Category Archives: Photography

No Pain, No Gain

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Although we still have not had any significant snowfall this year, I thought I would share an image I took exactly one year ago during the same week. I mention in my about me section that photographs can trigger many memories, and I remember this day like it was yesterday. A fast-moving storm coated the region in fresh snowfall just in time for weekend shooting, and as I drove around looking for images, I found this church and cemetery ready to greet the new day. Winds of 25mph plus were howling as the front moved through and even using hand warmers left me in a good deal of pain from the wind chill. I composed this image this way to direct your eye through the scene, going from the stones to the church to finally the sunlit clouds. Despite the brutal cold, I enjoy feeling the wind, snow and cold hit me, verses sleeping in a warm bed and watching the world go by. As they say, no pain, no gain.

Winter Wonderland

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I am hoping the image that I shot tonight will be the last Christmas related image I post for the season, but who knows?  This old sleigh is part of the Christmas decor at the Foxchase golf course banquet facility in Lancaster County. Each year the owners bring the old classic sleigh out of storage to brighten the season for all the events held in their Palmer room. I have seen it for several years, imagined what I might do with it, and finally decided to ask permission to shoot it. I shot it with a small flashlight, and went so far as to shoot through the branches of the tree to cast the shadow on the back corner. the blue cotton comes from using my flashlight on its cooler blue light setting and then shifting my white balance to something in the 4000 kelvin range, to give the blue snow effect. I also brought the packages in the right corner to hide carpeting that I felt hurt the image. My wife wrapped the fake packages a few years ago for my escapades each year. The owners say the sleigh dates from about 1902.Now just imagine traversing the countryside on a cold winters night, full moon illuminating the landscape, and fresh snow whipping around you, as you hold the reins in this classic ride.

Old Time Thresher

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This is an antique Messinger Thresher that I photographed this evening using my light painting technique. The machine dates between 1912 and 1920 and was made in Tatamy, Pennsylvania. The image was taken at Burkholders Evergreen Farm in Denver, Pennsylvania, and the owners were gracious enough to give me access to photograph this beautiful old machine. Light painting can be a very involved process and sometimes I  go in circles trying to decide which lighting effect to use from the myriad of shots I do on these images. Tools I incorporate into creating these shots are spotlights [with diffusion], regular flashlights, radio slaved flash, laptop, so I don’t move the tripod mounted camera at all, and a good dose of trial and error. Every subject has certain reflectivity and getting the angle correct between the light source and camera can be tricky sometimes. I think I incorporated about fifty-five different shots into the final result. I prefer to do more shots quicker at exposure times of 20-30 seconds each, instead of locking the shutter open for minutes at a time only to find out you overexposed half the image and just wasted 4 minutes for nothing. The older I get, the more I seem to appreciate the skill and craftsmanship that generations past put into their creations. If you click on my galleries, under Amish, you can look at the middle row, 5th one down and see the amish using a metal version of one of these machines.

Christmas Past and Present.

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Well obviously Christmas is past, but since I love all things related to Christmas, I asked permission to shoot the Christmas display at a local shop tonight. That shop, called Sheldon’s Gallery and Frame Shop, features fine art and a variety of wonderful gifts throughout the year, and the owner was gracious enough to grant me access to shoot what I consider a lovely scene. The bottom image was taken of the exterior of the neighboring building and the gallery a year or two ago, and is also quite impressive architecturally speaking. I remember the evening quite well as a snow emergency was declared, yet I decided I was going out shooting anyway. The town was absolutely silent in a blanket of white as I happily took in the still of a winter’s night.

Full Moon Rising

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Today was full moon, and It reminded me of a shot I took last month during full moon. As a photographer, I make every effort to plan ahead as much as possible, and by using a free program called – The Photographers Ephemeris, which uses google earth to show you sun/moon locations, I previewed a few potential places I wanted to shoot to see if the full moon would be in the right spot. This farm, complete with a flooded field yielded the perfect opportunity. The key to capturing such an image is to shoot when moonrise happens right at sunset, so exposure can retain detail in the moon and the landscape. It’s a fleeting few minutes.The glow on the water is all real, and a slight breeze almost ruined my shot. Instead of rushing around back roads, I arrived, set up my tripod, aimed exactly where the program said the moon would rise and simply waited for it to appear.The accompanying buggy shot is taken from the same location a few days later. The water just sits here from the summer floods and has covered the road numerous times. I made over two dozen trips to this spot, which is approx 15 miles away to capture this unique double horse-drawn buggy image. A link to the Sun/Moon tool is in my blogroll. Try it on your home address to see its accuracy.

1893 Folk Art Clock

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This post features my latest image that I shot this morning, and showcases the 1893 folk art clock, created by the gentleman shown above. He was Peter Kurtz, a native of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. His highly detailed and intricate folk art clock was made in 1893 and his obituary listed him as being of  “a quiet, modest and retiring disposition”. He was born in 1832 and was the last of nine children. I lit this shot primarily with small flashlights to bring out the intricate detail in this amazing piece from the past.

Confectionary wonderland

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This sweet little scene is just one small portion of a grand gingerbread creation done by RLPS Architects in Lancaster,Pa. Every year near Christmas, the employees create a very unique gingerbread village and then they open their doors on select evenings for the community to enjoy. This year featured a beach theme,and was simply amazing.

Old Coffee Grinder

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This is another image that I used my light painting technique on. The shot took almost 2 hours to complete,with over 75 exposures being shot in a dark room. You must keep light from your flashlight off the light colored walls when using this technique, otherwise you will have highlights showing up all over the wall. The shadow on the wall further showcases the lovely old coffee grinder.

Christmas Memories

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This lovely scene includes the Christmas tree of Claire de Perrot, a very kind and caring lady, who granted access to both myself and good friend Morrie to allow us to photograph this Christmas tradition that goes back many years in her family. Each Christmas Eve, the tree is lit with real candles as Worshipers leave the service at the Moravian church, which can be seen through her picture window in the quaint town of Lititz,Pa.

Church Sanctuary at Christmas

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church interior.

The result of my two-hour light painting session at a local church. This location originally caught my eye because of its lovely curved wooden pews and carved end details, stained glass, and festive Christmas accents. Special thanks to Pastor Miller for granting me access to this lovely sanctuary.