Snowy Scenic

Today, I ventured out after the brief snow fall and captured a few landscapes. Although I'm not a "winter" person, I enjoyed being out in the snow! This image was taken in the Marietta/Mount Joy area, about 3 miles from my place.

There were four pine trees and a lone tree seen in the distance. I just wanted to include two of the pine trees in the foreground in this shot. The metadata for this image is f/22 @ 1/10 ISO 100 with my tripod mounted camera.

Merry Christmas to All!

I would like to take this time to say "Merry Christmas" to you. May your holidays be filled with love, hope, and peace! Happy New Year

Too!

Hay Stacks Up Close

Here is an image from an "Ed Heaton" photo workshop I attended this past summer. One of our destinations, to photograph, was field of hay stacks. Although I photographed a few images showing the entire field of hay stacks, I liked this this image of the hay stacks close up. The diagonal line works in this image. Moving in close on small subjects shows more details too!

The metadata for this image is f/19 @ 1/6, ISO 100.

Tracks at Sunset

Tonight I ventured out with my camera and tripod and headed to one of my favorite places to take photographs. There is a patch of woods beyond railroad tracks that sit along the Susquehanna River in Marietta, PA (my current home.) After capturing a few images of the river at sunset, on my way out of the woods, were the railroad tracks covered with snow. Here is one of my images. The only thing missing is the train coming down the tracks!

The metadata was 30 seconds at f/19 ISO 100. The sky was also enhanced in post-processing.

Horse in the Field

This morning I woke up early and decided it was time to put my new Induro tripod to the test. Although I chose covered bridges as my main subject, I found a horse grazing in the field and captured a few images. I did photograph a few covered bridges, but the end result was not to my liking.

As for the tripod, I'm impressed with the overal ease of use. This is my first tripod with a ball head, and now I wish that I always had this type! The weight of the tripod is slightly heavier than my previous one, and it's a little stiff, but I'm sure over time it will ease up a little. The only problem I had was forgetting that this tripod doesn't have a lever to adjust it to vertical!Lol! Stay tuned for my next exciting blog segment!

Last of Fall Colors

Here is an image of a leaf that I captured using back lighting. With the morning sun shining on the backside of the golden leaf, I was able to use the light to my advantage to get this image. The texture of the leaf also adds a nice effect. Have a great week!

Iron Master's Mansion

Here is another image from my trip to Hopewell Furnace. This was the Iron Master's Mansion. This house has a "spooky" feel to it. Is it the gray brick? The leafless trees? The ground covered with brown-turning leaves?

I purposely composed the image with the stones as a lead-in. I like how the stones leads you to the steps, and right to the mansion. Have a great day!

Hopewell Furnace (Continued)

Upon touring Hopewell, I came across a small creek. The fall leaves were full of color and beckoning to be photographed. After taking a few water flowing images, I noticed the water reflection and of course, had to capture it.

This image was set at f/16 @ 1/2 second at ISO 100, with my camera mounted on a tripod.

Happy light!

Fall Colors

Here is another image from my field trip to Hopewell Furnace. Although there was a gusty wind blowing pretty fierce, I managed to capture this image of yellow fall leaves against a fence with very little movement. The fall colors will soon disappear! Soon, there will be colder temperatures and snow on the ground.

The exposure was f/19 with the shutter @ 1/2 second, ISO 100.

Hopewell Furnace

Yesterday, I visited Hopewell Furnace, National Historic site. Although it was very windy, the air temperature was mild. Hopewell Furnace was built in 1771 by Mark Bird. Today, the park is kept up by te National Park Service. You can take the self-guided tour Wednesday thru Sunday. There is a small fee ($4 for adults) to tour the village of unique, historic buildings, but there are indeed many photo opportunities. (A small price to pay either way!) Be sure to capture the Ironmaster's Mansion, the Molten Iron Cast House, Blacksmith shop, and other areas of the park. Attached is one of my photos taken of the row of houses where the employees stayed. The blacksmith shop is the first building.

