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▣ August 2012
August. This time last year I was gearing up and counting down for our Sept. 4th wedding date, trying to unpack boxes and paint rooms in a new house, organize our trip out west, and still shoot 2 weddings a week. This year - I've got even more work, but only one To Do list instead of 7! Things are rolling along at a steady pace and every once in a while I have a few minutes to stop and enjoy the view. We've been moved in for 13 months now and I just hung my first photo on the wall this week - and it's not even a photo - but a painting of a grove of aspen trees. The backyard..and the frontyard are still a jungle - I'm sure our neighbors suspect us of being hoarders. Oddly, nothing could be farther from the truth - we have 2 wobbly kitchen chairs, a couch in the living room, my desk in my office, our bedroom set, and that's it. There's no other furniture in the whole house! One room has an inflatable mattress and other rooms are just totally empty. I've been told there is a time for projects like this and that time is called "winter" or the off season ;)
Today I bring you an evening shot of the barn at Lingrow Farm from Stephanie and Ryan's wedding last year.
If you're looking for something to do this weekend - come visit me in Harrison City at Bushy Run Battlefield for the 249th anniversary reenactment of the Battle of Bushy Run. It's a fantastic event with lots to see and learn, food, crafts, living history at its finest. Say hello if you see me - I'll be the one wearing war paint and carrying a camera ;)
Comments added to this post ▣ Fourth of July 2012
After weeks of shooting and editing, I'm taking the rest of today off !
A few shots of the fireworks at canal days this year :)
Have a happy and safe 4th of July celebration! Comments added to this post ▣ July 2012
July - the halfway mark of the calendar - and a hot one this year !
This hazy sunset is from Greenough, MT on our trip last year where the smoke from neighboring wildfires obscured the distant ridge lines by day and painted the sky with color at night.
While we were out exploring and enjoying the sunset, we came upon a family of mule deer who curiously eyed us up over top of a dirt mound.
Get out and enjoy the outdoors this holiday (with plenty of water and sunscreen)! Have a safe and happy 4th of July !
Comments added to this post ▣ June 2012
Two chairs at the edge of the Blackfoot River in Greenough, Montana as the sun goes down. In a moment of stress when someone tells you to go to your 'happy place', this is one of mine.
There's something about getting back to the basics of life that seems to untangle all the stuff the world throws at us everyday. A tent where you can hear the wind and wake with the sun, a good fire to keep things warm and bright in the dark, water to cool your heels after a long walk. No phone, no internet, no facebook.
June is my busiest month this year. Hopefully there will still be a few moments to stop and watch the sunset.
Comments added to this post ▣ May 2012
OMG it's May already. The sun is shining, the weather is warm, busy season has kicked off - and I can't stop thinking about Montana.
The shot for May's calendar month is from our hike along Holland Lake in Montana to photograph Holland Lake falls. (More proof that sometimes the journey can be just as good as reaching the destination.) Located along the western edge of the Bob Marshall Wilderness, Holland Lake is a deep blue oasis in the mountains.
The Bob Marshall Wilderness, referred to by cool people as "The Bob", is 2400 square MILES of wilderness. No towns, houses, no roads. Just the land and the wildlife that calls it home - grizzly bears, moose, elk, and more.
The hike to Holland Lake falls is a good story. Sean and I touched down in Montana via airplane and so we were not able to bring any of the safety items with us that are recommended for hiking in grizzly country. On our way in we passed a few people hiking out that were armed with bells, bear spray, and firearms. We were on our way IN with a camera and a water bottle. Sean was a little concerned for our safety. I mused over how awesome it would be to photograph a charging grizzly. (Other photographers can relate - we feel invincible behind the lens as though the camera makes for a shield. I've been face to face with bears, snakes, steep drop offs, dangerous heights, icy rivers, etc and all that matters is getting the shot. But take the camera away and my 'bigness' is threatened.) It's good for me that when I'm leaning too far over the edge Sean is almost always there and holds onto the back of my jeans while I dangle precariously. I can remember another instance where I was flat on my belly in the tall grass shooting a poisonous spider as it fought with a daddy long legs a few inches off the end of my lens. I was admiring what a beautiful creature of nature it was - all the while Sean stood overtop of my shoulders holding a big stick with instructions that if the beautiful creature of nature suddenly made a leap for my face he was to kill it. Kill it dead.
Lucky for us, we didn't encounter any dangerous wildlife along our hike to the falls. Although I nearly passed out from dehydration (another story entirely). When we reached the falls it was worth it, and we were greeted by 3 of these little guys. They looked exactly like the chipmunks we have here in PA just twice as big. They were friendly and clearly used to getting handouts from hikers. I fed them our peanuts from the airplane. (Sean was convinced I had doomed us death since the airplane peanuts were all we had to sustain us should we become trapped out in the wild and I had the nerve to feed them to a rodent...)
May is a great month to GET OUT ! See your home state, take pictures, make memories, visit your local parks, interact with wildlife!
Just don't get eaten by bears....or Sean will be all "I told you so".
Comments added to this post ▣ April | New Beginnings
Green really is my favorite color. Green is the color of calm serenity and wet grasses and things that are silent, but alive. I even chose green for our wedding, it was color of new leaves in the spring :) This year has been unseasonably warm in PA. In fact, I think at this point we can officially take away the groundhog's weather forecaster title. He totally didn't see this coming. While I'm psyched about the warm weather and SUNNY days in pittsburgh, I wish the landscape would catch up. My internal gauge of the seasons says it feels like May outside, but everything is still brown and dormant for another few weeks.
These photos are from a trip last spring to a favorite state park with the family. We stayed in another yurt this time along the Clarion river, and there were so many people on this trip that we needed overflow space with a tent on a campsite. My sister's friend, Amy, actually slept on the kitchen table because the bunks were full!
I am so excited for this year and to kick off wedding season. Last year I was working full time and running the business, also planning our wedding and honeymoon, house shopping, house buying - house fixing/painting/cleaning. I was spread way to thin. This year I am tickled pink that I only have to work on my business and I can get back to the way I want to work. I feel so empowered by the fact that I'm totally on top of all my editing, paperwork, and communication. (If only I could get the blog delay worked out.) It's like there's all this inspiration waiting in the wings and it's about to ignite! I'm hoping this will be the year I learn to find balance between running a small business and being a real person.
New ideas, new equipment, bigger plans - awesome year about to kick off in a few weeks! Comments added to this post ▣ March
March 2012 - I thought we needed a BIG expansive photo to snap us out of our ho hum winter. See that snow waaaay back on those mountains? That's about as much snow as we've seen this whole winter. And at the risk of jinxing us with a St. Patrick's Day blizzard, I think winter is over - it's just going to drag it's feet getting out of here.
Just to give you a heads up on PhotosbyAW news, we are currently booked for 31 weddings this year and I'll only be taking a select few more depending on the dates. That being said - bring on the 2013 events!! I've already booked one for february next year ( Hi April and Tony !! ) and I'm excited to get this show on the road! Keep an eye out on the website for new changes, I'm in the process of updating all the photos in the galleries and slideshows. Also ** PRICES will be going up over this weekend looking ahead to the 2012 and 2013 season so call now to lock in the 2011 rates !! **
I love this photo that I shot at St. Mary's Lake in East Glacier, Montana this past September. It's the first photo from that trip I'm sharing on the blog and I hope to share all the photos soon! (You know my pesky chronological blog disorder is holding me back though.) This was one of the first
So I resolved to just take the best photos that I could on that day with the equipment that I had.
Comments added to this post ▣ 2012 Calendar
Keeping with tradition, this year's calendar is hot off the press and ready for distribution !! The 2012 edition is the best yet with scenery and wildlife photos from all across Pennsylvania as well as northwest Montana this year! See seasonal photos from the Great Plains and Glacier National Park in addition to local Pennsylvania landmarks.
