This tastefully decorated farmstead is something I have been trying to shoot for 3 years now and this year we finally got snow for a few days to add some appeal. I have two images from two different days here and I will elaborate why. I spoke to the owner the night it snowed and she was very welcoming in letting me roam around. I had surveyed the options and made note that the icy pond was frozen and non reflective and the owner told me it was so beautiful a week ago without the ice.

Well I made the best of my first visit and got a couple snow shots but the weather forecast the next day was to turn warmer, include heavy rain and strong winds so I knew I was coming back in the hope the rain would bring back some reflection. This evening tested my resolve as it was pouring the entire time, yet I was holding the umbrella at almost a 45 degree angle because the rain was blowing sideways. As my escapade progressed I was walking around the pond with my tripod and camera over my shoulder when I started walking by a pine tree that put me on the ground thanks to a wire support I never saw!  Camera never hit the ground but it was close. So it gets dark now and I head to my truck to pack up, I see another shot reflecting in the driveway and off I go to set up. By now the wind was really starting to blow so I decided to set my heavy tripod as low as possible with the legs spread almost straight out.

So I mount the camera, simply lean an umbrella against the tripod with nothing locking it fast. I take my tablet and walk 40 feet to use it to fire the camera while I light the house!  So it goes like this, hit the button, flash fires,image loads to tablet and you see what you just took, all while far from the camera. At about 10 frames in I look at the tablet and instead of seeing the farmhouse image, I see nothing but a set of squiggly lines?  After my initial bewilderment, I looked over at my camera and see my tripod and camera had completely blown upside down thanks to the umbrella! Never in a million years did I imagine that was possible but the good news is,when it flipped it landed on the strong bracket my camera is attached too and nothing was damaged. So as you can see the rain did bring back a reflection even though the snow had all melted.

Each year I gravitate to Lititz, Pa to shoot some of the quaint shop windows. This year decorating was not as good as some years thanks to Covid and its effects on store owners. Here is one shop that always does a nice job.

I have been out shooting Christmas scenes this month but unfortunately I have been experiencing episodes of being depressed, which rears its ugly head this time of year in particular and due to that, I have not bothered to share anything. So before we are into spring, I felt I would get them on here.

This store window is in a nearby town and the gnomes caught my eye. The store is owned by Laura the Cookie Lady who won food networks Christmas Cookie Challenge last year along with the ten thousand dollar prize. She does amazing things and her tasty decorative creations sell out quickly. Check out her work at http://www.lauracookielady.com

I was out driving in the country recently and took notice of some different looking cloud formations. I found the old tree on the left and the clouds looked great with it. I go up the road to turn around and till I parked and walked out to the tree, the whole dynamic had changed just like that. So as I walk back to my car I see a buggy coming and I thought go for a silhouette shot because it is all sky behind the buggy. Well it turned  out not to be quite all sky, so the silhouette isn’t perfect but I did get lucky with the sun being partly blocked by clouds allowing it to be seen instead of some blown out white blob.

Actually the other tree is king of this hill but I shot this because its not always easy to find trees that almost the entire tree is silhouetted against the sky.

A gorgeous Ginkgo tree dropped most of its leaves this particular day so I decided to try a shot incorporating my luminary Candles glowing among the golden leaves.

The other night I elaborated on my interaction with the gentleman who overreacted to me ringing his doorbell, and tonight we bring it full circle with yet another installment of “The Photography Chronicles”.  I was headed to work the very next day after the Church debacle when I spotted this pretty Ginkgo tree beside this home that reminded me of homes in New England. I skipped lunch this day and hopped in my truck for a quick attempt to get something before storms took everything down. As you may have already guessed, yes I once again walked up to the door and rang the bell!  As I approached the door I could hear several people talking just inside but as soon as I pushed the doorbell, nothing but crickets?  So I thought well I at least tried and despite not being able to walk on their driveway, I was still shooting this pretty scene from the street! I shot one or two angles and glancing down the street I notice a cop car coming up the road?  I think routine patrol most certainly and as he passes I wave and he continues on, until he gets to the end of the street and turns around! He pulls up and asks what I am doing, I explain shooting fall foliage and he says someone with a security camera called in. As we were talking I looked at the name on his badge and a little light bulb went off from the Church photo fiasco the night prior. I said were you on duty last night, and no kidding, he says are you Donald Reese?  I said yes you called my house last night and now you show up again?  We both found it slightly amusing that two homes with cameras felt the need to bother police for something so innocent but I understand stuff does go on that needs checked out. All I can say is thank goodness the leaves are down so I wont be tempted to shoot more fall foliage.

I try to be respectful when situations like this arise and I know police work is a balancing act, but I have seen a photographer friend of mine on a couple occasions tell a cop its basically none of his business what he is photographing in a public area. One time we were on a back road snapping sheep/lambs in a small shelter just beside the road and a cop pulls up and asks what we were doing. My buddy gave a response that I don’t know word for word but it was basically to the affect that its none of his business what we are doing taking photos of sheep, to which he shrugged his shoulders and drove off.