Adam's Falls

Here is another image from Ricketts Glen. I liked the manner in which the water was flowing so I took a few shots. If you listen closely, you can almost hear the rushing water running down into the water hole!

The metadata for this image was f/19 @ ISO 100, six second exposure.

Ricketts Glen

Here is another image from Red Mountain. We had the opportunity to photograph Adam's Falls at Ricketts Glen. This image was taken at the falls, although there is no water in the shot. I was attracted to the green moss and trees and took a shot. Sometimes you can find photo opportunities without looking very far! Enjoy your week and happy light!

Lake Jean @ Red Rock Mountain

This past weekend, my friend, Beth, her family, and I spent some time at Red Rock Mountain in PA. We were surprised to see mountain snow (about 4 inches) at her in-law's cabin, which was our residence for four days and three nights. Red Rock stands at an elevation of 2,449 feet! Despite the snow, Beth and I visited a few nearby attractions to capture the beauty of nature. Lake Jean was one of these places we chose to photograph. We stopped there on Friday, as well as today. As you can see, it didn't take long for the snow to melt.

Another image from Newlin Grist Mill

Here is another image that I photographed at the Newlin Grist Mill. I used the tree branch as a lead-in, and took a few shots. I preferred the horizontal shot! Just a short post today! Have a great week!

Chesapeake Bay View @ Elk Neck

This past Saturday some members of the Wright's Ferry/Well Spring Camera Club and I visited Northeast MD and Elk Neck State Park. The was full of sunshine and blue skies, and several photo opportunities. After eating one of the best crab cake sandwiches I ever had, at Woody's Seafood Restaurant, we walked the quaint streets of Northeast MD. Northeast streets are full of small shops, like antique, coffee & tea, ice cream, and other unique stores.

Elk Neck is a beautiful state park with a sandy beach, boat docks, fishing jetty, and at the peak, the Turkey Hill Lighthouse. To get to the lighthouse, there is a one mile hike to the cliff. The hike isn't a tough one, but it isn't for the faint of heart either. Once there though, the view of the Chesapeake is amazing! The attached image was taken during the late afternoon. I was looking for a different view of the Chesapeake. I composed the shot with the trees to give a nice frame for the sky. Until next time everyone! Happy light!

PA Dutch Farmland Pano

Hello and welcome to another post. In June, I had the opportunity to attend a Lancaster County Photo workshop given by Ed Heaton. We started our day in the early morning by meeting at a nearby tourist attraction in Strasburg, then headed to our first photo op stop. After a short drive and a walk thru a field, we were at our first destination of the day. After setting up my camera, I decided to take a few shots for a panoramic. The attached panoramic was taken shortly after sunrise. This was also my very first pano attempt! My camera was set in the horizontal position and three shots were taken, then stitched together using Windows Live Photo Gallery software.

The End of another Summer Season

Last evening I went back to Pinchot State Park in York County, and visited the other side of the park. The day area has a beach for those who dare to swim, picnic pavilions, picnic tables with grills available, and paddle and row boats, and canoes for renting. For those who have their own boats, there is a boat launch of sorts, and fishing is allowed.

The attached image was taken of a row of row boats locked up for the close of summer. It's hard to believe that summer is nearly gone and it only feels like it began! It's sad to say farewell to summer, but it's not good bye. It's until next time!

Full Moon Silhouette

Hello and welcome to another blog post. Thursday night I was invited by Ed Heaton to photograph the full moon rising at Marsh Creek State Park. Unfortunately, a fellow companion and I was unable to find where Ed's group was shooting so we found a different location and took a few shots. This capture was taken after sunset. I used the tree as a frame to add interest to the composition. The image was warmed in post processing.

Another image from Newlin Grist Mill

Here is another favorite image from the Newlin Grist Mill photo trip. The wagon wheels were leaning against the black smith shop just begging to be photographed. I like how the light blue faded paint contrasts with the old worn wooded wheels. The stone wall adds a nice touch too!