The January calendar photo was shot one winter morning in 2010 as I headed out hoping to capture the morning frost as it clung to the trees. There was a storm overnight, then the sky cleared before dawn, the wind died down and it got bitterly cold. I knew the frost wouldn't last long with the blue sky and the sun shining brightly. I was lucky this angle over the old Palmiscno farm caught my eye and I was able to get a few shots before things started to melt. (Yes - this was another one of those times where I stopped the car in the middle of the road and jumped out with my camera ;-)
I'm really proud of this year's calendar. Even though it was the busiest year of my life, Sean and I still managed to do some traveling and get the family together for a few camp outs. There are shots from my home town (because as Dorothy of Oz told us "if your heart's desire isn't in your own backyard, then you never lost it in the first place), as well as two PA state parks, a county park, images I experienced while shooting other events, and some of the locations we found and photographed on our trip out west including the legendary Bob Marshal Wilderness.
This year's calendar is available by email request or can be picked up in a few local businesses at a cost $25. There are twenty-four full color photos to enjoy and all of the images contained in the calendar are also available for sale mounted and/or framed as prints and on artists' canvas.
Send me an email at PhotosbyAW@aol.com if you'd like to order one or find out where you can pick one up!
Here's to another great year! Comments added to this post ▣ December | Goals, Plans, Guilt, and Catching up
So this is what december is supposed to look like - instead it's sunny, no snow, and 50 degrees. It's difficult to get into the christmas spirit. I feel like I'm running in a race and the deadline is rapidly approaching but there's no signs pointing to the end! What a year this has been and now there's only 30 days left of 2011.
I'll keep this short in the interest of getting back to work quickly.
GOALS
Wish me luck guys, and thanks for hanging in there with me even when I can't get back to you right away. I'm thankful for all of my awesome friends, awesome clients, clients that become friends, and friends that become clients! I'm looking forward to catching up and being able to improve all of the services that we offer! Comments added to this post ▣ November | twitter
November 2011. Halloween has come and gone - we only got 5 trick or treaters this year. I had pumpkins and lanterns and light up bats and everything. Maybe next year?
Halloween in PA this year brought 3 inches of snow at our house. That's a new record for PA. The road conditions were pretty lousy for Saturday's wedding. I slid off our driveway and ended up in the yard. Had to 4 wheel back out. That will be fun when we really start getting snow in the next few months. A lot of buyers passed over this house before we bought it specifically because the driveway is steep and full of holes. But we like big projects and that's on next year's list. Let's just hope we can make it through the winter.
Here is November's calendar photo from a soybean field in Westmoreland county.
Leaves and blue skies :-)
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Comments added to this post ▣ August
August.
The Knot.com notified me this morning that there are only 33 days until our wedding. 33 days seems like 5 minutes judging by how fast the past 3 months have gone.
I shot this last year on a spur of the moment trip with sean near sinnemahoning, pa. The real attraction was the view from the overlook, but on the walk up to the overlook I thought the sunset looked even better from behind the trees.
Comments added to this post ▣ July
Happy 4th of July weekend everyone :-)
Fireworks over Turner's pond in Westmoreland County.
I have to work all weekend, but I encourage you to get out and go swimming, have campfires, eat smores, throw water balloons, sit on porch swings, camp out in a tent, eat too much ice cream, and watch fireworks!
Comments added to this post ▣ June
June is here again - I wrote this blog post once already. I can tell you that the first version was very melancholy with lots of worrying about the things I've not gotten done, the house that isn't moving fast enough, the wedding planning that is being ignored, the editing that's keeping me up all night, the bank account that's draining like a bathtub without a bottom, etc.
Then I got this email today :
" Hi - I was banging around on the web and just happened upon your web site... I am an artist (painter) I live in the Memphis, Tn. area. Your photographs are just awesome... and you sound like a very nice person and a very caring person. I was impressed by your work and your knowledge and I thought that I would just send you a little "thumbs up" email... good luck on your list..! " I replied and thanked him for the support, and he wrote back:
"Yes Ma'am, Thank you for the kind response... I meant every word... I work in the graphics industry in Memphis and we have our own photography dept. They are fantastic, but your work really spoke to me... Looking at your work, I could feel something like real freedom that I think you felt as you shot the photos... it said Americanism to me... I could almost feel the leaves and the hills... really, just awesome, true clarity.. and reading what you had written about your work, how you got started and the way you go about things put me in a great mood and got me laughing at your sense of humor. I'm not crazy Ma'am... I'm just an artist that respects other artist.. Anyway, I won't bother you with further commentary. I just thought that I needed to say that to you.. God Bless you and I hope you become famous... if not famous.. at least rich..! Very Truly and Respectfully..
Gary "
That email turned my whole day around. Just a little reminder from the universe that sometimes there is beautiful light during a storm.
Once in college, I did a semester-long photo documentary of daily life on a local dairy farm. My professor was thoroughly unhappy with my photos. Having grown up on her grandmother's farm in England, (apparently not a good experience for her), she accused me of 'lying' with my photos. Or not 'telling the whole story'. She said that my photos were untrue and instead depicted some country music version of rural farm life. She wanted to see the "REAL" photos and sent me back repeatedly to reshoot my assignments. But I just kept bringing her back more of the same. Grasses waving in the wind, old dogs riding in the back of pickup trucks, hard working people who were exhausted and filthy but fiercely proud of their work at the end of the day. This professor and I went the rounds with eachother, both of us completely frustrated with the other person's inability to understand the message. She wanted to see failure, and struggle, and animals sick or dying.
And when I looked hard, I could have found those things, but didn't SEE them. You know what I mean? What I could SEE was the underlying spirit of the place. Generations of men and women working from daylight till dark doing honest work, continuing a way of life handed down to them because they love it. And because they believe it is a way of life worth preserving. The professor eventually gave up on me and reluctantly passed me through the class writing me off as one of the 'rose-colored glasses ' club.
I didn't care. I just kept shooting what I see. I'm not doing anything special. There's nothing fancy about my camera, no photoshop tricks. I'm not doing anything that anyone else couldn't do, I'm just taking pictures of what I see.
Gary's email made my day. Like a stranger tapping me on the shoulder, grinning, and whispering, " i see it, too. "
Comments added to this post ▣ May
Before May is over, here is May's calendar photo !
Shot last year along clear creek about an hour after I caught my first trout ! We battered and fried him and he was delicious :-)
There has been so much going on here - my little sister graduated from college, my parents hosted her graduation party, she moved to another apartment and in a week she will move again. I'm still deep in wedding planning, the bridal shower is coming up quick, I've been blessed to be working constantly shooting photos, and the big BIG news - after 2 years of searching and just 4 months before our wedding - we bought a house !! Crazy, right? I mean, how many more projects can I expect to take on in one year? Apparently there is no limit.
Sean and I closed on our very first house on monday. We are now the proud and somewhat overwhelmed owners of a big empty structure full of new carpet and expired stink bugs.
We have debt together now.
Our names are on bills together.
So apparently we really ARE getting married ;-)
I mean we pretty much have to. After all, these days it's easier to get divorced than it is to get out of your phone plan.
Comments added to this post ▣ April - catching up !
April's calendar photo - no your eyes are NOT deceiving you. You do not need to adjust your moniter - the blog is back in business !! Yippeeee!!!!!!!
It's been a little over two months here of crickets and tumbleweeds, but thanks to the technical genius of Sandy's husband, Eric, I am back on the map. He is seriously a yoda-like jedi-techmaster. I would not have been able to rescue my site without his help ! Please leave him some special thanks in the comment section for all of his hard work.
I owe you big time Eric!
And now back to the photos - this one was shot April 2010 at Russell and Heather's wedding we shot in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland at the Chesapeake Beach Resort.
I have so much to catch up on with blogging - things have been changing around here BIG TIME!
I can't wait to share it all - leave me some comments and let me know if you're still out there !
I missed you :-)
Comments added to this post ▣ March
It's a new month and that means a new calendar photo. This one I shot on our Easter weekend camping trip last year (see HERE ) . Sean and I were just complaining last week that we can't wait for warmer weather to get the camping gear out. When it starts raining and it smells like spring it always makes us think of the first camp out of the year. The thunderstorms we had last night were a wake up call that the snow is finally coming to an end.
