IN THE FIELD: Frosty Windows

 

Spring may be right around the corner…at least according to the calendar. But just the other morning when I went outside to warm up the Jeep, Mother Nature said winter is still here. 

Luckily for me the sun had just risen above the horizon and I was able to capture this display of ice diamonds on the passenger window.  

 

 

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IN THE FIELD: SNOW SQUALL

 

The weather forecast for this past February 13th called for a brisk sunny day. No snow was forecasted and there were no storms of any kind showing on the radar. It was mid afternoon when I happened to glance out the window and it was snowing sideways! This snow squall materialized out of nowhere and caught everyone by surprise. Traffic on the nearby highway had slowed to a crawl. The storm lasted about 20 minutes or so and then the sun reappeared from behind the clouds.

Ya know…this image may be something to refer back to this summer when the outside temperature is 90 degrees and it’s oppressively humid!

 

 

 

IN THE FIELD: Rural Road Sightings

 

A couple of weeks ago I took a drive to the city with my best friend. We decided to run the back roads rather than the major highways. Back roads are way less stressful than running on the amateur race tracks. Besides, by driving the back roads, if you see something of interest and want to stop and check it out, it’s way easier to pull over and explore. Try doing that when other vehicles are zooming past at 50 to 70 miles per hour.

We were only about 15 minutes from our destination, still on back roads when we crested the last hill and lo and behold was the sight you see pictured. This brought out roars of laughter and various uttered reasons for putting the bicycles in the tree. My friend had the funniest one. 

“Well them there bikes are for sale and I just got tired of the gosh darn things constantly falling over in the front yard. So I just hung ‘em up in the tree.”

It just goes to show…you never know what you’ll see out there driving the back roads.

IN THE FIELD: CAR SHOWS

 

Car shows are what I like to call “a gathering of mobile works of art”.

You can find all kinds of shapes, styles and models represented from stock as the manufacturer originally made the vehicle, to full out customs. Some cars and trucks are loaded with chrome adornments and some vehicles are customized with almost none. Paint schemes are always a treat to see since imagination is the only limit as to what colors of the rainbow are used to color the car or truck.

One thing you may want to consider when visiting a car show is to plan on spending way way way more time there than you would think you will need. The owners of the cars and trucks love to talk about the vehicle they brought to the show. The amount of automotive history you can learn in an afternoon is amazing. 

In addition to the car owners, fellow spectators are also a fun bunch to hang out with. Hearing their stories of previous shows and their interest in cars and trucks can keep you occupied for quite awhile. And sometimes you may be lucky enough to meet folks who are building a special vehicle of their own. Just don’t forget to check out the rest of the vehicles! 

When I come across a vehicle I would like to photograph, I always chat with the owner for a spell before I ask if I can get a few shots of their pride and joy. So far I’ve never had anyone say no. It’s great that the owners are so accommodating. 

The most recent car show I visited was at the Oley Valley Fair which took place a few weeks ago. See previous post. Cars were on display from the 1920’s to present day, so there was something there for all to enjoy.

 

IN THE FIELD: Uh Oh

 

Summer storms. 

A few days ago a strong line of storms were predicted to blow through the area. As the day progressed, huge cloud formations began to build. And sure enough, my phone and iPad started going nuts with audible weather alerts and messages of impending doom. I.E. Heavy rain, lightning, flash flooding, possible hail, and strong winds which could lead to mesocyclone winds and even tornados. 

I looked out the front windows and judging by how the trees were now bending over from the increasing winds, and the skies were really darkening, a nasty storm was brewing. And it wasn’t far away. Then a quick peek out the back window revealed what was really in store. I literally said out loud…“uh oh”.  

Not knowing how much time I had before the skies let loose, I quickly grabbed the camera and went outback to get a few shots of the stormy clouds. It was really windy so I figured by going out back I would be sheltered from the wind and all the debris that was flying around. Well at least somewhat sheltered.

It was quite easy to see the rotation of the clouds…right above me. I mean the clouds were really spinning. That’s probably why the last alert I heard and read before going outside was a tornado warning.

