Tag Archives: Amish

Why on earth did we use Mapquest?

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I was out in search of landscape photos when I saw something that stopped me in my tracks. When you are in the heart of Amish country, you expect cows,sheep,horses and so on, but camels?  Not only did I see half a dozen of these creatures in a farm field, but they were eating thistles. Have you ever grabbed a thistle plant?  These creatures were gobbling these thorny plants up like they were the most enjoyable delicacy they have ever come across,even though there are fields of delicious sweet corn right behind them. The one on the left can be seen with a thistle plant sticking out of his mouth. I guess when you are used to getting baked by desert sun on a daily basis, eating a thorny thistle is a walk in the park. Temperatures around here are going to hit 90 in the next few days, so they should feel very comfortable. Hopefully they will get to try sweet corn with melted butter and salt before too long.

Arriving for Church

Posted by reesephoto on

This is a quick snapshot from the road of an Amish family arriving together for Church at a farm in their district. I do not know how they decide which farm they are going to each week, but they do alternate. Sometimes you see buggies headed in every direction on a sunday, so it’s all a mystery to me.

All or nothing

Posted by reesephoto on

This is an old roller mill that I came across while wandering the back roads this past weekend. I started the afternoon off heading to play volleyball but I took my camera gear along in case no one showed. Well no one showed, so I cruised around and came across this locale. I was all excited as Amish buggies, open carts etc were all around the area. I pull in here and realize my tripod is 15 miles away at home.So I head home disgusted with myself and decide to return in the evening. Four hours later I come back and set my gear up on my truck roof to get a better view and I wait almost an hour till these three buggies come by. After they passed, I sat there till dark and not one more buggy came by. If I could somehow get up another 8 ft or so, you could see the entire covered bridge,which is just in sight on the edge of the right side. This evening was a real feast or famine night for shooting, and since I am not the most patient individual, it was driving me crazy missing other opportunities. The late evening light was skimming in nicely, so maybe the delay was worth it. the thumbnail shows my roof setup and laptop inside and it all depends how much height I need, and in this case just a little.

Heritage days celebration

Posted by reesephoto on

This is not something you see in Amish country very often, but this past weekend was heritage days in a small town named Intercourse. How the town came to be named as such is not exactly known, but there are several possible suggestions if one searches the net. The Fireworks display ended a day long celebration of the areas heritage, and featured live music,volleyball,good food and much more. This image was captured from a vista across the fields with about a 200mm lens and my first or base image was captured while it was still light enough to see the farms,and then after it was pitch black, I recorded the fireworks explosions from the same tripod mounted angle, and then simply brought those layers on top of the first, and put them on lighten mode, which allows the fireworks to show up against my blue sky instead of black nothingness. When I first set up, there was an Amish family having a picnic across the street, I asked what time the fireworks launch, and he says sometime between 9 and midnight. Did not expect the bit of humor but with fireworks you never quite know.

I never do this, but I am adding the two smaller pictures of some kids getting a wagon ride. Not sure if the Amish guy is a neighbor or what,but the riders were dressed in regular clothing. they might have been going to heritage days up the road. neither shot is super sharp, which irritates me.Hope they dont have to stop fast, because they are all bare foot.

The long road home

Posted by reesephoto on

Some of the images that I capture in my photographic endeavors excite me more than others, and this image is one of those. This location is about twenty miles or more from my home, so I must commit a certain amount of time and effort to go there and then hope something happens while I am there. I have been there many times and never seem to get any local activity on the road, partly because it’s a big hill, and secondly because there are many connecting roads that are easier to navigate , so many people simply bypass this hill. I decided to go this past sunday, and I arrived shortly after sunrise to pick my angle and wait. Almost an hour went by with no traffic of any kind passing by, and just as I was considering leaving I saw the closest two buggies coming out from the farm in the distance. I sat in my truck waiting for the buggies to be in the best spot and then simply activated my wireless remote to fire the camera. Because the hill is so steep and long, a third buggy had slowly been catching up in the distance. To capture this image, I mounted my tripod with camera attached on my truck roof, hooked my laptop to it to remotely adjust camera settings as needed from my driver’s seat and then used my wireless remote to fire the camera. Pre-focusing on a spot in the foreground allowed the closest buggy to be sharp as it reached my predetermined spot. Between the red barns,the winding road and the buggies, I am very pleased with my end result on this shot. If you notice the first buggy is going around me on the right because the horse was not happy about my rooftop tripod, but the next horse went right by my truck without hesitation. An Amish man told me once that horses don’t like anything higher than themselves, but for the life of me I cannot understand why trees or buildings or even large trucks don’t seem to bother them. My tripod was even set up at its shortest height with no leg extension, so maybe I should try a blanket over it to camouflage it? This would make an awesome sledding hill in winter,so lets hope the local Amish kids are feeling adventurous.