I shot this photo just after sunrise on what would turn out to be a perfect day. When you spend the night out in a tent, you go to sleep at dark and you wake up when the first bird chirps which is usually before the sun peers over the horizon. The wind changes as the rays of the sun start to warm the dome of the tent and filter through the screening. No beeping clocks, no phone alarms, nobody stomping to the kitchen to get ready for work - you wake up naturally and it's unlike anything else. You actually wake up in a GOOD mood ! On this particular morning I woke up in a GREAT mood! I unzipped the tent and climbed out into the sunshine. You didn't even need a jacket it was so unseasonably warm. I shook the tent to knock the dew off and wake up Sean.
I told him I wanted to go hiking. Immediately :-)
And bless that man o mine - he just smiled and said Ok. So we hiked to the foot of Cucumber falls - I think I was still wearing my PJ pants and probably flip flops. *I do not condone wearing flip flops into the woods under any circumstances*. Sean stood on the trail while I climbed down into the stream and hopped rock to rock out to the middle.
I spent the next 30 minutes shooting the early spring morning sun as it quietly danced across the water. Every couple minutes I would look up to see if Sean had lost his patience with me yet (frequently I derail our purposes with spontaneous photo episodes without regard to daylight, danger, or meal times). He would just be standing up there with an amused look and I would point and gesture at the rocks and the sunlight and grin like I'd just discovered a colony of leprechauns.
The lighting was so good, it made the water look like you could just stick your tongue out and lick it.
When the sun was too high in the trees and my feet were completely numb in the cold water, we headed back to camp. Grateful for before-breakfast hikes, and that man o mine ;-)
Comments added to this post ▣ February
Well the groundhog did NOT see his shadow.
And apparently that means an early spring. Which is good if you're anxious for warm weather, bad news if you are like someone I know and have not gotten nearly enough photos of the snow yet. February 2011 - now only 7 months from my wedding, 9 weeks until the first wedding of the year, 4 days until the Steelers play the Packers in the Superbowl - and I'm STILL not caught up with my 2010 to do list yet. I've resolved to just keep forging ahead and try to accomplish something everyday. I'm still mired in albums. They're a lot of work to take on individually and when several are ordered all at once it's daunting to say the least. If any silent blog readers out there know anyone with graphic design or album design experience that is looking for some part time work - I am eager to find help!
Even though a groundhog predicts the outcome of february - this pond was made by another small furry critter - a beaver! Sean and I along with my Dad staked out this beaver pond in a meadow a few februarys ago hoping to get a photo of the industrious little guy, but he evaded us. Lucky for me, the sunrise was beautiful that morning and the frostbite was worth it !
Another winter shot of Berberis canadensis (the American Barberry) in Elk County.
Comments added to this post ▣ January
I can't think of a better day than today to post January's calendar photo now that we have 5 inches of new snow out there ! This is a shot from January 2010 on the way to Megan and Jon's wedding at Stonehenge Lodge in Acme, Pa. We took a long winding way to get there and along a two lane road over laurel ridge we reached an elevation just high enough that we encountered 'freezing fog' ! I'd never seen it before - the only time I'd ever even heard of it was from Jim Cantore on The Weather Channel. Every branch down to the smallest pine needles was completely encased in frozen snow. It wasn't ice like an ice storm, it was white grainy snow that landed softly on every surface and then in an instant froze completely solid. It was really amazing to experience ! Sean and I pulled over and got out of the truck just to walk around in it.
Here's a close up of the road sign so you can see what I mean!
Also - Megan and Jon celebrated their one year anniversary on the 9th !
Congratulations to you both and best wishes for many more happy years together!
Comments added to this post ▣ 2011 Calendars
Greetings to a new year! Photo calendars are back! They are 12 month calendars which are 11x17" in size and feature twelve 8x10 photos of some of my 2010 travels.
Calendars are just $20 and make great gifts ! If you'd like one for yourself or one to share, please email me at :
PhotosbyAW@aol.com
Have a great week! Comments added to this post ▣ December
December. I shot this image last December near Ligonier, PA. I remember because Sean was my driver on this photo mission and he waited patiently in the truck idling on a side road while I ran up the highway, no coat, shoelaces waving. The composition seemed to get better the farther away and up the hill I walked. It's amazing how when you're staring through the lens, you don't feel cold. You don't feel danger either - learned that standing too close to the edge of cliffs, fires, and dangerous animals.
So here we're back to it. Snow. We've woken up to snow here in PA two mornings in a row. This is nothing compared to Laurel in Colorado ( Hi !! ) who emailed to report the first snowfall there back in SEPTEMBER.
Only 23 days till Christmas.
Comments added to this post ▣ October
Already it's October. I feel like yesterday it was February. The years really do start moving fast. I remember when I was a kid that summer vacation used to last F-O-R-E-V-E-R. Just days and days of warm sun and no school that never seemed to end. By the time September rolled around it seemed like a century since you'd last seen school mates and ridden the bus - like it was a very distant memory. Now it seems like summer went by in a blink. And although we did a ton of summer weddings and sessions, camped out, went fishing, watched the sun go down, made smores, etc - these memories don't seem to get as deep into your mind as the ones we made when we were kids. Maybe because the time seemed to move so much slower then, stuff had more time to sink in?
Yesterday I woke up in the fall state of mind. It was drizzly and rainy all day, kinda chilly. I made whole pot of chicken soup from scratch yesterday - raw chicken in a pot with broth for 5 hours until it's cooked and the whole house smells delicious. Add veggies and noodles...mmm. Also made a pie and a loaf of beer bread. All good stuff that can be put on to cook and then I can sit and smell it while I'm editing photos. So much editing. I've got 2
The October calendar shot is from a one lane road near home that sometimes is a dirt road and some years is paved - just to go back to a dirt road again. The trees are changing their leaves and the cornstalks are drying out in the fields.
This weekend is the Delmont Apple Festival <----- click for link) If you are anywhere near the area - DO NOT MISS IT! Delicious food, crafts, outdoor musicians, antique tractors, but the main event - is the apple cider press. It's in a big old wooden building and they fire it up every year for 2 days. You can stand and watch it squeezing the apples and filling the jugs and then buy them right after they're capped. It's the best stuff you'll ever taste in your life. There's also apple butter, apples by the bushel and bag, apple pie. If you go - the number one tasty treat is the Hot Apple Dumplings. You have to get the ones from the wooden booth on the corner made by the church ladies. Other stands sell apple dumplings, but the church lady apple dumplings are the best. You can get them hot with cinnamon sauce or with vanilla ice cream.
Happy weekend everybody :-) Comments added to this post ▣ September
Another month gone by - another season poised to change and it's time for the next shot from the calendar. This one was from our family vacation last labor day weekend way way out into the pennsylvania wilds along the northeastern tier. This was actually the view from the edge where the guardrail along the one lane road had washed away and the line between civilization and the wilderness was faded.
September :-) Maybe my favorite month of the year? Not sure.. Every evening there is a golden hour of sunlight just before dusk - and September is like the golden hour of the summer. One last beautiful warm flare to splash in the water and lie in the grass before cool breezes change the leaves send us in search of pumpkins and apple cider.
Comments added to this post ▣ My big fat 101 update | Pittsburgh Zoo
Ok. So the blog-a-thon was a FAIL.
Let's move past that and do a big 101 update post - I really have been trying to balance work and personal time and not lose sight of my goals! This is just a little recap of what I've been up to over the past few months from May till today.
22. Visit the Pittsburgh zoo and new PPG aquarium - completed 5/25/10
This was sooooooooo awesome! I haven't been to the zoo in a couple of years and when I was there it was winter time before and only a few exhibits were open. This time was a once in a lifetime experience, we got the chance to go behind the scenes at the zoo! Sean's mom, Sean's sister Nikki, Aunt Lori, the cousins :-) , and my sister Ashley all went together.
This was the first new friend we made, Louis, the giraffe !
We got to go behind the gates and signs actually into the back of the enclosure and fed Louis carrots. His nose was covered in stiff hairs and his tongue was black - why? Because giraffes use their tongue to pick teeny little leaves and vegetation to eat the same way we would use our fingers. So since giraffes spend a lot of time with their tongue sticking out, their tongue is black so it doesn't get sunburned. Cool adaptation!
Also, Louis has a girlfriend in his enclosure.. well - he has a girl giraffe he would like to be more than friends with but at this point she's concerned that if they take their relationship to the next level, she might lose him as a friend so she's playing it cool for a while and poor Louis is stuck being a guy friend.
