I never knew the Amish held scooter training sessions but this appears to be just that taking place.The three wheeled scooter helps the youngster get the feel of using the foot to push and then maintain balance as you cruise.Mom kept a keen eye on the youngster and helped offer pointers on technique as they moved down the road.
This family literally came walking right out of a cornfield that was right beside me on a back road as I was photographing a one room school. I waited till they were a little farther away to snap a few images but the little guy in the wagon still noticed my camera. This was a sunday morning and they were headed to a local farm up the road for worship services.
Most people have seen horses pulling wagons,but a horse made of flowers? There must be hundreds of blooms covering this unique creation sitting in this barnyard.
Instead of driving around and looking for photo opportunities,I occasionally pick a spot on a back road and wait for potential subjects to come to me. This pair of buggies caught my eye because the one had the two horse setup and both were open buggies. For this particular shot,I had mounted my camera on a window mount and had it wrapped in a brown blanket to hide the camera and keep it low key.You could barely even see the lens,but the guy in the second buggy let out a loud laugh and I heard him say “there is a camera in there” as they passed. They nodded to me sitting in the truck and surely had a story to tell their friends.
Been many months since I tried light painting anything,but this little fall scene in my home town caught my eye,so I decided to stop and try to light it after dark.The little structure in front might be an old well but I am not sure. The neighbor was generous enough to loan me his mums to add to the scene,which added an extra fall element. Fall color seems to be arriving slightly earlier than other years and hopefully will be rich and vibrant.
Fall is definitely my favorite time of the year and little vignettes like this make it even more fun.This was captured at a little roadside stand that obviously had someone with a flair for art working there.
I never thought the Amish had to do extra exercise because they are always busy around the farm,but this guy was riding what is called the streetstrider which is billed as an outdoor elliptical machine that moves you. He was really working out as he headed down the back roads.The thing sells for over 1500 bucks,which seems a bit much to me.
Wash day in Amish country can be a rainbow of color.This is one of many aspects about the Amish that I have no clue about.They are very reserved in general,but they seem to like colorful things as well,which to me seems ironic,but I have many things I do not totally understand about them,but that is fine.
This buggy load of local residents enjoy a cool summer ride with temperatures near seventy-two degrees.The young lad on the back is adjusting the reflector and was oblivious to my snapping the photo.I like the colors they wear,but wonder if they have any significance?
This local farm stand sells mums by the hundreds and that is a fact. there is a field behind here that has a couple hundred mums in each color and if there was only a nice farm I could include,it would be awesome.Years ago,it was very rustic,but now they put up signage and plastic roofs and it lost its cool factor.I managed to capture a buggy going by the display out by the road.
An early autumn scene in rural Lancaster county Pennsylvania includes an Amish man guiding a load of harvested corn back to the barn. The flowers on the right add a touch of color to brighten the day.
Pumpkins are starting to appear at just about every roadside stand you pass.This has been a great year for farming in the region and pumpkins are doing just fine as well.This is one stand I liked because of the nice farm in the background.
These horses take on a different look when photographed in infrared.
These four horses worked themselves right into position for my photo.It was almost like they were posing.
These Amish girls head home after a short trip to the grocery store.The small horse cuts through the wind thanks to his low profile.
Luckily I had my infrared camera body with me on this day and it allowed me to capture this stately old tree and a recently flooded stream,which is visible thanks to the grasses that look stringy in the foreground.
A group of Model A owners takes a day trip through the Lancaster county countryside,which occasionally means passing a horse and buggy. These vintage cars are not going to set any land speed records,but they travel in style and grace and allow one to slow down and enjoy the scenery on an autumn day.
This group of model A enthusiasts took a driving tour through the back roads of Lancaster county recently, and one of their stops included the historic Resslers Mill,which is the setting they are driving past in this photo.This group of cars belong to The Susquehanna Valley Region of the National Model A Restorer’s Club (MARC). The purpose of the club is to encourage members to acquire, restore, preserve and exhibit the Model A” Ford.
These Amish barn builders seemed to have no fear of height as they worked on this barn roof with no safety harness system.What really blew my mind was how they stood on the metal roof that was most likely a very slippery surface as can be seen in the top photo. They all walked in unison carrying each piece across the structure which seemed a little iffy to me. The bottom image gives you an idea how high they were.
This is a pair of shots looking up the old railroad line near my home.A rail trail is going to be built in the coming months and has been the source of much stress over the past year. For close to 5 years,some of which had me serving as a trail committee member,I was involved in trying to do the right thing for the residents who live along the trail.Two months before the project was set to begin,some moron comes up with the brilliant idea to fill this historic section in with dirt to save money. it is very scenic with rock outcroppings and such but a promised tunnel under a road was said to be too costly,so the idea to add fill actually became reality. It is estimated to take several thousand truck loads of dirt to fill in what was a beautiful corridor,so the lesson I learned is never trust elected officials to do as they promised.
Hay bales get stacked one by one as the team moves up the field on a sunny day in farm country.
Today marks the Thirteenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on our country on september eleventh of 2001. For me, like countless others, this day is permanently etched into my mind and like most I remember the exact moment it unfolded. For me it was a crystal clear fall day out in the country photographing blue morning glories on a farm, when the radio began to crackle with hints of something unspeakable. I recall driving as fast as I could to get to a television and being glued to it for days. Take a moment today to think of and pray for those who were lost that day, and especially their families who were left to cope with such heartbreak.
Every anniversary of this event, I find myself watching the documentaries on television and each and every time I am instantly taken back to that moment and overcome with a sense of deep despair, and I can’t begin to imagine the heartache for those who never got the chance to hold their loved ones again. I have never been to the twin towers memorial, but I have been to the Shanksville crash site in Pennsylvania and while it is not an over the top memorial, I can definitely say it is a place of quiet reflection that really hits you. I felt this Angel statue from a cemetery in New York was a fitting image for today. It is among my favorite infrared images that I have shot. If you have a moment and care to hear Michael W. Smiths tribute song to 9-11 called ”There she stands”, I posted a link here.
A one room school sits waiting for the next group of students that will be returning this fall.
This harvester is a little intimidating to the horse-drawn wagon that is trying to get as far off the road as possible.
A sunday evening ride in Amish country passes by a one room school.This buggy had an extra rumble seat in back adding room for an additional three family members. Take note,all four hooves are off the ground at once,which at one time was thought to be impossible.
These three brothers were very intrigued by the photographer and kept looking back at me.I missed a truly great shot just before this image when two of them were peeking under the seat and the shot was out of focus.
A father takes his eye off the wheel for a moment to glance back and talk to his boys who are enjoying a relaxing ride on the wagon while sitting in their favorite chairs.
Two Amish girls sit low to the ground to plant a crop as their brother guides the contraption down the field.
This unique moment was one I was glad to have captured but it would have been better with a longer lens.I was driving when I noticed what appeared to be a wheelbarrow load of black puppies being unloaded at an Amish farm and as I scrambled to grab the camera and focus,I see one lone white puppy coming out of the mix.The boy was being very careful with each one and had a big smile the entire time. A 200mm lens barely reached and the light was terrible but just the white puppy and the way I captured him lowering it made for a rather unique moment in time.
These five horses lined up for their photo while I was parked on a back road. Each one came in beside the next till they were all ready to have a photo taken.
Donald Reese Photography 