Yes that’s me on an outcropping of rocks at Dolly Sods.I had a little climb to get up there but it was safe and so I decided to do a little self-portrait. Now I would not have wanted to stumble forward because that’s all she would have wrote but it was okay.I did step on one huge boulder that actually jiggled a bit but I am twenty pounds overweight so that might have caused that. The view from up here was stunning and I cant wait to go back. Places like this remind you how insignificant you are and sorry about the corny title.

This is one of several images I captured on my two-day trip to Dolly Sods in West Virginia. This spot may look very remote and you might think I was all alone when I shot this. The fact is there was four photographers within four feet of me and about forty plus more photographers scattered along the ridge.It was among the most frustrating experiences I have had shooting, but it was Columbus day weekend and everyone was on vacation it seemed. The small puddle on the rock captured the reflecting sky color and added a bit of a nice touch in the foreground. The sunrise was a real beauty but having to deal with a million other shooters kept me from enjoying the moment a bit. We stayed at a cabin about 45 minutes away so we had to rise plenty early to get there before sunrise but many poor souls slept in their vehicles overnight on top of the mountain.Thats usually not a big deal but many did not seem prepared and one guy told me he used half a tank of gas keeping warm and we saw one car covered in a heavy frost.

This local farm is loaded with a variety of pumpkins and I thought the cool stormy skies contrasted nicely with the pumpkins. Sidelight brings out the detail in the pumpkins and showcases their interesting shapes.

Fog shrouds the landscape on a cool autumn morning in Chester County.

Your ride to serenity awaits.

Another shot taken in Chester county,and once again no power lines or telephone poles to ruin a shot.This day started out drab but got much better after the sun came up and lit up the sky.

This scene caught my eye because of the ornate wooden porch, the flowers, and the sprinkling cans stacked on the steps. I asked if I could take a shot and the owners said sure.There were a few challenges to getting the shot because it sits right at the edge of the road and cars were constantly ruining my longer exposures and then just when I was getting to lighting the porch,it started raining heavily and forced me to stop with what I had, so I am not totally happy but it will do. There was also a young cat that kept getting in the shot and following me,so I was worried the thing was going to get run over right in front of me.

You can either wait for the sun to light the scene or use your flashlight after it gets fairly dark. The sun had already set last night,so I decided to try using my Nitecor flashlight to illuminate this rural scene. I was a little frustrated because my remote was acting up and I had several 30 second exposures where I was busy lighting the trees only to find out the camera never fired.I was all the way at the bend in the road in pitch black,so it was hard to see or hear if the camera was firing.Despite that little glitch,I think it turned out pretty decent.

The red gate catches light at sunrise as the fog starts to burn off.

Several young gentlemen riding horses emerge from the fog on a Chester county back road.

I drove past this little roadside stand that was brimming with fall decorating items and knew I had to a closer look. The rustic nature of the little building surrounded by pumpkins,mums,indian corn and various fall items made for a lovely autumn scene. I photographed this after hours and was allowed access to capture the beauty without any customers getting in the way. The pumpkin photo was the image I really wanted to capture but I decided to try the mum shot first as a second image. An interesting side note worth mentioning was the stand owner was watering the mums as I arrived after hours and the driveway had a little wet area that I noticed reflected all the colorful pumpkins. After she left for home,a neighbor came out to chat and I mentioned how I wished the whole driveway was wet to reflect the scene and he immediately offered to get the hose out and wet it down. I was very grateful for his assistance and gave him a print as a thank you because I feel that little detail really added to the shot.

This morning was an absolute nightmare trying to navigate roads I was not that familiar with. Even roads you know take on a whole different perspective in heavy fog, especially when there are no painted yellow dividing lines to help you see the road.

This Chester county horse farm is lined with fences going at various angles.

Another shot from my backyard fall display, I cut the witch and 3 cats out of plywood as well as the caldron. Martha Stewart online has downloadable templates to print and use to cut the figures out. I put a spotlight behind to add some drama. Rail Trail users get to enjoy my creative efforts.

This is one view of our backyard fall decor this year.We usually decorate the front of our home for fall but with countless people walking the trail behind our home, I felt it would be seen and appreciated by many more along the trail who also might enjoy autumn. I arranged some mums,pumpkins and made a scarecrow figure riding a bike along with a youngster waving to trail users. Everything accents my hobbit hole creation complete with spider webs and a witch door mat. The bike rider was a logistical nightmare to get him to sit stable but a few 2x4s and some screws and he is rock solid.

A rustic fence provides a pleasing foreground element for this back road farm.

A buggy load of watermelons heads to a local market.

I noticed these three Amish girls picking apples in an orchard a good distance from the road, and even using a 400mm,I knew they were at my limit to get a good shot and they were also among the trees making it hard to see them. I watched about 5 minutes and suddenly they unloaded the whole wagon and start picking more apples making me think this was not going to be a day for apple photos. I said to myself,just wait five minutes and see what happens,and lo and behold they stop picking apples and load the wagon.They had no idea I was there and as they came out of the orchard I snapped the bottom photo and to my surprise they came down the road allowing me a closer shot. I did manage to cause a missed shot because the little girl was on top of the apples for a while but when her sister saw my camera she quickly pulled her off and it was so adorable to see her up there.I should have been more patient and waited a little longer.

Two mowers get pulled in a wagon in rural Lancaster County.

A wagon load of freshly harvested corn heads down the road leaving little room for any cars. The Amish have quite a system to keep moving as wagon after wagon keeps rotating from field to silo.

Been doing a bit of shooting in a neighboring county and I am enjoying finding new scenes on each trip. These two scenes were shot the same morning looking up and down the road from about the same spot. I love not having to deal with power lines in this area.

An Amish man walks his team of horses down a country road as they head to the barn after working on corn harvesting most of the morning.

Companies specializing in helping farmers harvest their crops have cropped up in recent times around here and these two tractors are busy heading to the next field doing just that.

This little pony will have no trouble hauling these three after the boy unhooks him from the railing.

Dad loads produce on a cart at the local market while the son holds the handle and little sister keeps a foot on the front end.

A group of Amish ladies waits for the bus along a busy road in Lancaster County

This lone horse spends a relaxing morning overlooking the barn and property on a cool fall day.

Fields of corn sit ready for harvesting in this Lancaster county scene.

This Amish guy on a scooter is being pulled by two mules and it almost appears he is racing the Harley up ahead. The guy on the scooter was being pulled by the mules,but he was merely moving the creatures from one farm to the next up the road. I never saw this before but I see something new every day.