The metadata was f/27 @ 1 second, ISO 100 with the camera mounted on a tripod.

This past Wednesday my friend Beth and I met at the Newlin Grist Mill in Glen Mills, PA for a photo shoot. Although the air was humid, the sun managed to stay behind the clouds.

The Newlin Grist Mill has many photo opportunities. There is a stream and waterfall, barns, a farmhouse, a blacksmith shop, and a log cabin. When a few rain drops started to fall, I put on my make-shift camera rain jacket, which is a extra small puppy rain coat. This jacket managed to keep my camera and lens dry during the rest of the photo shoot. I wouldn't recommend the jacket for heavy rain, but it worked a lot better than a shower cap and the cost was less than $15.

Attached is an image of a barn wall. I was attracted to the lines, texture, and patterns of the open window and barn wall lines.

Lancaster County Central Park

This past Monday, our camera club had a photo shoot at Lancaster County Central Park. there were about 40 members, along with five to ten models. Although the plan was to do a model shoot, I wanted to focus on the beauty of the park. Attached is a capture of a waterfall.

The metadata was f/22 with a 30 second exposure, ISO 100 and the camera mounted on a tripod.

Pinchot State Park

Hello and welcome. Last evening, I visited Pinchot State Park for the first time. Although it started to storm on my way to the park, I decided to keep going, not wanting to miss a photo opportunity. The rain stopped as I arrived. I walked around the day park area and looked for some places to set up my camera equipment. Since it still looked like it was going to storm again, I waited in my car hoping the weather would clear. A short time later, the sun was shining once again.

This shot was taken as the sun was setting for the night. The metadata was 8 seconds at f/22, ISO 100. The park is located in Lewisberry, PA off of Interstate Route 83.

Susquehanna Sunset

Hello. Last evening I decided to visit a nearby place called Breezyview Overlook at Chickies Rock in Marietta, PA. I needed to unwind after a busy work day any ways. What better way to unwind that to capture the beauty of a sunset! Breezyview Overlook is located off of Route 441 North (off of the Columbia/Marietta Route 30 West exit) heading towards Marietta, PA. It's a worth-while stop especially, if you would like to see a magnificient view of the Susquehanna River.

Hello and welcome to another segment of my Photo Journal. This past Saturday, my brother Brian, and his girlfriend came to visit. Since this was the first time that both of them were in the area, we decided to visit the Amish Homestead. There is a restaurant that serves Amish style food, a unique gift shop, a petting zoo, the Amish Experience Theater, and a snack shop that sells the best soft pretzels we ever tasted. The Amish Homestead is located on Route 340 near Bird and Hand, PA. Attached is one of my images taken at the tourist attraction. Have a good week everyone.

Valley Forge

Hello and welcome to my blog. This past Wednesday and Thursday I had the opportunity to visit a few new places to photograph. My friend, Beth, and I spent Wednesday morning at Chesapeake City Maryland and the afternoon and Thursday at Valley Forge National Historical Park Pennsylvania.

Chesapeake City is a small fishing village of sorts with a marina, bed and breakfasts, unique shops, and victorian-style homes. Although we chose to visit Chesapeake City in the morning, the better time to visit is late afternoon, evening.

Valley Forge National Historical Park is the place where General George Washington, and his 12,000 man confederate army made camp during a harsh winter, in 1777. Valley Forge has many photo opportunities. Not only did Beth and I photograph army huts, historic buildings, and the Arch, we also photographed a lush waterfall, whitetail doe and fawns, and a witness tree ( a sycamore tree that has been there since the revolutionary war.) The photo is a stitched image of this unique tree.

Amish Country Side

On Saturday June 13, I went to a photo workshop sponsored by Ed Heaton and his wife, Kelly. We went to several PA Dutch Country locations taking various photos of this beautiful countryside. I photographed this image of the Amish Buggy during the workshop. I set up my shot, making sure to include a fore, mid, and background. I also wanted to keep the back ground as plain as possible.

