A Vintage Day In Amish Country

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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. 

No Fear

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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.

Special Delivery

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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.

Amish Driving Lessons

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This little scene turned out way different than I thought it would and here is why.As I drove past this farm lane I quickly glanced in and saw what I thought was 4 children ready to head out for a wagon ride,and all I saw was the kids all loaded and ready to lead the horse,so I decided to go a short ways up the road and wait for them to come by.After about three minutes,I became impatient and drove back to see what the hold up was,and that’s when it became clear  that the horse was fake and it was a training session I had witnessed.By then all but one had gone somewhere else and it is one of those shots I will play over in my head that I should have gotten.

Summer Flight

balloon-near-blue-ballThis hot air balloon finally got to a spot low enough that I could include some of the farm landscape below it.Hot air balloons can be a bit of a challenge to shoot,especially on an evening like this when it was slightly breezy, because they cover so much ground that keeping ahead of them and putting yourself in the right spot for a shot becomes tricky. The crew landed in a farm field shortly after this shot was taken.

Looking Back

amish-buggy-familyOne thing I can tell you about the Amish and that is they are keenly aware of their surroundings. I was parked in a spot along the road to capture this family passing by and was using a long lens around 400mm to keep some distance, and I no sooner raised my camera and the dad immediately looked back.Their must be a young one up front because there is a car seat plopped in the back with the kids,unless the child is strapped in with the siblings watching.

A Round The Hay Field

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This field of round hay bales looked especially appealing in the late day light of an approaching storm. I was slightly concerned as I shot this because I was on my truck roof with my tripod extended and there were a few flickers of lightning in the distance.The lower image includes the machine that makes the bales and a load of bales ready to leave the field.That image was taken across the road in a second field that evening and I am pretty sure the large field got drenched before they were collected.

Traffic Jam

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This is a perfect example of being in the right place at the right time,and the only thing that was problematic was the low light and the resulting wide aperture and fast shutter speed needed to freeze any motion.The children seemed to be headed for a collision and the horse was definitely not happy as they got closer to each other.There is actually a wagon being pulled behind the horse cart as well.

There They Are

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I spotted these four brothers enjoying a snack together on the rear of the buggy at a back road store.As I snapped this,the little one started pointing and he was telling his brothers to look at the tourist buggy that was going by and they all waved.Up until a few years ago,there was no such thing around here,but numerous places offer buggy rides that can be small buggies or large wagons that haul fifteen at once,and the big one is what he saw. The bottom image was taken the same day and features an Amish teen on his electric scooter as he passes the tourist wagon on the way to the same shoe shop the boys were at the top of this hill.