This nativity is located on the square in the town of Lititz,PA, and a few years ago someone complained and the ACLU got involved trying to ban the display. Thankfully the land is owned by the Church and the ACLU and its misguided agenda were sent packing. Wishing all my loyal blog followers a Merry Christmas.
This snow-covered stone wall frames the lane leading in to this rural home. I looked out my bedroom window in the early pre-dawn light and had an inclination the sunrise would be good,so I bundled up and headed out in search of a scene to capture. I passed this place,hit the brakes and backed up to capture the gorgeous light on the landscape.
Todays post features a lovely older home that is owned by someone I know and it always seems to have such an inviting charm that beckons you to stop and sit on the wrap around porch and watch the world go by. The man of the house puts the lights up and then the lady of the house adds her special decorating touches to bring it all together and finally mother nature throws a dash of snow to complete the picture. This was actually pretty challenging to shoot because the house sits on a steep hill,so I set my tripod up on my truck roof,which gave me about ten feet of elevation to help get parallel.
Every year the folks at RLPS Architects in Lancaster,Pa create an amazing themed gingerbread display for the public to enjoy. This year the theme was Italian Ice and this is one of a few images I was lucky enough to be able to shoot. You can’t take all the detail in on one visit because it is amazingly detailed and took 2000 hours to complete.Make sure you visit lefever photo under my artists that inspire tab. He is the primary photographer for this creation and most certainly will have amazing images.
Lanterns mark the path for guests on their way to hear a chorus sing at the Historic Ephrata Cloister. Thankfully, snow had fallen the day of this event and made a perfect setting for the glowing candles in these lanterns.
This lovely scene was one I captured last weekend as I drove home in some rather treacherous wintry conditions, but they were not bad enough to stop me from shooting this Currier and Ives picture postcard type scene. It was actually half snowing and sleeting the whole time and thankfully I had an umbrella clamped to my tripod to protect the camera somewhat. I have great memories of gathering with the family during the holidays and going to grandma and grandpa’s house to savor all the treats that only grandma seemed to be able to make. From sand tart cookies that melted in your mouth to glazed carrots that were a perennial favorite with the whole family,oh how we all long for the good old days. below are the beginning lyrics to two classic holiday tunes that you can sing to yourself as you imagine curling up by the fireplace in this classic home on a frigid night.
Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays,
‘Cause no matter how far away you roam,
When you pine for the sunshine of a friendly gaze,
For the holidays, you can’t beat home, sweet home.
or this lyric from the song sleigh ride
There’s a happy feeling
Nothing in the world can buy,
When they pass around the coffee
And the pumpkin pie,
It’ll nearly be like a picture print
By Currier and Ives,
These wonderful things are the things
We remember all through our lives!
Opportunities like this don’t come along very often because freezing rain on top of snow is not that commonplace. The glistening coating makes for a lovely canvas for light to reflect and shimmer across the surface. I had plans for a cool shot after sunset but the sun disappeared behind a cloud bank shortly after this image. A light snow also came last night which has ruined the chance for more images like this but I have no complaints because we finally are having a winter with snow again.
This image is from this weekend and features the amazingly beautiful St Luke’s Church in Lebanon ,Pa. You would never know it from this photo,but there was a raging snowstorm dropping lots of snow all around me. This side entrance gave me a little cover while I was shooting but I had to continually clean snow off my lens and laptop the entire time. The ride home was about twenty miles and more than once I had to slow to a crawl just to see the road in front with the white out conditions.
The entire entrance,including the lantern were lit using my deer spotlight and without the lit shining,I felt it would not have the warmth I was after. This image took me about 40 minutes to do and I hope to be able to photograph the sanctuary as well,which is stunning. I used a 17 mm to get this wide view but could have used even wider if I had it,plus I lost a little angle when I corrected for the tilt. They sure don’t build them like this anymore. The bottom image shows the general conditions I saw when I began photographing the scene.
As I mentioned the other day,this is what I left the house to seek out before dawn the other day. It is called hoar-frost and it is not snow but ice that accumulates on cold objects when the conditions are just right. Two days in a row the temperatures were in the single digits and one day it was all over the place and the next there was not even a single tree to be found with it. I have heard it referred to as radiation frost as well. Usually appears near streams or creeks in my experience.