Double trouble

Posted by reesephoto on

This Amish farm was the location for some sort of get together last weekend, and this image was actually taken near dusk. Usually the Amish community is heading home at this point on a sunday evening, but this farm was still going strong and new arrivals were still coming. The really confusing thing was that every so often, a souped up car like a mustang would fly up the lane and park in the back, so perhaps we had a little spring party action going on. There is a term in the Amish world called Rumspringa,and that basically is a period of time when the adolescent kind of sows his wild oats and adults kind of ignore the behavior.

Giddy up

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While I admit this is not the greatest image, it still shows the simple fun that Amish children have with the most basic items. This image was taken from a good distance away, and the girls were totally unaware that I was taking a quick photo as the one girl gave a tug on the reigns and the other reacted like a horse. It was comical to watch these two enjoying this imaginative horse-drawn game. I am not exactly sure but it appears they have added two red reflectors to the back of the buggy for safety.

Shaft of light

Posted by reesephoto on

This image was taken this past weekend as I drove around in search of scenic shots. The day started with clear blue skies and ended in grand fashion under dramatic clouds, which caught my attention and had me heading out to peruse the back roads. The sun stayed hidden most of the time, but as I stopped to debate shooting this farm scene, it suddenly burst forth illuminating this farm with a shaft of light, which had me scrambling for the tripod. It lasted maybe two minutes, lighting up the farm against the brooding sky.

Opposing viewpoints

Posted by reesephoto on

This is an infrared image taken when there was absolutely no sunlight around. Admittedly, I still am not sure what produces great infrared conditions, but sometimes overcast seems to have infrared to work with. I still struggle processing these shots, because I usually shoot raw, and adobe camera raw cannot handle the infrared data because Nikon wont share the decryption info needed, so it’s either shoot jpg or shoot raw and desaturate everything,or use Nikon software,which I despise.

Thunderhead Building

Posted by reesephoto on

This image was taken the night before last as unsettled air moved across our region. All day long I watched the skies transform from one cloud formation to another and decided I better head out in the evening to look for possibilities. This farm provided the perfect location as it sits on a small hill,and the setting sun provided the touch of warmth on the massive cloud formation. Later that evening, lightning started to make an appearance, so I set up my tripod with an umbrella protecting it, and I use a laptop to fire it from within my truck. After a few sharp bolts, I decided that even though I was somewhat safe in my vehicle, perhaps being at the highest point on the hill was not the best idea so I packed up.

Super moon Disappointment.

Posted by reesephoto on

This is a shot of the so-called super moon from this past saturday. Went out with two friends to shoot this thing, and due to haze, we never saw it in the sky till it was too high and slightly smaller looking. It’s an okay shot,but nothing like it might have been at the horizon, and zoomed tighter. This moon was supposedly 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter as it made its closest approach to earth. The key to getting the biggest moon is to find a subject far away,so you can use your strongest telephoto to include the moon and something interesting together. Had the conditions been crystal clear, and the moon had risen between the silos,I could have zoomed much tighter and had a much larger moon.

Family portrait

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These four horses were very inquisitive as I leaned against the fence post to take their photo. At first they showed little interest, but after I stomped my foot a few times and gave my best horse imitation, they suddenly lined up to see what the commotion was all about. I am not up on horse behavior, but I have seen them stomp the ground as some sort of sign in the past, so I tried it out myself.

Do You Mind?

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Sometimes being the biggest has its disadvantages,as in this instance when the goat uses you like a  doormat to get a better angle on a free handout. I spotted this totally unrehearsed scene playing out at an Amish produce stand that included coin operated food dispensers for the barnyard animals. The tourists love the opportunity  to experience country life for a brief moment. The donkey did not fuss even one time while the goat rode around on his back, so maybe he was getting a free massage out of the deal.