Ashley & Nikki - hereafter referred to as "the sisters" hanging out with the penguins and polar bears.
I love seeing the kids at the zoo getting close to nature - the world is so big - check it out!!
One of the cousins enjoying Dip N Dots after she ate all her lunch and giving her new pal Louis the stuffed giraffe a ride in her stroller. I hadn't had DipN Dots for like a decade since before the last time I went to Idlewild or Kennywood, it's so long I can't remember. All I can recall is that there used to be a Dip N Dots stand near the pool and the big raft water slide at Idlewild. We had strawberry banana and mint chocolate chip at the zoo and it tasted just like I remembered.
We got to check out the new addition to the elephant house and see the baby elephants! I tried some different post process techniques here - what's your favorite and why?
(Regular capture color)
(Dramatic black and white)
(Sun baked sepia)
A few more animal friends we met at the zoo: skunks, gators, beavers, and a tiger with a meat popsicle. Besides taking care of the animals, the zoo staff also maintains all of plant life beautifully showcasing many species.
This was my FAVORITE part of the whole day. We got to go inside the bear enclosure area - ! Never in my life would I have imagined I would be nose to nose with a black bear. I've seen them in the wild, hunted them with my camera, photographed them at great distances, and searched for them on long drives. This was one of those breathless WOW moments. We met a bear named Susan who had been hand raised by humans before she came to live at the zoo, and we got to feed her peanuts. Peanuts in the shell to be exact. She would only eat one peanut at the time because she would grasp the peanut with her lips gently shell the peanut with her tongue and then spit out the shells before eating the peanut. Every single time. I really wished Sean could have been there. This was totally wild. To hand feed a black bear.
This is Sean's cousin, 'shiny penny', feeding Susan the bear.
Before we left, Susan the bear had her paw through the bars and was happily munching peanuts. I reached out and touched her paw, feeling the curved claws and bristly fur. (The fur on their head is soft like a dog's face, but the hairs on their body and legs are stiff to protect them as they move through the brush). I know this is going to make me sound like a crazy person, but I don't care. For a minute I held the bear's paw between both of my hands and looked into it's eyes. It was a breathless kind of wow moment.
We had a great time at the zoo, eventually I got past my speechlessness about the bear - I wish my Dad could have been there. He would have loved seeing the bear. It was once in a lifetime.
80. Go to the drive in movie at least 3 times - completed 7/2010
This has been a fun one to cross off. There is a drive in near us that's been there all my life and I feel somehow responsible to go as much as I can so another old hometown landmark doesn't dry up and disappear. I haven't been able to get any decent photos of these trips because it's always last minute, in the middle of the night, and I never remember my camera. But so far we've seen:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> MORE TO COME LATER >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Comments added to this post ▣ Weekend Update on Wednesday
It's the lunar module!!!! No just kidding - it's actually a lookout tower. Over the weekend Anna and I had the huge privilege to document Scot and Aimee's wedding at the Penn Scenic View near Somerset, PA. I won't give away the details, but there was a scenic view, an ice cream sundae bar, bluegrass musicians, a first look !, salmon on the grill, a lake with an island, and goldfish the size of poodles. In short, we got there early and stayed late :-)
After the last song, Anna and I went up on top of the hill to check out the sky. I had an idea - I remember back when I met Scot and Aimee for the first time we talked about how cool it would be to get fireflies in their wedding photos. And wouldn't you know, after a week of 90 degree temperatures, we had a refreshing rain on friday and then saturday was comfortably cool - this also meant no fireflies to be found anywhere. So what was the next best thing? The stars :-) I didn't want to disappoint - so we spent about an hour on top of the hill at the lookout tower after the wedding doing some long exposures of the glittering night sky. Since we were far away from the lights of the city, the the stars were extra bright. For this shot with the lookout tower, we used a technique called 'painting with light'.
Then it was a 2 hour drive home - but it was nice - we rolled along the turnpike going over the day and our favorite shots. Aimee & Scot - if you're reading this - I hope your breakfast on the beach was perfect :-D Have a great honeymoon!
----------------------------------------------------------- Sunday after a long sleep in, Sean and I hung out for the afternoon and went to Jerry's Custard for 'dinner' ;-) The flavor of the week is BANANA :-) !!!
Starting to tomorrow I'm going to try to blog five weddings in five days to try to start catching up on blogging - stay tuned and cheer me on with comments!
Comments added to this post ▣ July
" We're having a heat waaaave, a tropical hhheeaatwaaaaave - the temperatures rising it isn't surprising she certainly can, can can! " - Marilyn Monroe from There's No Business Like Show Business
A little late here to post this month's calendar photo, I blame the holiday weekend. More to come in the next Weekend Update - camping, carbs, thoughts on Taylor Lautner, and beating the heat. Also - a wedding update.
This photo was taken at Lingrow Farm last July at Jaclyn & Dennis' wedding after a summer rain and the rainbow that followed faded. (Jaclyn! If you still read this blog or if anyone who knows them does - did they move?? )
Happy belated July 4th !
Comments added to this post ▣ Russ + Heather | 4.30.10
We went coastal back in April for Russ & Heather's wedding at the Chesapeake Beach Resort & Spa in Chesapeake Beach, MD! This is a big change for all my Pittsburgh friends to see the ocean on this blog - it was a big treat for us as well to be asked to shoot a destination wedding ! The resort was amazing, right on the bay with the fishing docks.
Every suite had a balcony overlooking the water.
The morning of the wedding, we met up with the girls at the resort's salon where they were getting hair and make-up.
Heather was in the hot seat!
The groom's neice, K, was their flower girl hanging out with all of us in the bridal suite while everyone got ready!
Anna and I were very spoiled on this trip, this was the view from our hotel room.
Heather's mom helped her place her veil and Russ sent down a gift for Heather - a Pandora charm!
Heather looking beautiful - I loved her chandelier earrings :-)
We decided since it was in the mid 80s - very hot for April - (us PA girls are not used it ;-) instead of leaving the hotel and getting photos on the grounds before the ceremony, we squished onto the balcony for a few shots so we could stay near the AC and keep everyone cool. The bright colors were fun and tropical!
Heather looking totally gorgeous !! HOT. :-)
The groom's nephew, A, was the ringbearer and I thought looked like a miniature James Bond - Casino Royale style!
Just before the ceremony we headed downstairs to rendezvous with the guys where Russ was anxiously pacing the sidewalk - he couldn't wait to get the show on the road ;-)
Russ with the guys and with his Dad. His boutonniere was really cool.
This was the backdrop of their ceremony by the sea as they stood on the docks with the gulls swooping over the waves beyond the break.
The ceremony site just before the guests were seated.
With the sun setting, it was time to start and everyone came together in the bright afternoon light to celebrate.
Heather making her way down the aisle with her Dad by her side - the resort placed a heavy carpeted 'runway' on the sand so people didn't sink in!
They exchanged rings and made their promises to each other in front of family and friends.
We didn't have a lot of time for photos before dinner so we had to work fast!
Russ's sister the maid of honor helping remove Heather's veil before the reception.
The room was lined with windows that looked out to the water.
Some details of their reception - they decorated with shells and colorful flowers. The centerpieces were vases of blooms that also held a tropical fish in the bottom. Since we were out of state instead of a cookie table, guests indulged in chocolate covered strawberries and chocolate cups filled with creme. (The cookie table is only a western PA tradition.) Midde right and bottom left images by Anna.
Right after they were announced, Russ & Heather danced their first dance together as husband and wife while Heather's parents looked on proudly at their little girl.
Right after dinner we rushed back out to the dock for some photos as the sun was already set at the edge of the horizon - we had to work fast! Seconds counted!
But we still made time for fun :-)
Something I've learned over the past few years, is that sometimes the best colors at sunset happen after the light is already faded and the sun is down.
Just look at that sky.
Left image by Anna.
One of my favorites from the day.
Just a night shot from around the resort area.
Later on the maid of honor gave a toast that had everyone rolling on the floor laughing including Russ's parents :-)
The best man toast (the best man is the one wearing the white sunglasses) went on and got a lot of laughs as well!
