggy evening.This gazebo is in a local park and I decided to give it a whirl with flash. The lights you see are lamp posts in the background,which if you notice, have been hidden behind posts and tree branches to keep them from overpowering the scene and the blue and yellow is from different types of bulbs. there was literally one spot where I could position the camera to hide all of them. I spent nearly two hours in the dark in this park in the fog and it was very magical with the lamps glowing in the stillness of the enveloping fog. I got there at the very edge of dusk,so exposures were running anywhere from thirty to sixty seconds plus. A light drizzle made things a little wet,but I shot several scenes this night.
The Foggy Lane
This foggy scene was captured as nightfall began to take hold. Homes and street lamps glow in the distance as the enveloping shroud of fog grew thicker.
Full Moon shines
Yet another very early morning shot with the full moon lighting up the landscape. A frozen pond reflects window light on its icy surface at this old mill.
A Star is Born
This snow scene was shot only a few hours later than my gazebo shot from yesterday. I literally went to bed just before midnight,tossed and turned as I thought about scenes to capture and climbed out of bed before 4am to head out looking. Again the full moon had the landscape lit up as evidenced by this shot taken around four thirty in the morning.A farm with silos glows in the distance as a bright star on top reflects in this peaceful stream.If you look closely,you can see stars in the night sky.
Gazebo in Snow
This little snow scene was taken in a local park and I am still amazed by the fact it was taken at almost eleven o’clock at night under a full moon. The images over the last several days were all shot in the same twenty-four hour period. The home in the distance adds a touch of balance to the shot.
Historic Lantern Tours
This image was taken after yesterdays shot as I headed home and noticed the local historical site was conducting lantern tours. It was shot around eight o’clock at night and had I been able to get there at dusk,it would be even nicer. Again,the full moon lit up the sky like I have never seen before and actually allowed me to get color in the sky after dark.The lanterns sit waiting to be picked up by tour participants who go building to building at the Ephrata Cloister learning about the past. A fresh snow earlier in the day made for a very special night for guests.The Cloister is one of Americas earliest religious settlements and was founded in 1732.
Full Moon Illumination
This image was taken at the location of the first sleigh image I posted recently and after loading the sleigh on the trailer,I decided to shoot one more image. Strong winds were forecast during the overnight hours,so I knew this shot would be gone by morning. This was shot after dark but thanks to a full moon,the sky was brighter than normal,and with a bit of flash added to the tree,the snow showed up nicely.I still make stupid mistakes when light painting shots like this and in this instance,I used a shutter speed way too slow,because I had it in my head I wanted a good ambient exposure,when in fact what I should have done was gone with a fast shutter speed,so all I was capturing was the flash on the snow.When you go to layer your flashed snow frame and the sky is also bright,it will brush in along with the snow and that is not what you want.
A foggy night
This recent evening was very magical as I decided to visit the local park during a heavy fog. The light you see is a very bright light on a building and the rays were extremely sharp as they penetrated the fog.It was so quiet here and a new experience for me in the fog.
Next stop on the Sleigh Tour
Tried another location for the sleigh I borrowed recently, and this time I wanted to show the beauty of the sleigh from the back.This old farmhouse has been lovingly restored by the current owners, and I thought it created another scenic backdrop for the sleigh. A lovely sunset kicked off the photo shoot and then I proceeded to light paint the sleigh,buildings, and even skim some light across the snow to reveal texture. A street light behind me cast some terrible shadows across the snow,so by lighting the snow I overpowered the street light to help pull the shot off.The sleigh was one of the first areas I lit and thank goodness for that, because three separate times I had to pick up packages that got blown off in about 15 mph winds. Would love to have a good horse to pull me as I take a ride in this thing instead of just hauling it on a trailer.
I ran the sleigh photo idea by the owner a year ago and they were excited about it,but the day I shot this,I could not get a hold of them,so they were surprised to see the sleigh in their yard and me hard at work photographing it that evening as they came home from a brief vacation. All in all I am very happy with the result of this little escapade with the old sleigh. Now lets see whats in those packages.
Donald Reese Photography 