This is one of those shots that looked mediocre at first but after I walked around to check it out from different angles it quickly became clear I had to shoot it! A couple things helped me capture this and the first was the wind letting up and the second was a filter. At first the wind was so strong there was not a bit of smooth water and I almost gave up but the occasional calm would appear and thankfully I got the shot. I mentioned a filter helped and that filter is called a Polarizer, which can literally transform a scene from dull to dazzling. It works by cutting the suns rays as they hit your subject at certain angles. For this particular shot, the sun was too my right at 90 degrees which is the optimum angle for the filter to cut glare and this scene was completely dull till the filter helped cut the glare on the water and in the sky. It is not adding color to the shot but by filtering out the sun bouncing around it allows the color to be seen. If the sun were directly in front of me or behind me the same filter would do little if anything but when you get the angle right it can be transformative.

This grove of trees is located at a Veterans Hospital and for me it ranks right up there as one of the prettiest and peaceful places I have come across in recent times. I was floored by the sheer amount of beautiful color that was contained in a small area but I was also struck by how peaceful it was with the hospital a hundred yards away. I saw veterans relaxing on wooden park benches and numerous employees walking the path that winds among the trees as they take lunch time to recharge their batteries and their soul!

I found this church a little ways away on my travels and shot it at least three different ways over several evenings. This wide angle shot encompasses most of the curved stone wall. I met the pastor and he was more than accommodating in helping me get the main shot I was after, which is not this one. For this shot I am almost on the road behind me and there is a stop sign about 4 feet to my right on a second road. The foliage actually hung around for several days while I tried to capture the place. I hope I can remember to check this out in the snow this winter. They currently have the main wall lit in blue and gold for Ukraine but the pastor hinted they might do red and green at Christmas so keep your fingers crossed for that.

This home has been decorated for fall and the owners have really put some time into it. The multi colored lights, 15 foot skeleton and ghosts flittering about in the trees makes for an eye catching presentation that is more of a treat to look at than a trick.

This young Chauffeur might own his taxi but he could use a new hat complete with an actual brim. His little sister seems to be content with his driving even if he is not looking at the road ahead?

I shot this image in infrared to help highlight the old sign against a dark sky. I find the metal scroll work to have an artsy flare I find appealing!

I managed to get myself motivated to go out for an hour or so after the dreaded bomb cyclone came through yesterday. This secluded home looks like it would be a great place to spend the day sitting by the fireplace just looking out at the beauty.

Almost the entire time I was shooting which was about an hour, I kept hearing firetrucks screaming down the road in the distance and figured something huge was going down, so I packed up to go find this huge fire! Turns out Santa was cruising the town on the Fire Truck which made me wonder why they aren’t at home with their families on Christmas eve, then a little voice whispered “and what about you”?

If you made it this far, keep going, it is the main part of the story. As I was heading home on the highway, in the distance I could see a vehicle with very faint 4 way flashers on the side of the road. There were dozens and dozens of cars whizzing by all seemingly oblivious to the vehicle and I too drove by to my exit about two miles away. It was then I wondered who the person was and what might happen to them, so I decided to get back on the highway and eventually cross where the Police usually sit. I managed to get back on as cars were going at least 70mph non stop and I finally got to the car with my high beams on it. Before we go any further I am fully aware of what possibilities are out there when stopping, so I do the best evaluation I can because my family needs me too. I got out, saw the plate was from Arizona and then I walked up to the window and it was an African American woman who appeared to be quite concerned about her situation.

I introduced myself, asked if she was really from Arizona, and she replied “we just moved to Maryland recently”. I am no mechanic but I asked how she ended up on the side of the road and her comment was “I think my engine blew up” I said open the hood, maybe its something obvious and folks, imagine opening your hood and then taking two buckets of the driest dirt you can find and just toss it in there because that is what it looked like and she said “all cars in Arizona look like that”? The car would not turn over, and there wasn’t a hint of oil on the dipstick, so I figured maybe her assessment was correct? By the way she said she was sitting there over an hour with not a single soul stopping? I told her since I have a rubber push bumper on my Jeep I could carefully push her the two miles to a Sheetz were she would be safe till she figured out her next move. She told me she had been at a mall shopping, had no clue where she currently was and no idea how she was getting home.

Wow, we are almost done! A few final tidbits. I told her to put it in neutral, and once I get you going to just coast and I will assist if needed. I specifically told her when you get to the exit ramp, if there is room to safely pull over,please do so! Ladies and gentleman, when we got to the ramp she was picking up speed and I was beeping for her to pull over? she stopped right under the red light and as I walk up, her eyes are like golf balls and she says “I had no brakes or power steering” This little detail got forgotten in all the mess but thank goodness she managed. I pushed her into Sheetz and you could see her relief. We said our goodbye and I headed home but all I could think was she is two hours from home on Christmas eve and most likely will sleep in her car overnight? I sat at home for a while asking myself why I didn’t offer her to stay at our place? It can get complicated when you have a wife and daughter to keep safe so I waited till they got home to ask. I got a solid “absolutely not” from the wife and our teenage daughter emphatically stated she is not having a complete stranger watch her open Christmas presents in the morning! Stopping is not for everyone, but I hope if my family ever needs help, there will be someone willing to help another human being! I never knew how it ended but two mechanic friends told me her alternator probably died and the car just shut off and I even had a jump box with me but never thought to try it.

Well I realize we are past Christmas now but I have some local town scenes that I photographed this year to share. This is a display window in a store called Revive in a nearby town. I think I shot this Christmas night and was probably the only photographer in the county that wasn’t home relaxing with family. From my experience I can say there is no other time during the year when it feels like the whole world is at home and enjoying peace.

Trees in varying stages of fall color transition frame this cool country property.