Just one final shot of the pier lit up at night. After a lot of dancing, everyone gathered together for brunch the next morning ( can you say waffle and omelet buffet?? ) then it was time to head back to PA.
Thanks again for having us, we had a great time and wish you all the best!
Comments added to this post ▣ June
I totally forgot June - sorry! It's been busy around here with the kick off to wedding season in full swing, finishing up graduating seniors and scheduling for 2011 seniors, and babies :-) I've been lucky enough to get to photograph many babies in all of this beautiful june summer sunshine. I can't wait to share!
Here is the June calendar photo for the month - taken last year at the PA grand canyon. Appreciate it - I had to hike over a mile down a trail called the "turkey path" to get this! It was down a nearly sheer drop off ravine and the trail zigzagged (like a turkey walks) occaisionally utlizing actual platforms and handrails built into the side of the hill to keep you from careening off into thin air. P.S. After hiking DOWN we had to climb back UP. That's where the real triumph was. Welcome back summer :-) We've been trying to take in as many summer activities as possible - I will post a 101 update soon about it as I'm continously trying to knock out my list.
Plus - total bonus - all of my favorite ice cream stops are open again: Speedy's in crooked creek, Lackey's DQ in north apollo, Jerry's Custard in Upper Burrell, The Meadows in Indiana, that little ice cream shop on Bonniebrook road near Butler, The Pale Whale cafe in Cooksburg. I search them out - ! My favorite flavor is mint chocolate chip - but I also love banana, berry, pumpkin - i love to try the off the wall ones.
Do you guys know any good ice cream places? Leave me a comment and tell me so I can go try it! What flavor is your favorite there??
Comments added to this post ▣ #94 Camp in a Yurt - Complete!
If you remember back to January, I posted my list of 101 in 1001 which is a To Do list of 101 goals to be completed in 1001 days. I'm a big list maker so this was right up my alley and I can say proudly that I've actually been checking some things off - and using the list as an excuse to actually DO stuff!
For instance, I completed #94 Camp in a Yurt over the past weekend and it was an awesome experience!
First things first - what is a yurt? Well - yurts.com says The Yurt is a modern adaptation of the ancient shelter used by Central Asian nomads for centuries. The compact shape of the yurt and combination of lightweight members in tension and compression mean that the structure is highly efficient in maximizing strength while minimizing the use of materials.
Translation: It's a perfectly round tent made of heavy waterproof materials stretched over a lattice wooden frame with a domed roof. Originally devised to be taken down and packed on camels over long journeys by nomadic tribes - the western and "modern" version are semi-permanent structures that use few materials, have low impact on the soil, and can be removed without a trace. Also - it can be cooler and more luxurious than an expensive hotel room. Especially if you like to be close to nature and stare up at the stars. :-)
This was the yurt we stayed at courtesy of the PA State Parks - check out their website for info and reservations by clicking here. And I can say it was nicer than most hotels I've stayed at. There are several state parks in PA with small colonies of yurts. These happened to come with a fantastic lighted deck, outdoor fire ring with seating, and all the furniture you would need. We were just a short walk from the brand new shower house where the hot water was heavenly!
This was what we saw when we unlocked and opened the door to our "tent". Each yurt comes with an electric cooktop, an apartment size fridge, cabinets, a desk area, a kitchen table with chairs, a chair, 3 single bunks and a double bunk. This one even had lamps! This definitely did not qualify as a tent in my book. The coolest part for me was the plexiglass dome at the peak of the roof that you could pop open and use to vent hot air out. It was a skylight during the day filling the space with natural light. And at night a portal to the stars :-)
The time and craftsmanship put into these dwellings was exceptional. They really paid attention to the details.
Since the yurts are available spring, summer, and fall - there is a small heater built into the divider wall that does a great job of keeping the place toasty if it's very cold out or if you forget to close your dome at night (warm air rises remember).
Even the beds were sturdy and beautifully constructed. Equipped with mattresses and pillows. It was better than a hotel for me and immaculately clean!
The yurts had a great view of the lake and it was a short walk to the water.
The sun was bright and we fished some before dinner time. Sean caught a nice trout that was hanging out under that log in the water. We threw him back :-) I caught a bunch of goldfish sized bluegill and sean caught a small bass.
My sister helping cook dinner on the campfire - making goofy faces. She drove in from college and met us for a day. Miss you, Skip :-)
Sean pulled over on the side of the road so I could go wandering off and take pictures of these blue flowers. I think they might be some form of Larkspur? I could be wrong..
All in all a great trip! Lots of hanging out, exploring, fishing, taking pictures, and cooking on the campfire.
To give you an update, here are some other things I've crossed off my 101 list!
#1 Shoot a destination wedding completed 4/30/10 (more to come soon)! #30 Back-up ALL the 2009 photos in external hard drive completed 3/31/10 #59 Update the layout of my blog completed 4/6/10 #75 Get a fancy camera strap completed 3/11/10 #90 Get an eye exam completed 3/11/10 #91 Personal goal completed 1/25/10 #95 Go fishing completed 4/24-25/10 we've been fishing quite a bit lately! #99 Put a face to my name on my website completed 2/5/10
Good so far - hopefully I can keep up this pace!
Comments added to this post ▣ May
We're baaaacccckk! Anna and I have made it safely home from the beach wedding over the weekend! The weather was great - sunny and 85 with a strong breeze and big waves! Welcome home to pennsylvania to cool gentle rain showers and rolling hills. It was a great trip, but there's nothing like coming home :-)
Sean and I are headed out to breakfast for the post wedding re-cap !
This shot was from Lenape Heights golf course last year - it's a beautiful place to get married!
Comments added to this post ▣ Gone Fishin'
I spent three days last week scouting locations at the beach in Maryland for some upcoming weddings I have in that area. At one point last wednesday as I'm sitting in a little restaurant by the bay - eating the best potato chowder and drinking hot tea with lemon, staring out through the rain at the boats bobbing in the bay - it occurs to me - (run-on sentence alert) - it's been too long since I've been fishing. So when I made the 6 hour drive back and Sean asked me what I wanted to do last weeked, I already knew - go fishing. (Being near the ocean for three days makes you feel very nautical.)
So last Saturday we ignored the rain, got our fishing licenses, bait, and Turner's ice tea (no excursion is complete without Turner's ice tea) and headed to the nearest body of water we could park a lawn chair next to. This was the first fish I caught - and I said that we had better take a picture of it in case it was the only one we got. After that - we caught two more - but they were even smaller! I think this may actually have been a goldfish that got too big for someone's bowl and so they set it free and then it turned green in the lake water ;-)
The look on the fish's face reminds me of the look my dog gives me when she's just eaten something she wasn't supposed to. Like - uh-oh - who me?
Sean sat on the stump next to me - he was aiming for bigger fish. I don't mind the small fish, as long as I'm catching ANY fish. Sometimes its nicer just to sit for a few hours with my best buddy :-)
These three birds were just sitting out there taunting me - they would have made a great picture if I had my telephoto, but I packed light and only brought my wide angle lens. (The three birds are the three little specks sitting on the stump in the water.)
Anna and I are packing up and leaving in a few hours for a wedding in Chesapeake Bay tomorrow - the weather is going to be sunny and 82 degrees wooo! I will probably feel like fishing when I get back.
Comments added to this post ▣ Easter Weekend Camp Out
Easter weekend was so nice and warm that we couldn't help but get out and enjoy it! Sean and I packed up our gear and headed down to Ohiopyle State Park for the opening weekend at their campground. Sort of a spur of the moment - throw some stuff in the truck and take off - kind of trip.
I love any trip that starts with a sign like this. (shooting through the windshield)
It was a cloudy afternoon when we arrived just after dinner time with enough light left to grab one shot of the natural water slide and then go to our site. (Which I didn't like when we got there cause it was a big mud puddle so we ended up switching to a different campsite on the point of the ridge).
In a rare instance, we actually got the tent up and a fire built before it was dark. Sean lit the lantern and we sat cooking dinner and listening to the train whistles blow from the railroad tracks that run along the river and through town. They run almost every 45 minutes all night long - and at first it can keep you up night. But after an evening, you get used to it and it seems kind of peaceful. The train whistle echoes through the valley probably with the same sound it did a hundred years ago when it rumbled past the general store and across the bridge over the river.
