This is a shot I took the other day at a state historic site. The Japanese Red Maple works harmoniously with the yellow barn and colorful Ginkgo to the left.
Simpler Times
Tag Archives: Farm
Autumn at the Farm
Autumn color will soon be a distant memory and even though it was not a banner year for color here in Lancaster county, there were pockets of nice color sprinkled around the area. This farm is one I have noticed the last three fall seasons and every time I waited a bit to long and mother nature would throw a curve ball. This year I noticed it transforming, then forgot about it for a couple days and when I checked it was already dropping! I left work this day with no intention of going here but as I headed home the sky started to light up and off I went. When I got there the sun was a perfect ball with some time left till it would hit the horizon. If you look at the first image, just off to the left behind the white fence is a pond and the sun was a perfect reflection in the pond! Trouble is To see the reflection you had to back up until you were at a neighboring house to see it. Well I rang the doorbell and of course no one was home so I had to concede the shot wasn’t happening! So the sun went down, the sky got decent but I really wondered what the view from down at the pond was like? I knocked and prepared for the worst but the Husband and wife couldn’t have been more welcoming. They basically said have at it, and as the light faded I managed to get two images with the third being taken a little earlier. The ironic part of my adventure was the owner told me the house I wanted to shoot from was his sons! hopefully one day I can pull that shot off.
The Old Farmstead
This old farmhouse and barns have always been a favorite of mine during different seasons. Just a beautiful old property with modern upgrades in the home.
Bounty of Beauty
Another local farm stand overflowing with colorful fall decorating options.
Trotting in a Winter Wonderland
A Mennonite buggy passes by a snow covered Lancaster county farm scene with temperatures in the single digits. When you complain about your car heater taking too long, imagine yourself driving this! I had a couple shots with the horse having all 4 feet off the ground at once which no one thought possible till it was captured on film in a test setup long ago.
Painfully Beautiful
We finally received a measurable snow and with it came some rather bitter temperatures. What you are seeing here is not snow but Hoarfrost. Hoarfrost Needs certain conditions to develop and these include brutal cold down in the single digits, very little if any wind and water vapor to freeze on objects already cold. I headed out this morning before sunrise and as I started my Jeep the temperature read 14 degrees and I thought to myself that’s not as cold as they had predicted? A mile down the road it had dropped to 9 degrees and I realized 14 degrees was in my garage! So I traversed the back roads looking near creeks and streams and only found very light Hoarfrost. I kept driving and thinking about spots in low lying valleys and this location came to mind. It was 10 miles away but I decided to see if by chance it might and boy was I happy when I came down the hill and all around the creek was coated in a thick layer of hoarfrost and no wind at all to destroy the beauty! I crawled under an electric fence and was waiting for the Amish farmer to yell at me to get out of his pasture but I think he knew I was just trying to capture this unique opportunity plus I kept shaking my frozen hands trying not to scream at the intense pain I was in, so he may have been enjoying my misery from his warm living room. I plan to give them a large print for being understanding. Oh and by the way when I got back in my Jeep I noticed two things, one the temperature was now minus 7 and when I went to put the vehicle in drive, it was already in drive! In my excitement I had pulled off the road, left the Jeep running for the heat when I was done and I never put it in park! Thank goodness I had pulled into a small pile of snow which held everything in place while I was preoccupied shooting for at least a half hour! The crazy thing is if it would have started rolling it was pointed directly at the creek embankment which dropped off 20-30 feet to the creek below.
Chilly Sleigh Ride
With temperatures in the teens and single digits these brave souls decided it was time for a sleigh ride through the country. The horses and their passengers all were creating vapor trails as they exhaled their warm breath into the frigid air. I heard the bells jingling in the distance long before I saw them but I knew it meant only one thing was heading my way.
An Awesome Evening
Recently I referenced a snowy night where I stayed out till three in the morning because it was so pretty everywhere. This old farm was owned by a nice guy named Wayne who passed away last year. He had left me photograph the property a time or two and he was always very accommodating. Thirty years ago a photography friend of mine captured this place with an old sleigh in the front yard and that image has lingered in my mind how it was captured and the feeling of it being a place for family to gather. I usually don’t like to do shoot under pitch black skies but this evening had kind of a magical feel and the sky was very luminous!
Leftover Pumpkins
This Amish farm had hundreds of large pumpkins leftover in the field after the fall decorating season wound down. Seems to me they would rather make money selling some at a higher price than move all of them out at a bargain price which is no shock really.