This old truck serves as the perfect backdrop at this farm stand, which was full of colorful Mums, Pumpkins and even paintings on slate that were done by the owner  of the stand.

Shot this backlit scene on my way to do another fall shot tonight. I like that one tree is completely bare and the other has a ways to go.

First let me say I hate weddings and have been whining about my weekend being messed up for a few days now. Today was the Wedding which was held at this wonderful property and on a whim I took my camera along. after the wedding ceremony, we were told it would be two hours till we ate. I decided to grab my gear and roam the property and this lovely scene is what I settled on

I shot this on my way to work this morning and the fog was very thick.

This covered bridge is framed nicely by the fence and yellow leaves and  a light fog in the air added to the peaceful scene. That was until a car came from the other side, stopped inside the bridge in the middle and began cranking out some music?  This lasted a good five minutes, then the horn honked a few times and out the driver came, all by himself?  I know the horn honking is an old tradition but why the music first will remain a mystery I guess. Maybe it was remembering an old flame that made the trip with you years ago?

This old Church is located in Lititz Pa, and is not easy to shoot due to the tall steeple. This was quite the undertaking to light the Church, the trees and the grass. Right in the middle of the Church is stained glass above the door where you see blue and I thought I was going to get lucky when I saw some lights come on inside.  I knocked and the man answered and I asked if he would turn on the light behind the stained glass, to which He replied he couldn’t.  It would have added a nice touch but still a nice shot I feel..

These five Amish siblings were busy loading and transporting tomatoes to market recently as the season is winding down quickly. Lucky for them the destination was only 25 feet in front of them at the families roadside stand. The old saying, “many hands make light work” is exemplified by these ambitious youngsters. The young driver only has her learners permit, so her instructor helped her navigate,all while getting a free ride!

My second image from autumn’s rapid progression. All these lovely leaves were blown clear an hour after I shot this, so remember the early bird catches the worm still rings true.

I have been visiting this Church for photo ops lately and trying to challenge myself to get multiple angles that are appealing. We recently had some heavy storms roll through and I was hoping for some lightning shots here but instead I arrived to find this normally dry stream bed was flowing for the first time I have ever seen. They must have gotten hammered because there was debris three quarters of the way up the slope on the left,so that puts it at maybe 4ft deep at the peak and what is shown here might be 10 inches.

Four adirondack chairs await anyone seeking solace and peace during these troubling times.

A large Cross juts skyward in this infrared cemetery scene. I find myself almost pre-occupied with thinking about the missing local Amish girl and how she can be found. everyone is praying and hoping she is found safe.

Everyone who has a reservation at this place is completely relaxed and the reason for that is this gazebo is located in a cemetery.

This was taken last evening during some stormy weather passing through. As many of you know I enjoy capturing Lancaster county scenes and the Amish who live here, but despite a big gathering at this Amish farm and many of them walking out the lane near where I was parked, I just felt with the missing Amish girl, now was not the time to photograph. For those who saw my post on July 7th about this situation, they have since arrested the man who abducted her but he still refuses to tell authorities anything on her whereabouts. Police did find the spot he buried her clothing and they did say she was harmed after being abducted but no one knows if she is alive or not. News reports said they pinged his phone and there was a huge search over the weekend at the location his phone pinged. Hopefully we still have a glimmer of hope she is found. I included a link showing this idiot. One commenter I saw said he might have Reactive Attachment Disorder which afflicts kids that are abandoned at a young age. He was living on the street at age 7 and the adoptive parents say he was trouble from the very beginning.https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/we-grieve-alongside-our-community-suspect-s-family-issues-statement-on-amish-teen-s-disappearance/article_07b2848c-c53d-11ea-b10e-a75d90ff2e96.html

I shot this last evening as a storm was passing through. The whitish streaks in the stream are actually green bands of floating algae. I was a little surprised how dark and overcast it was but the infrared really popped those trees.

A friend called me last week to tell me about this old pickup sitting in front of a barn that was pretty nice. So that evening I headed out to look at it only to find about 15 cars parked everywhere behind the truck. It seems the owner has planted a field of wildflowers and all the cars were there for those having portraits taken among the flowers. I figured I had nothing else to do so I waited and waited and waited some more. one car left,then another,then three at once until there were only three left and of course they were all parked right in the main part to the right. Well I started shooting as it became darker and hoped they would leave soon, which they finally did. The two images include an infrared that I shot as the sun was getting low and a color one after the sun was down. I like them both but the infrared is more dramatic and gets my vote.

Another infrared but with a stream this time.

This local bridge was rebuilt last year and they did a wonderful job making it look very appealing. This infrared shot really has a three dimensional quality to it that I like.