Meat on a fire = happiness :-)
Cool shot - this was a 30 second exposure with my camera propped up on a picnic table. The warm light is from the lantern we had lit and there's a litte haze from the campfire smoke - but there were so many stars to be seen.
Saturday we roamed through all the outfitters in town and then took some snacks and hiked down to the first set of rapids below the falls. Sean had the 70-200mm lens so he got all the good close up shots.
We spent the afternoon hanging out on the rocks, munching on cheese-its and taking the occaisonal nap in the sun. (Some of us napped a little too long and woke up looking like a tomato.)
Image by Sean.
This guy had a sweet wooden double bladed paddle. Image by Sean.
Probably my favorite rafting subject of the day - although all my photos were from much further away and therefore - Image by Sean
(Sean's pic again)
Sweet whitewater ! There's a boat underneath him somewhere! Image by Sean.
If you look closely, you can see that there is a fossil of tree bark in the rock I was sitting on.
AAAAAAAhhh! Caught you looking closely, right? Sorry if anyone was just blinded by my white legs... Image by Sean.
Just a final shot of Cucumber falls before we headed back to camp that night.
Sunday morning we got up early and went hiking in our pajamas (there is no dress code in the woods). The sun had just come up and the light on the water was soooo pretty. I got a bunch of great shots - but I'm saving some for next year's calendar! So you'll have to see them then :-)
Comments added to this post ▣ March
March - or so it should be ? Not here in PA - we just got another 5 inches over the weekend. Normally - this is what the end of March looks like - here's to hoping!
Comments added to this post ▣ Snowmageddon v. 2010
Just a few weeks ago saturday morning looked like this! We all woke up on the first morning of the snowpocalypse to FEET of snow that had fallen overnight. Honestly, I expected snow - I even expected a lot of snow (8 inches). I didn't expect this!
This shot was taken just before 7 a.m. out the kitchen door. We'd spent most of the night keeping one eye on the power line that was sparking in the top of the pine tree and listening to the police scanner reporting accidents, downed trees and wires, and closed roads that were impassable.
We eagerly turned on the TV to see the carnage on the news. Not long after that we discovered that there was no cable, no internet, and no phone service. So we listened to the radio and munched raisin bran for breakfast. Then it was time to go outside. You could barely see the cars under the mountain of snow!
Sean used the quad with the plow to try and make a pathway while Nikki and I shoveled. Poor Shadow the dog couldn't even get out into the grass! We had to plow and shovel her a path!
After more than an hour trying to get down the driveway, we made it over to the farm to feed the cows. But got stuck in the driveway there. That's Nikki's arm out the window.
After that, it was time to put down the cameras and dig in so we didn't take many more pictures till the next day.
Comments added to this post ▣ Megan & Jon 01.09.10
As we're bracing for the next SNOWPOCALYPSE to hit pennsylvania - I thought I'd do something radical to celebrate. (Yes I said celebrate the 8-12 inches of snow that's bearing down on us at this very moment.) I'm going to blog out of order.
Just because today reminds me a lot of the last time we were scheduled to get 8 inches of snow in one day which was for Megan and Jon's snowed in winter wedding. I remember when we shot their engagement session last summer that we stared dreamily into space imagining light flurries falling like a snow globe as they said their vows and sighing:
"ahhhh i hope we have snow :-) "
Turns out we did - almost 32" of it at their venue!! If you like snow - host your wedding in a ski resort area - it works! You'll notice a lot of landscape photos in this post that we shot both the day of the rehearsal and the day of the wedding - not only was it spectacularly gorgeous - I think it's important to set the scene that there was not just snow. Or a lot of snow. There were literally FEET of snow. The wedding party chose to spend the weekend staying at the Foggy Mountain Lodge in Stahlstown, PA which was just a mile down the road from their ceremony and reception venue. The girls got ready in one suite and the guys got ready in the suite next door. Although just getting up the hill was a challenge - since it was Anna's birthday weekend, she was at home celebrating and I was lucky enough to have Sean with me as my second shooter and hazardous driving expert. We had to pull off in the ditch on the way up the driveway to let the snowplow squeeze by!
The girls were in full swing with hair and make-up when we arrived.
The Foggy Mountain staff had shoveled pathways through the deep drifts for us all to scurry back and forth between locations and to the cars. Megan chose a gorgeous royal blue color for the bridesmaids gowns that looked awesome with all of the ice and snow. Top left and bottom right images by Sean.
This was what the drive looked like on the way up the mountain.
But let's get back inside where it's warm!! This is Megan with her neice and nephew who were also her flower girl and ring bearer for the ceremony.
Then it was time to put on the dress - there is seriously never enough time to get ready for a wedding. I think for my own wedding I may start hair and make up the night before just so we're not late. Megan's sisters helped her put on her dream dress and when she walked out, everyone lit up at how beautiful she looked.
Megan's sister, Emma, placing her veil.
The snow stopped for a brief while and we actually thought the sun would come out - Image by Sean.
Over on the other side of the bathroom wall - the guys were getting ready deciphering the rental tux instructions. (You should see the treasure map the rental shop gives you for folding a pocket square.) Jon was a little anxious. With the weather being extreme - we all hoped the guests would get there safely and on time.
More shots from the drive up - as we gained elevation we encountered a weather phenomenon known as 'freezing fog'. You could see a line where 5 feet below that line there was no snow on the trees and five feet above that line it looked like mother nature had hit the forest with an 80s hair band dose of Aquanet.
Back to the story - the guys all dressed up with nowhere to go - took a very stately cigar break before they loaded into the trucks to four wheel over to the wedding. Bottom and right images by Sean.
Tomorrow's post - SNOWPOCALYPSE HITS PA - AGAIN - and Megan and Jon's ceremony by the fire :-)
Comments added to this post ▣ February
February. This is the next photo on my calendar. The groundhog also saw his shadow so it's 6 more weeks of winter.
If any of you are surprised by that - you are clearly not reading this blog from somewhere in Pennsylvania.
Also THANK YOU for all of the wonderful comments and emails we've received on our engagement! Aside from the 17 comments here, I've gotten over 25 emails of happy thoughts! It's been wonderful :-)
Now we just have to buy a house and plan a wedding. No sweat, right?
Comments added to this post ▣ 2 0 1 0
Happy New Year everybody!
I actually thought about posting a 'Best of 2009' post for the end of the year. But that feeling only lasted about 37 seconds. I opened my master folder of all the photos I've shot this year and checked the file size. It contained 26,964 photos.
Which roughly averaged means I shot 73 photos per day, or 1 photo every 30 minutes all year long. Actually I thought it would have been more than that.... but I guess when you figure in sleeping and driving with both hands on the wheel it all works out about even.
So what could I show you to represent a year's worth of work? For the first time - this year I've released a 12 month calendar of images I've shot all over Pennsylvania. Cool, huh? :-) I'm proud of it, and when you do sort through 27,000 photos you find a lot of hidden gems.
If anyone would like to purchase a calendar, they are on sale for $28.57 each. They are 12x18" in size and each page features on large and one small color photo. The front cover is a poster size image. I realize this is a little pricier than a kitten calendar you can pick up at the bookstore and I've wracked my brain trying to figure out how to make it cheaper. They cost me $21 each to make, and because it's an odd size and has to be shipped flat the cheapest I can ship it is $5.95 - then you've got that good old sales tax and *poof* we've arrived at $28.57. Every time I say it I have this " wuh wah waaaa " game show loser feeling. But I thought I'd put it out there just in case anyone was interested and might still like to get one.
If you would like to purchase a calendar, please email me at PhotosbyAW@aol.com .
Also - on the first of each month I'll post the calendar photo of each month here on the blog - so without further ado - here is January. Happy 2010 everyone - here's to good health, good friends, and great adventures in the new year!
Comments added to this post ▣ It's Snowing ! ! !