Explore Your Options
Every once in a while I offer some insights on how I end up with the images I share here and this post is one of those times. I used to drive around for hours looking for subjects, but these days I find it harder to allot time to just look. So this particular day I was hoping to get a couple fall foliage shots and was driving the area when I noticed this tree lined farm lane with maple trees just past prime but still very colorful. I pulled off the road so I could walk over to the entrance to the lane and get a tree framed view of the barns. I snapped a couple angles and was walking back to the car when I saw a buggy coming. I thought this will be awesome with my original composition plus a buggy added to the equation! So I sat in the car camera pre-focused, exposure set, ready to blast a series of shots and the top image is the best result of that series. This is not the first time I have found my calculations for a shot turned out to be way off. First the shots I got with the full buggy showing literally blocks the entire farm scene, and even with a fast shutter speed the buggy moving right to left in front of me had some motion blur.
So as I evaluated my error and considered the lay of the land around me I decided to climb a hill behind me. As I got up the hill I noticed that bright area of fallen leaves to the left of the tree and thought if I could get one more buggy passing, I could get what I was after! I waited maybe five minutes and not only did a buggy come but he actually turned into the farm lane which made him stand out clearly against the fallen leaves giving me more than I had hoped for. Surprisingly this is one of my favorites from this fall season because of several points. First I feel the composition is perfectly balanced, it gives you a feeling of going home, the yellow maples, two red barns and two red maples just make a pleasing autumn scene and the horses eating in the pasture add a nice touch! So explore the options wherever your journey takes you!
Autumn Farm View
A fence, a red barn and fall foliage, what more could you ask for?
Zinnia Garden
Pick Your Own!
Local farm market.
Rows, Rows, Everywhere a Row!
From rows of Sweet corn to freshly cut Rows of food crop, patterns are everywhere around here.
Lancaster County Limo Service
Big Brother takes the wheel to give his younger siblings a little summertime fun behind the zero turn.
Ladies Day Out
These sisters put on their matching pink dresses to go for a ride in the country, while their older brother in the back seat was told to sit down, shut up and hold on!
A Final Gesture?
The gentleman who owned this local farm had allowed me to photograph on his property a couple times over the years. He had some custom stonework he created which resembled Castle Spires, a wishing well and other nice accents around the property. He passed away this year and within the last month I happened to drive by and see this wonderful sunflower field on his property! While I cannot say for sure this was a farewell gesture to the community, it would not surprise me in the slightest if this was the case.
Fire Breather!
This is a shot I took at the Rough and Tumble Thresherman’s reunion held last week here in Lancaster county. This is an annual gathering of Steam equipment of all kinds. This particular photo is from what they refer to as the sparks demonstration. To accomplish this effect, they put wood chips into the furnace which then shoot out the chimney as hot glowing embers.
Welcome Home
This photo is the result of not giving up when an opportunity seems lost. I was driving toward Intercourse, Pa which has a large Amish population in the surrounding area when I noticed these Amish kids walking this pony, but the trouble was they were way back off the road in their backyard. Scenes like this just make me yearn to capture them for the glimpse it offers into the Amish lifestyle. Directly beside the property was a local produce store so I proceeded to make a loop around to see if there was a spot to park with a view of the backyard? To my surprise there was one parking spot left which was in the shade and gave an unobstructed view of the interaction. I must say these Amish siblings were doting on this pony with such a caring and gentle way that it kind of surprised me! They walked him around the yard petting him and being very gentle with him. I feel like he is a new member of the family but that is just a guess.
Tornado Warning!
This was captured on Memorial day evening and features a nice red barn and house and the properties small pond located just below. The bottom photo caught my eye a week or so ago and I stopped to see if I could try to capture the sea of yellow. The owner was very friendly and said sure so I asked if I could return to try a pond shot sometime and he said sure whenever, even if we are not home which I appreciated. That brings us to Monday night when possible storms were forecast so I decided why not head out here. I was thinking maybe lightning reflected in the pond or whatever possibilities might develop! I arrived with a dark sky behind the barn and the occasional rumble but really no lightning to speak of. I set my tripod as low as it goes at the edge of the pond with my camera and then added a big golf umbrella I velcro fast to the tripod. I then add a small bag with about 30-40 pounds of weights in it to the tripod and umbrella to keep it from taking off!
After I have my composition locked and focused, I go back to my truck for added safety and remotely operate the camera. It was looking more and more like a flop with the storm just languishing in the distance and the chance for a good shot becoming less with each passing minute. I was a couple minutes from throwing in the hat when I noticed a beam of light below the storm where it was starting to light up. Well the light got better and better till the point I shot this frame and just like that my phone lit up with an emergency Tornado Warning and I could see the rain coming in so I made a beeline to grab my camera before everything let loose. It got pretty windy with heavy rain for a few minutes but thankfully no Tornado developed. All in all I was very happy with the result of this evening of opportunities.