I was only outside long enough to get a few shots. As much as I enjoy inclement weather, that was long enough. The experience was pretty exciting and rather scary at the same time!

White Balance: cloudy

ISO: 640

Shutter: 1/50

 

 

 

 

 

INSPIRATION AND ASSIGNMENTS: TREES

I have a special affinity for trees and it doesn’t matter what species of tree I may be looking at. To me they are all special. I honestly think my love for trees started when I was a young boy. My parents planted a Scarlet Oak in the front yard before I was born. Scarlet Oak trees are pretty fast growers and by the time my younger sister and I were able to climb nearly to the top, it was already taller than our house. Granted, it was a ranch style house and we were still youngsters, it was still big to us! My sister and I spent many a day playing in the tree. Mom always knew where to find us. Oh, by the way, the tree still stands in the front yard of our childhood home. It’s at least 60 feet tall now. Maybe taller.

Now several (well, many) decades later my love for trees continues. Whether it is through photography, woodworking or just visual enjoyment. And lately I have been doing a little exploring around the community where I live. Looking at trees. The area is nestled in a wide valley, surrounded by small and a few not so small family run farms. This area has been farmed for hundreds of years and most of the farms have been handed down over many generations. Though sparsely populated, in town there are two gas stations, a grocery store, a couple of small eateries and a few small shops. And tree lined streets. Yup, there are two.

Back to the trees…

Dotted among the farmland and rolling hills carved out by glaciers centuries ago, are groves of trees that have been untouched for a couple of hundred years. And then…what I find puzzling…are the lone trees some farmers leave to grow in the middle of their fields. 

Maybe they let them grow out there in the middle so some shade is provided for relief on a hot summer day. Or maybe, just maybe, the farmers leave the trees in the middle of their fields just because. I like that reason the best. 

Ya know…I would think that farmers are pretty well-read. So the quote that follows may be familiar to them. Just because…

“The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a

green thing that stands in the way. Some see Nature all ridicule and deformity, and some 

scarce see Nature at all. 

But to the eyes of the man with imagination, Nature is Imagination itself.”

William Blake

Letters

1799

 

 

 

 

 

IN THE FIELD: IRON HORSES

About an hour from where I live is a major freight yard for the Norfolk Southern railroad.

There is usually a lot of activity with various locomotives moving freight cars of all sorts from one track to another and coupling them together in long trains headed for destinations around the country.

Although you can not get up close to the equipment due to security reasons, there are a few places in the parking area that provide good vantage points looking east or west. A zoom or telephoto lens comes in real handy for close ups and for compressing long distance perspectives. It’s a great spot for railfanning.

It was an overcast day when I took this photo and the light was pretty flat. So I decided to use black and white to better capture the mood.

IN THE FIELD: It’s A Jungle Out There

It was a long way up there, and the views were terrific… but I have to say it was a relief to be back on the ground.

f 2.5

1/80th

ISO 200

WB Cloudy

 

IN THE FIELD: Candy Color

Recently I was asked why I photograph the places or things I do. I photograph subjects that grab my attention, evoke an emotional response and/or inspire my imagination.

This photo is a classic example of all three. It features a cup full of colorants from a custom color paint mixing machine, after the nozzles have been purged for color purity.

First the vibrant color caught my eye. I liked the random patterns that were formed by the various colors.

Second, looking into the cup and seeing all that color reminded me of when we were kids visiting the boardwalk down at the beach. We used to pop into an arcade where we would squirt different colors of paint onto a card and a machine would spin the card and create wild designs. Cool stuff for a 10 year old.

And don’t ask me why, but I thought this looked like a delicious piece of exotic candy.

f 8

1/45th

ISO 200

cloudy WB

flash at 100%

IN THE FIELD: Time Warp

This morning I was walking through the family room and couldn’t help notice the pink glow beaming through the transom window over the front door. I quickly grabbed the camera to get a shot of this beautiful sunrise. I took the first photo at 7:15 this morning from the front porch of our house. The second photo was taken four hours later at 11:15 this morning from the same spot. What a difference a few hours can make!