Hard to Fathom

Posted by reesephoto on

I have had a real appreciation for the Amish culture for many years, and have captured many images over the years of life in the rural countryside in my area. Generally speaking, the Amish are not very accepting of photography and Usually I try to use long lenses to keep from getting in their face and allowing them to go about their day-to-day life without intruding. The reason I share this is because both myself and my friend saw something the other week that stopped us in our tracks. We went to the mud sale to capture a few images of local culture and we were using long lenses to keep low-key, but as we stood there talking, we saw a group of people heading our way and every person was carrying a camera. The Amish seem to accept the fact that they are at a public venue and that cameras will be there and they may have their photo taken by someone in attendance so they basically ignore the occasional snapshot being taken. This group was different, as dad,mom,brother,son,daughter and everyone else in their entourage was toting a camera. We thought nothing of this till we started seeing the younger kids going right up to Amish children and shooting right in their face, and then to top it off they would show them the image on the lcd screen. The truly baffling thing was the kids seemed to enjoy seeing their picture on the screen and would pose even more. We saw a few older Amish teens stop and look at the fiasco, but did not stop the activity, so we were truly puzzled. They would use wide angles and be feet from them and laugh hysterically as each new frame was shot, and I just stood there thinking I wanted to smack the whole crew. I figured if it was not bothering them, then who was I to intervene, plus I realize we have the right to take photos, but this was about as obnoxious as anything I ever witnessed. My friend walked away at one point because his head was ready to explode, and after I asked one kid where they were from, his parents came over and wanted to be buddy buddy with me,but I basically ignored them as I was growing increasingly irritated with them. Anyway, here is another image from the auction,plus one of a portion of their crew shooting like a hollywood celebrity was passing by. Hopefully they wont be back to our state anytime soon,but i am not counting on that happening as I was sure I saw the main guy here last year,minus his family. They will probably come in a tour bus next year with the relatives.

I Wanna hold your hand

Posted by reesephoto on

Sorry if anyone is now humming the famous Beatles tune in your head, but it was the best title I could think of at the moment. This image is yet another from last Saturday’s trip to the mud sale and I originally caught a glimpse of these four behind some buggies and hoped they would head my way, which thankfully they did. Once again I was a god distance away with a 400mm,which was perfect for not invading their space. The beautiful blue bonnets are so lovely,and the middle girl is wearing the biggest safety-pin I have seen in a while. The three girls are actually the trio that I posted earlier this week, but I had no idea till I worked on the image.

Backroads Parking Garage

Posted by reesephoto on

The mud sale this weekend is always attended by countless county residents as well as a very strong showing by the local Amish community. Amish farms near the sale are selected to accommodate the numerous buggies and horses that need a spot to park while they attend the sale, and this farm is adjacent to the sale site along a side road. I shot this image from the side of the road and stood on a small trailer to a get a slightly higher perspective over the scene. This is only a small portion of the buggies at this farm, and the horses are kept in the field and barn throughout the day.

Sisterhood

Posted by reesephoto on

Saturday included the last mud sale that I usually attend each spring season in the area. It was very heavy overcast the entire day, so consequently I shot at iso 1000 the entire day so I could keep shutter speeds high enough. This trio of girls happened to lean on a wagon near me,and were totally engrossed in watching horses that were up for sale.I am fairly sure they are sisters, but can not be absolutely certain.

Dial-1-800 Sweet Tooth

Posted by reesephoto on

I photographed this group of young Amish girls and guys at the mud sale last week, and they were quite interested in this cell phone candy holder that was being sold at the sale food stands. It was a plastic case that resembled a cell phone ,but only held candy inside. I saw several groups of Amish kids acting like they were making calls throughout the day, and the item was a big hit with them. These girls wearing their colorful bonnets were immersed in looking at this interesting item. I added the boy using his candy filled cell phone at the last-minute so viewers can see it better.