Spring in Bloom
Spring is continuing to unfold day by day and being observant helped me get this shot. You see this is located on a dead end road in the country and as I was driving on a connecting road I caught a glimpse of a dash of pink in the distance. I made my way to this road and was treated to not only the tree in full bloom but the old barn and the patch of daffodils! I maximized the impact of the small patch of flowers by getting in close with a wide angle creating what I thought was a well balanced spring composition!
Sleigh Ride Worth Howling About
My apologies for not posting for quite some time because I have a good number of shots, just setting time aside to do it can be a challenge. With that said here is a shot I took this past week after our area got 4-5 inches of new snow. I will drive the backroads scanning for anything with potential and as I looked in the distance I wondered if what I saw heading my way might be a sleigh? Sure enough it was and it is these special moments that strike a chord with me and get filed away in my memory as yet another blessing in my photography career. It is not just the sleigh, or the bells jingling, or the snowflakes flying, or the horses in perfect synchronization, but if you look closely there are at least eight dogs snuggled in enjoying the ride as well. You got the captain up front, the white one peeking around the corner, there are three in the ladies lap, two in the arms of the rear passenger, and my personal favorite is the one nestled in under the front seat where all you see is his white nose peeking out. For all I know there may have been more under the seats. Sometimes the simple things in life are the most special.
The Sun Sets on Summer
Recently I shared the story of the Mennonite boy I crossed paths with riding home from school. Well this is where he lives and where his parents allowed me to shoot their flower garden. The sun setting on the left was pure luck but I am pleased with my result as it balances nicely composition wise. This was just on the edge of getting hit by frost and a week later they were toast!
Beautiful Old Property
This property is one I have always admired and when I saw the trees in full color, I knew it needed to be captured. There are some challenges here but with some effort greatness can be achieved. If I told you there was a busy road between the stone wall and the white picket fence, you might say no way but in fact there is and I think I finally cracked the code with this angle. The other thing I absolutely abhor is obnoxious power lines ruining a shot but I put in the time to remove all of them and trust me there was a multitude.
Finally Captured it!
Believe it or not this is a shot I have been hoping to capture for the last four years! Fall is a favorite time of year for me and I enjoy everything from the crisp cool nights and frosty mornings to the dazzling array of autumn colors! This location in particular is one I happened to drive past each of the last 3 years and every time it was when the inventory was anywhere from half gone to three quarters gone. Well fast forward to this year and for once I caught the field full of rich color. I stopped and snapped a quick shot and asked if I could stop by in the evening to do a tripod mounted shot under softer lighting? The young lady said sure and all day all I could think about was how awesome this opportunity was going to be to capture such beauty! Well evening finally rolled around and I arrived to notice that during the day hundreds of the most vibrant plants had been taken to the auction? This minor setback was never even considered as a possibility but as the owner told me once they get to full color it is time to move them out. Well I ended up shooting a little lower angle to hide empty areas and the owners thankfully allowed me to move some plants to fill in random holes. I was just settling in with my final composition and the light was getting more appealing by the minute and low and behold here comes a tractor with a wagon down the lane to remove even more? Not knowing what they were going to grab sent me into hustle mode capturing as many exposures from light to dark before my subject potentially might disappear in front of me. They did grab a couple dozen but mostly from the area out of my shot so in the end I finally was blessed to get the shot!
As a side note I wanted to mention that the owner and his family were very appreciative of the framed print I gave them and were extremely pleased with the final image. I must say it is very gratifying when someone acknowledges your abilities and the effort put forth to rise above mediocrity. I think both shots are great but I always lean toward the images that have that “alive” with light look that is one look I love because it imparts more than beauty as you can imagine yourself getting up for morning chores or maybe getting ready to turn in after a day of hard work. Most people are more than happy to hit a few lights on so I can go the extra mile.
Last Wagon Train out of Town
This is a rather unique sight for Lancaster County and reminded me of the Budweiser Clydesdale team. The group was very friendly and waved as they passed by. One thing I could not figure out was they had a lone car tire hanging off the back?
Cruising the Countryside
Looking Away
This sunflower field was great but there was nothing to include when looking into the heads so I shot them from the rear so I could include the small farmette.
Family Harvest
These freshly loaded round bales are heading to the barn for storage. Dad is at the wheel while his two young sons are to the right on the fender learning the ropes. The harvester in the background was not a luck thing because I put myself in the right spot and waited for the two to converge in one shot. Farm kids learn early on about having a good work ethic and I never question the parents personal decisions on safety related activities, but if one of those boys slides off, that steel wheel tractor ain’t stopping in time! We have had several kids here in Lancaster county this year crushed under wagon wheels and they did not survive!
Some Autumn Fun
Heading out to play a little baseball.
Donald Reese Photography 