Spring Time

Spring arrives at 7:44am Friday. Hooray! The birds are singing, the temperature is rising (slowly maybe), the sun is shining (or at least trying to come out). The time for outside activities is upon us.

Just yesterday, on my way home from work I noticed purple wild flowers along President Ave in Lancaster, PA. I was actually surprised to see flowers already.

So now that Spring is in the air, what is there to do? Another place to visit and photograph are mud sales. Every Spring, various areas of Lancaster County hold mud sales. These sales are normally sponsored by local fire companies. The locals, including the Amish, come to these mud sales mainly to purchase things like tools, machinery, arts and crafts, Amish buggies, and an assortment of food. Some of us go to the mud sales to hunt for photo opportunities. Last year, my friend Pat and I attended the mud sale in Gap, PA. This was my first time going to a mud sale and it was quite the experience.

Both of us came back home with several photo memories that day. (We even photographed the Amish, although discreetly since the Amish believe that it's a sin of vanity to have their photo taken.)

For more info on the mud sales, please visit www.padutchcountry.com.

Charter Day

Good afternoon and welcome to another post to my Travel Journal. Today, I would like to discuss Charter Day. Charter Day is when some Lancaster County travel hot spots are open to the public at no charge. Ephrata Cloister, Landis Valley Museum, and The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania are three places in Lancaster County that you can visit for no charge on Charter Day.

If railroad trains of yesteryear is of interest to you, then heading over to Strasburg is where you want to be. Enjoy celebrating the 327th birthday of the Commonwealth, by observing Pennsylvania made and operated historic trains.

If you would like to witness how the Ephrata Cloister Congregation lived their lives, visiting their grounds is the place for you. One of America's earliest religious communities, the Ephrata Cloister was founded in 1732 by German settlers seeking spiritual goals rather than worldly possessions.

Of course if you want to know the life of the Landis Brothers, then making a trip to the Landis Valley Museum is where you would like to spend the afternoon. (Please see my blog on Landis Valley.)

The Railroad Museum of PA is located at Route 741, Strasburg, PA across the street from the Strasburg Railroad. For more information, please visit www.rrmuseumpa.org. For info regarding the Ephrata Cloister, please visit www.ephratacloister.org. The website for Landis Valley Museum is www.landisvalleymuseum.org.

Longs' Park

This past Wednesday, I went to Longs' Park in Lancaster Pennsylvania. I've been to this park several times, but although it's February, the temperature was nearly 60. I wasn't the only one taking advantage of the warm weather. There were others...couples walking hand in hand, mothers watching their children playing on the playground. Some were just relaxing, enjoying the nice breeze.

Of course, I went to the park to take photographs. Before I go somewhere to take photographs, I try to visualize the type of images I would like to take. Although I did this, the subjects seemed to come to me as I was walking. The subjects in question were seagulls. A lot of seagulls. I didn't count them, but did I really have to? (The image above is one of my first images taken on this day. The seagull was standing on a park bench rail. It didn't even notice me approaching and it didn't fly away after I took the photograph.) There were mallard ducks as well. There was a thin layer of ice on the pond...it was humorous seeing the seagulls and ducks waddle their bodies on the ice. I took 20 photos while at the park, then I decided to call it a day. (I really wanted to go home so I could view my images on my computer and find out if I had any keepers.)

Longs' Park is located off of Route 30, Harrisburg Pike Exit. The park is open from sunrise to sunset daily. Signing off until next time.

A Sweet Surprise

I would like to share some good news with you. A few weeks ago, I entered a few of my images in the Pentax Photo Gallery and one of them was accepted. Please try to understand that it took nearly a year (if not longer) to finally have one of my images approved in the PPG. (It's hard to guess what the PPG is looking for.) I would occasionally enter a few every now and then. Finally, one was accepted! Whoo Hoo!