Ok - so I'm like Uncle Tootles from Hook. "It's Snowing!!!" :-D There's a youtube clip but I thought it was too long or I would've posted it. And this is not actually today's snow - this is from a few weeks back. But it's almost Christmas and it's snowing! There's already 3 inches at my house :-)
Today is the very last wedding of 2009 for me - I hope they have 4 wheel drive! One thing is for sure - there will be winter wonderland photos :-)
Make cookies, go sled riding. That's an order.
Comments added to this post ▣ Summer camping trip
Just a few images from a quick weekend trip back in July. As we head into winter - it's a huge deal for photographers - you have to fight CLD. Crummy Lighting Depression. I just made that up. (add it to my list of amandaisms) It certainly feels real enough. Photography is all about the observance, usage, manipulation, and all around worshipping of sunlight. Perhaps we were moths in another lifetime. Through the summer the days are long and the evenings are golden. The colors are vibrant and the shadows are deep. Not so in the winter. I think we are down to just under 10 full hours of daylight now that it's December. Christmas is just a few week away and with the weather we've been having sometimes it feels like it never really gets light out at all. Everything is pale - the shadows are even pale and thin. Colors are more subdued. If you're not careful you could be struck down by CRUMMY LIGHTING DEPRESSION! And find yourself making a bee-line for the nearest tanning bed.
Oh well - enough monologing. Here's my camping trip.
**Disclaimer - while I preach that wilderness camping is TRUE camping - campground camping is much more practical when you've only got hours to plan and pack and have to be back sunday evening.
Besides, I think campgrounds have their own neat atmosphere.
My sister, my Dad, Sean, and myself made it for this trip - we all have matching shoes in different colors. FYI.
I always worry about gathering enough firewood - and keeping it dry. After a day or so it looked like beavers were living under our picnic table. Beavers that were meticulous about sorting twigs into piles by size.
Small toad on my sister's hand.
Basically when we go on these campground camp trips there are only 2 objectives. #1 Relax. #2 Eat good. But who am I kidding - that's every camping trip we go on ;-)
I love to cook on the fire. And I love cast iron. I'm very Soup Nazi about my dutch oven. Nobody else gets to wash it - and it gets to ride up front in the cab of the truck with me. After a particularly enlightening episode of Alton Brown's Good Eat's - we realized that the dutch oven had even more hidden potential if we flipped the lid over and cooked on it like a griddle.
We made cinnamon french toast that morning with homemade maple syrup, berries and sausage. Ashley sat and munched happily in her green crocs.
View from our campsite that I took as a private joke. Like where is this road ?
Sean "making sparks" for my photos while we sat around the fire and talked till we were too tired and went to bed.
We eat GOOD. This is homemade pizza in the dutch oven with Sean manning the lid for me.
On the last day of our trip we visited the fish hatchery. Gorgeous hot sunny day.
Fishing prohibited and guarded like Fort Knox. The cyclone fence wraps all the way around and over the top and underneath to keep cheeating anglers and raccoons OUT.
Just a nice, peaceful, good trip :-)
Comments added to this post ▣ Pittsburgh Zoo
While my friend, Brenda, was home for the holidays back at New Year's - we visited the Pittsburgh Zoo with some friends. I have to say that January is not the best time to visit because many of the animals are behind closed doors for the winter, it's cold to walk around, and the normally lush scenery is just average pittsburgh january drab - BUT there are no lines and no crowds! You can spend all the time you want at each exhibit! I was excited to see the new baby elephants at the newly constructed elephant house, as well as the polar bears. The lions were hanging out on the rocks.
The aquarium was really cool! It was the first time I had visited the zoo since the aquarium was renovated a few years ago. It was nice to get in out of the cold and see all the exotic tropical fish!
This is Brenda - we met in the seventh grade and were friends ever since. She was home on leave from the United States Air Force where she is currently stationed and training in San Antonio, Texas to become a navigator. We are VERY proud of her :-)
She really wanted her picture with the giant praying mantis sculpture :-D Comments added to this post ▣ Hunting Camp
As you've probably guessed by now after following this blog - when we're not working, we are pretty serious about the outdoors. We love to kayak, hike, camp out, cabin camp, truck camp, snowshoe, backpack, drive around lost, cook on the campfire, photograph wildlife, and look at the stars. We also hunt. I do believe that hunting is a good thing when it's done responsibly, safely, and with respect for the land, the wildlife, and fellow hunters and property owners. I used to hunt myself but now prefer to hunt with my camera instead. I never really warmed up to trudging out into 8 degree temperatures at 4:30 in the morning to stand next to a tree progressively developing frostbite in my fingers and toes as the day wore on. I have terrible circulation to my fingers and toes - I'm one of those people who is chronically cold. Even in July my feet are freezing. I don't notice so much anymore, you get used to it.
However, I've found my niche as the camp cook and keeper of the cabin/campsite. I love to plan recipes, shop for the food, pack it, cook it, etc. I also have a FoodNetwork obsession. In the past few years we've made pizza, ham BBQ, homemade bread, cinnamon rolls, turnovers, even pineapple upside down cake on the campfire. The best part is that when everyone else is out hunting for the day and the meals are prepped, I can spend the day wandering around taking pictures just for the fun of it.
Welcome to our humble and rented abode for the week. It's not much for four of us in a one room cabin - but it's got an apartment size fridge and stove, a table, and four bunkbeds. The bathroom is in a seperate building you have to unlock with a key - but it's got flush toilets and hot showers. No cell phone service anywhere. We've refined our camping habits to include air mattresses and just this year - my laptop. I bring it for work, but also for play - when it gets dark outside at 5pm there's really nothing to do until bedtime so it's nice to be able to put a movie on to pass the time. We watched Grumpy Old Men I & II and all of season 6 of MacGyver. We are MacGyver fanatics.
The day typical started with breakfast before 5 a.m. then the guys left and I went back to sleep till 8. (You can't take pictures without light you know, so you have to wait for the sun to come up.) I'd pack my gear and a drink and take off with my map and wander. I wandered almost 45 miles in one direction one day. I'd go up one side of the river until I found a bridge and then come back the other side.
The whole river is lined with camps on both sides. Some are luxurious, some are permanent homes, there's even a school bus up on blocks that has been painted camoflauge and converted into an RV. One thing they all have in common is that they all have a name. Naming your camp is a big deal - because the first thing you do is put a sign out front with the name of your camp on it. I've seen "Wife Dodgers" "Camp Susanna" "Red Rooster Inn". I liked this sign. Camps are special retreats for people and your camp sign has to communicate two things - 'Friends welcome here - everyone else stay the hell away from us'.
This shot was the day before thanksgiving. I was following deer tracks into an old orchard at an abandoned farm turned camp-shack along the river.
Funny story - remember when I mentioned that the bathroom opens with a key? Well day three or four that we were there I was watching them pack the truck in the wee hours of the morning and just as they locked the door and pulled away I realized that the bathroom key was not on the hook! I vaulted off of the top bunk and chased them outside in my bare feet but they couldn't see me waving in the total darkness. I ran back in the cabin and flickered the lights on and off hoping they would look in the rearview mirror and wonder what the fuss was about. Nope. This was dire. I was stuck there all day with no bathroom. I couldn't lock the cabin without the key - and I couldn't drive away to find a bathroom and leave it unlocked with all of our gear in it. I was stuck. Meanwhile two hours later and many miles away - Sean sat down in his hunting spot for the morning and felt something jab him from in his pocket and realized he had driven away with the bathroom key. He went to find the rest of the group and told them the situation and then hiked back to the truck and drove back to the cabin to give me the key. I was SO HAPPY to see him :-)
The nex to the last day we were there I had four hours to kill before it was time to start dinner. I hadn't seen anything more than a squirrell in two days because all of the wild wildlife was hiding from the snowstorm and freezing wind chills. I decided to visit the Double Diamond Deer Ranch for some up close encounters. Just so you know up front - these animals are cared for as family members on a private ranch that is open for visits by the public. They are NOT for sale, there is no hunting allowed, and they are never killed or sold for meat. These animals are loved and cared for just the same we care for our pets at home. I remember visiting the ranch when I was a kid and feeding baby fawns with a bottle. Now those fawns are grandparents! Aside from the brown white tail deer that we are used to seeing in our backyards, they also have albino and piebald deer as well.
I'm pretty sure this was snoopy sticking his tongue out at me.