Spring fishing excursion

Posted by reesephoto on

I thought I would share this image from the past, which is also included in my gallery section here, because now is the time of year when you see fisherman on the banks of the local streams around our area.These Amish boys heading to their favorite fishing hole is one of those images that I look back at and can recall the entire scene as if it were yesterday, even though it goes back to my black and white film days. I had been driving around looking for images when I passed this crew slowly walking down a back road, and I immediately knew it was something I wanted to record for posterity. I drove a ways up the road to a dirt lane, parked and probably said a small prayer as I waited, to let them come by me. One thing I will say about my experience with the Amish is they are keenly aware of their surroundings and these boys were no different.They were looking at my car the whole time they approached and when I finally brought the camera up for a shot, the oldest boy kicked it into second gear as he made things difficult for me to focus and frame the shot, but thankfully I got this image with him in mid stride as he pulled what I assume are his brothers and their gear. I think I was shooting with a Nikon f3 at the time and maybe got three shots off, and this was the winner. I am sure they forgot me as soon as they got up the road,but I remember them like it was yesterday. Back in those days, I would have to drive home, develop the film, hope I nailed the exposure, make contact prints and check for focus before being able to get excited about a shot. Oh the good old days of photography, which by the way I would never want to return to.

Amish Crescendo

Posted by reesephoto on

A few days ago I mentioned wanting to share an image of some Amish girls that I photographed at the mud sale, and todays post includes three of several from a series including these young ladies. Let me start by explaining how these images came to be and why I chose the title. I had been wandering the auction grounds looking for possible photos when I noticed that there were some Amish teens starting to play volleyball in the field adjoining the auction, so I walked in the general direction to check it out. Upon getting closer, I noticed guys playing volleyball and girls in multi colored dresses nearby watching the boys. As I stood there taking in the culture, I noticed four old tractors at the end of the field that were going to be auctioned later in the day. I thought to myself, it would be so cool if one or two of these Amish teens would venture over to the tractors and check them out.

Well no sooner did I think that, when I notice a small group of Amish girls get up and head in that general direction. I immediately began moving behind a row of parked cars in the direction of the tractors in the hopes of getting one good shot before they noticed me. I stayed below the radar for a few minutes watching to see where they were going and to my delight,it was the tractors. As the group reached the tractors, two by two,they paired up on their own tractor and began goofing around, and having a good time with each other. They acted like they were plowing, driving, racing and even made putt putt sounds at one point. I quickly snapped a shot, and thought to myself, this is one of those moments that I cherish as a photographer and was so grateful to be there in that moment.

I figured I would snap a few shots and they would stop doing what they were doing after they saw me, but to my surprise they seemed to be totally unfazed by my snapping photos, and it almost seemed as if they were savoring the moment in front of the camera in a way, because as each moment ticked by, the image got better and better as they moved together onto one tractor to make small talk and have fun. Granted I was using a 400mm at a distance, but we made eye contact multiple times as we each laughed to ourselves in the moment. Experiences like this are forever etched in my mind, and provide me with memories of a culture and lifestyle that I find very special and worthy of respect. One thing I have seen countless times with the Amish,is the fact that they are more satisfied with simplicity than we are with every gimmicky gadget that occupies our time. After I left the spot, I kept thinking I would have loved to talk with them, listened to their perspective on things and even offer them prints, but I realize we come from two different worlds and even though they tolerated me, that was only because we were in a public venue that day.

The crescendo part of my title is because I literally felt like the time with these girls kept building to a visual peak as I snapped away. The multi colored dresses, the pleasant atmosphere, and a great group of Amish friends, all came together is this brief moment in time, which I was lucky enough to be witness too. It is definitely one moment on my photographic journey that I will not soon forget.These images are totally un-choreographed and ones I could not have planned out any better if I was given the chance.

The Wise Elder

Posted by reesephoto on

I photographed this intimate scene during the mud sale this past weekend, and one can only imagine what the conversation included. It could have been about the warm weather arriving so early this spring, items up for sale at the auction, or possibly they were pondering the possibility of using the cane to beat some sense into the guy with the camera. I captured several images over a couple of hours at the sale that made me glad I went, and this was one of those images. I shot this using a longer lens approaching 400mm, so I was a decent distance from them. I rarely shoot on anything but manual, so typically I have the exposure pre-set, so when I raise the camera I only need to frame and focus in an instant, and need not be concerned with trying to tweak exposure. This can be helpful with subjects wearing black, which can throw meters off.