To see this image, please go to www.pentaxphotogallery.com/cindysperko. You can also view other great images by Pentax Photographers on the PPG. (It is quite an honor being accepted in the PPG!) I would like to thank Pentax for this great honor! I would also like to thank a friend of mine, Tammy. I wouldn't have taken the shot if it wasn't for receiving a ticket to see a show at the Sight and Sound Millennium Theater in Strasburg, PA.



Which brings me to the next place you should visit when touring Lancaster County. The Sight and Sound Millennium Theater is a place to see actors/actresses perform extraordinary biblical theatric productions. Live animals also perform their parts in these productions. *Warning. Do Not Forget to Bring Your Camera.* (Photos may be taken any where except inside the theater.)



I recently had the opportunity to see the Miracle of Christmas and I thought the production was absolutely amazing! When you enter the premises, you will pass a pond along the short drive to the theater. There is also a walking trail and some benches for resting, or simply enjoying the sights and sounds around you. In front of the theater there are fountains, sculptures of animals, and other photo opportunities. Once you are inside the main lobby, you will be amazed by the spacious layout of the foyer. The creative lighting gives you the feel of a tropical island paradise and the aroma of hot coffee and other tasty treats adds warmth to the festive air. (Although photos may be taken in the foyer area, the lighting is dark and it can be crowded, making tripod use impossible. If you want to take inside photos with a tripod I suggest that you ask management if you can come when it's less crowded.)

The show was very enlightening, capturing the spirit of the season. The actors, actresses, chorus, and everyone who made the production the great show that it is, all deserve a standing ovation! From the costumes, the sets, and the atmosphere, The Sight and Sound Millennium Theater productions gives you the essence of being back in time, living through the biblical times. For ticket pricing and other information, please visit http://www.sight-sound.com/.

Welcome to my Travel Journal

Today is Sunday January 25, 2009. The temperature outside is a balmy 25 degrees under cloudy conditions. As of today, there are 54 days until spring. Soon, we will begin to notice the trees budding, the grass turning different shades of green, the sun shining farther from the horizon, and best of all, warmer temperatures.

I know that there are photo opportunities during the winter months, but this year has been much colder that normal in Lancaster County. So what have I been doing instead of photography and writing this blog? I have been busy planning to visit places to explore once the weather warms up a bit. I have also been reading photo magazines, as well as, ordering travel brochures. (You can get free travel brochures on http://www.travelguidesfree.com/.)

In Lancaster County, there are plenty of places to photograph. Places like, Landis Valley Museum. LVM is a living history village and farm, collects, preserves and interprets the history and material culture of the Pennsylvania German rural community from 1740 to 1940 and enhances understanding of their successful practices, interactions with others, and the impact on the state and nation for citizens of and visitors to the Commonwealth. (info taken from their website http://www.landisvalleymuseum.org/.) I have visited LVM twice and it's a place that I put on my list to visit each year. So far, I have visited LVM during the spring and summer. My summer visit was an unexpected pleasure. I felt like I was on the set of the tv series "Little House on the Prarie". The weather was sunny and pleasant and there were photo opportunities everywhere I looked.

When you arrive at LVM, you are greeted by a smiling guest services representative, at the welcome center, who is eager to provide you with your ticket, map of the premises, and show you (on the map) the opened buildings. Some of the buildings include the Print and Leatherworking shop, the Blacksmith Shop, and the Maple Grove (one room) School House. There is also a tavern which a costumed-dressed employee explains the history of the tavern, and also prepares a meal over an opened flame. The tavern is a place where travelers could get a room for the night, and a home-cooked meal for about 40 cents.

The Landis House & Stable is a must see. The inside of the house is filled with many antiques and treasures, including a 8x10 camera with bellows. The rooms are small, but the air is filled with a rustic aura that has you imagine what life of the Landis brothers was like. Don't forget to stop at the Weathervane Museum Store to bring home a touch of Pennsylvania German craftmanship.

There are plenty more things to explore at LVM. For admission fees, hours of operation, and other information, please visit http://www.landisvalleymuseum.org/.