I am not wrecked here, just parked. Although the roads were really bad a few days I was driving around. I got to practice my bad weather driving. - Shameless self promotion :-)
We had a few great snow and ice storms while we were there. Every pine needle on the fir trees had it's own tiny icicle hanging from it. There were still a few brave hunters that waded across the water to hunt on the other side.
The Double Diamond Deer Ranch is a great place to visit with your kids especially when the weather is warm! If you have any questions about these deer, you can Ask The Deer Lady and she would be happy to help!
Comments added to this post ▣ October Trip: The End
Finally! You must all be so bored by now. I really am sorry, and we will be back to our regularly schedule weddings and portraits soon. This is the end of the photos from this trip, and hopefully some of the best are last. Pennsylvania is very unique in that we are the only state east of the Mississippi river today to have Elk. At one point before America was settled by Europeans, elk roamed wild from New York to Georgie. However, the elk was extinct in this area by 1870 from massive overkill. Thanks to the game commission, a small herd of elk was transplanted here from yellowstone in 1913 and has grown to the healthy population we have today. Most people don't even realize we have such a big game animal in the state.
This is a white-tail deer. What you're used to seeing in your backyard.
This is an elk. MUCH BIGGER.
People flock to see the elk every fall. It seems like there's more and more of them every year. In fact while we were searching for them ourselves a luxury tourbus pulled up along side the dirt road and about 30 Amish people got off and searched the horizon with their binoculars. (They really do not like to have their picture taken.)
We weren't having a ton of luck being in the right place at the right time this week until almost the very last day when we came upon a bull and his harem of cows standing in the middle of the river. Sometimes in the heat of the moment you have to remind yourself that this is a WILD animal. A wild animal that will stomp the snot out of you if you get too close.
(In case you were wondering - this is too close.)
The view up the railroad tracks.
On the very last day we ran into a local man who had a canon 500mm F4 lens. He let me borrow it for a while to get some great shots. I was extremely grateful since they are so expensive I won't be able to afford one for many many many years if ever!
Comments added to this post ▣ October Trip: Part 3
I've discovered what my mental block is about this blog. I have to do things in chronological order. Which is why you're still seeing photos from October and not January. In fact, last week I went to the zoo but you probably won't hear about it till March. Sigh. I don't know what it is - I have to do things in order. I can't even post the photos out of order. Maybe I am OCD? Wow is it COLD today - predicted high temperature of 11 degrees - and tomorrow's high will be 7. In that case I'm glad to be looking at October. Same trip. Visited the river at a point where two bridges cross over. A train bridge and a car traffic bridge. The train bridge was covered in signs warning of no trespassing, and no walking, no looking, and no picture taking - but it was such a good subject. In the distance you can see the traffic bridge in this shot.
Back in the day, the only way to get around up here was by horse or on foot. The trains were the only way of transporting large amounts of lumber, coal, steel, and supplies.
Almost a sighting!!
This was a bad year for rain. The pictures above and below you can see how far down the water levels are. If you don't believe in global warming - the dry lake was teeming with fish and wildlife just a few years ago. In fact - this is the marina where the boats were kept and launched. Just on the other side of the boats used to be 5 feet of water. There used to be eagles nesting along the shore and on the day we visited there was only one blue heron fishing out of the last puddle in the middle of the mud. When the water dried up, it made easy fishing for the birds and predators until all the fish were gone. Then the animals that needed them for food were left to starve or leave the area.
Reflection of the bridge in the stream.
Comments added to this post ▣ October Trip: Part 2
More photos from our trip! Spent a lot of time exploring (see driving around aimlessly with no schedule). I usually have 2 or 3 cameras on my lap because you never know when a bear will walk into your landscape photo and you suddenly need a different lens.
Sometimes the wild wildlife can be frustratingly elusive. Instead of getting discouraged I get out my jar of peanuts. Just the sound of the nuts rattling in the container usually brings a curious photo subject. Sometimes 5 or 6.
So funny stoy here - we spent 2 mornings in a row hiding in the bushes next to a beaver pond hoping to get a shot of Mr. Beaver doing his morning rounds at the dam. The weeds were almost over my head when I sat down on the ground in the twilight. After an hour or so - no beavers - and now it was daylight. I turned my head to look over my shoulder and right next to my face was this spider. Sitting in the middle of her web strung up between two goldenrod stalks. I froze for a minute and then decided that if it sat there peacefully for the whole hour in the darkness, it probably didn't want to jump in my hair.
The water everywhere was very low from late season drought.
Stay tuned for elk photos! Comments added to this post ▣ October Trip : Part 1
Now that things have calmed down around here and we've officially entered the wedding off-season, I can back up and do the photo-ography of the past 3 months. There are tons of weddings and portrait sessions to blog. This trip was a nice long weekend at the beginning of October in between Kara & Tom and Sami & Josh's weddings in the calm before the Fall-Christmas storm. My parents drove up friday night while Sean and I were prepping for the next day's wedding. When we got back Saturday night late after the reception we had to back up all of our images, burn CD's, recharge batteries and swap the wedding gear for the wilderness gear. The leaves were already changing in the northern elevations as I drove up to the fortress of solitude late sunday. My mum came home mid-week for work, and my sister drove in to visit from college. By thursday it was time for me to head back towards civilization and get things together for Sami & Josh's wedding. I can't wait to blog that one :-) When I go on these trips I have 4 objectives: 1. Drive around aimlessly - because any other time driving is just a frantic sprint from point A to point B and there's no time to look around. I fear that if i was ever turned loose in Alaska or Yosemite or Arizona with my camera gear and a winnebago I'd never be seen or heard from again.
These two shots above and below are below the dam. Consequently we got yelled at by the park ranger for walking on the spillway. As Sandy would say: "It's all in the name of art." :-) I love the way the leaves look against the green pine trees, at the time we were there it didn't seem all that colorful. But looking at these photos now that we've got 2 months of winter under our belt with no leaves at all on the trees, the colors were spectacular! I'm always amazed every year when the first snow always seems like magic in slow motion. Then in the spring when the leaves come out I can't believe that spring does that every year. That each year's season is somehow more fantastic than the last. We are very lucky here in PA to have 4 distinct seasons.
Objective #2 Have no schedule Why? Seriously, someday i'll post a copy of my calendar on here. Every day is scheduled, sometimes every hour of every day, and the ones that aren't scheduled I still should be doing editing or album design or post process work. When I bought my mac this fall i discovered iCal which is my new savior. Before that it took two appointment books and a palm planner to keep things straight. Self-employment can be a slippery slope. It's easy to let yourself be overwhelmed and hard to realize that even if you worked all day and then stayed up all night editing and proofing that you still would never really be finished with everything that needs done. Sometimes you have to give yourself permission to go to sleep. And have a fortress of solitude. When you have no cell service, no computer, and no internet you're left with no choices and so you don't have to feel guilty about picking something that doesn't involve a deadline. I love this spot too. A stand of white birch trees planted in the middle of an already endless forest in tribute to a woman who dedicated her life to preserving places in nature where the rest of us could go to hide years later. It's very peaceful there, I've visited in 3 seasons and I hope to make it back up this winter before the snow melts. There's a narrow winding path that starts at the monument and then kind of wanders off among the ferns and disappears into the trees. If you go far enough in that you can't see your car and you step off the trail and sit on a rock for a minute you get this wonderful sensation that you really wouldn't have to go back if you didn't want to.
We were here right before sunset when the sun was slanting in. I don't love the exposure in this shot. It bugs me - I can take a hundred pictures here and it seems like none of them come out the way I'm seeing the place when I'm there. There's like this 3rd dimension that I know bothers all photographers when we know we've done everything technically correct and captured a technically 'accurate' photo of a scene and yet it's missing it's most vital part which seems to be something that doesn't fit into a camera. I don't love this exposure but out of all the ones I shot this one seems the closest to what I feel it's meant to be.
I like this one a lot. I started wondering if maybe the whole scene was just too much "the expected shot" and started trying to break down the whole and find a subject that described the trees without being a picture of trees. This ladybug was a left over from summer crawling in under the papery bark for a cold weather nap.
Stay tuned for parts 2 and 3 this week.
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