This cross is being watched over by two angels and includes the inscription, “until the daybreak and the shadows flee away.
This image taken at dusk features the historic Ephrata Cloister. It is a National Historic Landmark and looks even more special in a fresh blanket of white. Snow came fast and hard during the day,but clearing skies in the evening provided a perfect backdrop.
I photographed this lovely New England scene along the coast in Rockport Massachusetts. The Christmas tree in the window looks great above the collection of buoys outside and once evening came,I was able to paint the scene with a flashlight to bring it to life. The owners were very accommodating in allowing us to shoot it.The only way this might be better is if it was covered in fresh snow..
A fresh snow blankets the sleepy little village of Lititz,Pa on a quiet night. These poor snowman and santa are trapped behind glass and wish they could get out to frolic in this winter wonderland.
Finally found some time to visit Lititz,Pa again to capture some more shop scenes in the downtown area. The first scene that caught my eye was this set of reindeer,complete with illuminated red noses and a sleigh with christmas packages behind them. I had to rush a bit because they put the reindeer away at closing time,which is just the time the light gets good. A few pops of the flash added a bit of interest to bring the scene to life. This was shot saturday and then it snowed on sunday,which would have added to the shot but this turned out pretty good despite no snow.
Dawn breaks through the fog and the sun illuminates this lakeside retreat.Imagine waking up to this view every morning.
This is one of countless cemetery markers at Mount Auburn. I lit it with flash from the side to highlight the stonework and inscription which was taken from john 12:32.
This famous building known as motif number one has been an inspiring subject for artists of all types for decades. I shot this reverse angle to catch the town church steeple in the background.
This rustic old sleigh was decorated for fall along a country road. Would love to see it in the snow.
This beautiful church was photographed in Vermont on a foggy fall day. A second church sits down the road a short distance away.
We were out shooting early in Vermont and we passed this farm with lovely clouds over it. They looked like mini tornadoes in the sky.
The stone in the foreground is weathered and falling apart, leaving only a few details to the imagination.
This brand new chain saw carving was just finished in the last few days and showcases the artistry of Dean Fox, a man with a unique gift and the vision for seeing something special within trees that are past their prime and destined to come down. This angelic figure was carved from a large tree that had died and church members decided to have this done with the large remaining trunk. One church member commented to me that the tree had a huge lean to it,but with the artists skill,it now appears straight.Thankfully a church member met me this evening to turn on the sanctuary lights,which I felt was important to bring the photo to life. The fresh lacquer gives it a strong golden glow,but that will fade over time. The bottom photo shows the artist in the beginning stage of carving with his chain saw. John 15:5-I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Usually when I travel,I randomly pick back roads and many times do not remember where I shot certain photos. This place is one I found ten years or more in the past while still shooting film,and much to my surprise,I came across it on my trip this fall. It is a lovely barn located not too far from Grafton Vermont.
This is lower Kaaterskill falls in the Catskills of New York. We came down the road,saw there was two spots for cars and quickly parked. I thought how lucky we were to get the second spot until I heard the State Troopers Siren chirp directly behind us. I look and he points at a sign directly above our car that says absolutely no parking. We never saw it and he was nice enough to just warn us,so we drove up the road to a parking area and I had to walk a hundred yards or so to get the shot. There is a more dramatic falls up the hill from this but after I started the first thirty feet climb over boulders,I basically decided I did not have it in me with my gear along.
A touch of flash helps bring out the beauty of these tombstones in mount auburn cemetery. Fall leaves adds a splash of color in the background.
The cool gravel road contrasts with the warm fall foliage on a Vermont back road. A birch tree adds a touch of white and the winding road leaves the viewer wondering what is around the bend.
If these buoys could talk,the stories they would tell would be amazing.
Sunrise breaks through the fog on this Vermont lake. A lone house sits nestled in the woods.
I photographed this view of North Adams, Massachusetts from a small hill near town. the numerous steeples sticking high into the air caught my attention,so I sought out a vantage point to capture them. The hillsides have a little bit of color in them,but it was mostly disappointing this year. Located in the Berkshires,this town was first settled in 1745 during King Georges War.
Donald Reese Photography 