Upon leaving the Mount Wood Cemetery (Mount Wood Revisited) above Wheeling, West Virginia my camera club friend Tom and I crossed the Ohio river and traveled about 5 miles south on Route 7 to the town of Bellaire, Ohio. We had learned previously, from another friend, Randal, that Bellaire was home to one of the railroad bridges featured in the movie The Unstoppable. Continue reading
This past Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, my friend Tom and I made a return trip to the Mount Wood Cemetery and Overlook in Wheeling, West Virginia. We left Carlisle at 6:00AM and arrived at the overlook at 9:30AM. We photographed at the overlook and then the cemetery until about 2:00PM. On the return trip we visited Bellaire, Ohio, home to several old bridges that have appeared in recent movies and then on to Pittsburgh to photograph the city skyline. We arrived back in Carlisle at about 10:00PM. It was a long day for sure, but the weather was beautiful and we got some unusual, controversial, and perhaps once in a lifetime photographs. Continue reading
About two weeks ago I was traveling back to Harrisburg from Columbus, Ohio along interstate route 70. Before leaving Ohio behind, I stopped for lunch at the Panera in the Ohio Valley Mall. While surfing the net and eating I discovered some images from the Mount Wood Overlook in nearby Wheeling, West Virginia. Always on the look out for photo op’s I decided to stop off in Wheeling to explore this site. After all it was on the way and only about 10 miles from the Panera. Continue reading
The Dillsburg Farmers Fair is a yearly event, held the small town of Dillsburg, Pennsylvania. It opens on a Monday and runs through the following Saturday in the second week of October.
From the http://dillsburgfarmersfair.org website:
“In 1915 a group of prominent business leaders decided to establish an annual event that would draw farmers to town and promote goodwill between the farmers and local business establishments and provide the community with a homecoming and harvest celebration.”
This weekend was the weekend we had scheduled to close down the cottage for the winter. We have to pack up and take home anything that can freeze and then I drain down the water and freeze proof all the drain traps. It takes about 4 hours or so to get it all done. Of course we have to make time to fit in a record breaking October snowfall. Continue reading
This past Sunday Annette and Woody Garthwaite lead a field trip for the Harrisburg Camera Club to Anderson’s Grist Mill in Mercersburg, Pa. The member turnout was good and the photo opportunities were very plentiful, in fact there was really too much to photograph in just one outing. Everyone I talked with expressed an interest in going back.
When we got to the mill we were introduced to the owner, Mr. Harry Anderson. Harry’s father, Chester Anderson purchased the mill around 1917 and after he passed away, Harry ran the mill full time from 1973 to about 1981. Harry is very knowledgeable about every aspect of the mill and it varied contents. After a brief explanation and tour of the mill Harry let us roam around and photograph at will. More about the mills history can be found here, Steam Power Water Power Grist Mills .
The inside of the mill is illuminated electrically buy sparsely placed incandescent light bulbs and naturally by bright sunlight streaming in through the many windows, doors, holes and cracks in the exterior walls. It was a mostly dark, high contrast environment so I chose to photograph primarily HDR images. My photographs are here Anderson Grist Mill.
The photo on the left is just one of the interesting things that I saw at the mill. This, as Harry explained, is a calf weaning collar. The farmer would strap this on the calf when it was time to wean it from it’s mother’s milk. Ouch….!! Very effective I’m sure…
Many many thanks to Mr. Anderson for access to his wonderful property and many many thanks to Annette and Woody for leading us to this great opportunity…!!
At the time of this blog I am still processing my images so please check back for additional photos. All comments, questions and criticisms are welcome.
I have recently been made aware that there is perhaps a feeling out “there” that a photographer utilizing HDR techniques has an unfair advantage over a photographer using more traditional techniques. Anyone have an opinion on this…?
This past Saturday was the Harrisburg Camera Club’s field trip to the Altoona Railroaders Museum, Horseshoe Curve, Hollidaysburg and surrounding area. We had a group of six photographers from the club in attendance. Despite the rain on Friday night and a very overcast start on Saturday, the weather turned out to be rather nice. The group met in the museum parking lot at about 10:00AM. What we didn’t know was that a large portion of the museum’s train yard was fenced off due to the construction of a new roundhouse. Fortunately we were able to enter the construction area and photograph the trains and the turntable located within.
After several hours the group broke for lunch and traveled to Hollidaysburg and the Dream Restaurant. Shooting resumed after lunch at Chimney Rocks Park and Recreation Area on the ridge line above Hollidaysburg. The group ended the day at the Horseshoe Curve photographing moving trains as they rounded the bend. At “last call” most of the group boarded the funicular for the short ride down to the visitor center. We left for home at about 5:30PM.
Here are links to images from the following photographers:
Randal Lathrop | Tom Mulder | Jim Crowley
Here is a panoramic that I shot up at the Chimney Rocks overlook above Hollidaysburg, Pa. You can click on the photo and drag it to the right or the left.
It’s three photos stitched together in Photoshop CS4. Unfortunately I do not have a panoramic head so there is some slight parallax.
Thankx to Randal Lathrop for contributing the group photo and thankx to Tom Mulder and Randal again, for letting me link to their sites.
This Saturday I will be attending the Harrisburg Camera Clubs field trip to the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum, Horseshoe Curve, Hollidaysburg and the surrounding area. The write up by the Harrisburg Camera Club can be found here: HCC Altoona Field Trip. I have been to the Horseshoe Curve before but never to the Railroaders Museum. While I am not a “Railroad” aficionado by any means, as long as the weather holds out I’m sure that I’ll be able to find some interesting images. Continue reading
I’ve been vacationing in Ocean City, Maryland for over 30 years. Robrandi and I have been going twice a year, to Springfest in May, then Sunfest in September, for quite some time. After all this time, I can honestly say I still love going there.
Because of family commitments in May and then other conflicts around the Sunfest weekend, this year we decided to go to OCMD right after the Labor Day Campfest. We stayed right off the boardwalk at the Tidelands Caribbean Hotel & Suites from Tuesday through Sunday. The Schadt’s came down to join us on Thursday night and stayed through Sunday as well. Continue reading
Well, we have completed another installment of our Labor Day Campfest in the Land Before Time at the Cot-Taj-Mahal. I think it is safe to say that even with the minor “Hurrican” that we experienced on Sunday night, everyone had a wonderful time..!! Continue reading