Organic Flowers

Here is another image from my Marietta Market photo shoot. When stopping at a vegetable stand, the owner was also selling organic flowers, as seen in this image. Admiring her set-up, I managed to capture a shot of the glass bottle vases with the unique Burpee wooden crate.

Farm Fresh Produce

Did you know that Marietta, PA has a Farmer's Market? Well, they do and they are open on Sunday's from 9am-1pm! At this market, all of the farm fresh fruits, and vegetables are organic! This image was taken at market this morning. For those of you who are members of the LCC, if you still need to work on your "Lancaster County Farming" pics, look no further than Marietta! Hurry though, as this market will only be open on Sunday's thru mid September! Oh, and the market is located at S. Pine and Front Streets @ Flanagan Park!

Waterfall @ Route 117

When I photographed Katelyn, one of our stops was this waterfall, located at Route 117 in PA. Today, I stopped by to take some photos of this man-made, natural-looking waterfall! This a stunning place for photographers, amateur or pro, looking to capture America's beauty! (It is also a great place for portraits!) Happy Birthday America!

Katelyn's Senior Portrait Shoot

Yesterday I had fun photographing home-schooled senior, Katelyn. She will be attending college this fall in the music-vocal field! Since many aspiring vocal artists require headshots, as well as, other artistry-type portraits, we spent most of the shoot at the Mount Gretna Playhouse. This headshot was taken outside with a black velvet backdrop, and a warming reflector.

If you, or you know someone in the Lancaster County PA area who will be graduating in 2012, and would like senior portraits taken, please visit my website @ http://www.clsperkophotos.com/. Let me creatively capture your high school senior portraits showcasing your aspirations and dreams!

His Excellency, The Most Reverend Bishop Joseph McFadden

Today, I had the opportunity to photograph Mass at Mary, Mother of the Church, with Bishop Joseph McFadden visiting! It was an honor to meet and photograph his Excellency, and to receive Holy Communion by Bishop McFadden as well! This is just one of the photos captured during his visit. Please see more by clicking http://www.clsperkophotos.com/. Thank you!

Waterfall @ Lancaster County Park

Here is another favorite shot from Sunday's shoot! This image reminds me of a tropical paradise and it's here at Lancaster County Park in Lancaster County, PA! Prints of this image may be purchased by clicking http://www.clsperkophotos.com/! Hang a piece of paradise on your wall:)

Kurtz's Mill Covered Bridge

Here is another image from Sunday's outing. I often visited Lancaster County Park with the hope of locating Kurtz's Mill Covered Bridge, but usually, I couldn't find it. This changed yesterday as our first stop at the park was this particular covered bridge. Not being originally from Lancaster County, I never seen a covered bridge where I grew up, (in the suburbs outside Detroit, MI).

This image, although a typical shot of the bridge, was also my favorite! Prints are available for purchase by clicking http://www.clsperkophotos.com/! Thank you!

Lancaster County Park

This morning our camera club, (Wrights Ferry/Well Spring) went to Lancaster County Park for a photo field trip. Lancaster County Park is located in Southern Lancaster County off of Golf Rd, or South Duke Street, depending on how you are traveling.

This image was taken at the beautiful five senses at the park. This trail leads you to several man-made water falls, gardens, and a gazebo. Have a great week!

Good Ole Lancaster County

Eager to get out for some shooting, I ventured to Gap to seek good ole Lancaster County landscapes. I have passed this area many times, and finally, Tuesday was the day to capture the inner beauty of what this county is best known for!

This image was cropped to a panoramic and was taken after sunrise on a hazy, hot, and humid - yes, something else that this county is known for - morning. Can anyone guess exactly where this image was captured? Please respond via fb or blog post with your guesses!

Introducing Mr. & Mrs. Robert Smith!

I would like to say congratulations to Christine and Robert Smith! Being a part of their special day will stay in my heart for ever! Christine and Robert, I wish you eternal love, joy, and happiness all the days of your lives! (Stay tuned for more images to be uploaded within the next several days!)

Spring Flower Basket

Looking out the window, weather conditions seemed appropriate to photograph spring flowers. The sky was overcast with very light winds. Walking down Front Street in Marietta, I noticed a flower basket with different shades of purple blooms. Taking several shots, this one posted was my favorite from the bunch! I'm attracted to textured shots with a splash of color!

Shots like this can add "wow" to any wall in your house! It would also be a great gift for "Mom"! Various size prints of this image, as well as other captures are available at http://www.clsperkophotos.com/. Thank you for visiting!

Virginia Blue Bells

Today I ventured to Shenks Wildflower Preserve near Safe Harbor to capture Virginia blue bells, trillium, and other wildflower species. Attached is my favorite shot from the shoot! A gentle breeze was blowing when this image was taken. If you look closely, you can see a little blur on the flower edges. In post-processing, I darkened the edges to bring out the coloful blooms.

Barn Owl

On Saturday, I visited Zoo America in Hershey, PA. Although the zoo is small, you can find many different species of animals, mammals, and reptiles. This image was taken at ISO 800, @ f1/8 and shutter @ 200 hand held.

Published Once Again!

On Wednesday, I received some good news regarding having one of my images published! In the mailbox, was an envelope from The Photographer's Edge, and inside was notification that an image of mine will be published in the Spring issue of their publication! WooHoo! For those who are not familiar with Photographer's Edge, they sell frame cards for 4x6 prints with many selections available. If you submit images on a CD, and they use one of them in a future catalog, you receive a $25 gift certificate! Go to http://www.photographersedge.com for more info.

Does anyone want to guess which image will be chosen? Make your choice from the attached contact sheet and provide me with an answer via facebook or this blog post! I don't even know which one will be chosen until I get the issue!

Have a great weekend!

A Touch of Spring

Yesterday I ventured to downtown Lancaster with a few members of the Lancaster Meetup Group. We walked down East Chestnut Street, and other areas of town stopping to take photos of buildings, people, and still life. After stopping for beverages at the Prince Street Cafe', we continued our photo shoot at Central Market. This image was taken at a local flower and produce stand at market. Spring officially starts tonight!

Happy Spring everyone!

Susquehanna River Floods - Marietta

This morning I went out to the Susquehanna River to document (via my Pentax K7) the flood damage. This image was taken at the Marietta Boat Club launch area. Looking at the tree on the left, you can see how high the water rose, and compare it to the current water levels today.

The red building is the boat house that stands on a hill. The hill is currently under water.

New Photo Reality Series via The Weather Channel

The Weather Channel is launching a new reality TV show, "From the Edge with Peter Lik" focusing on scenic outdoor photography. The show will follow Peter Lik, an Australian landscape photographer as he travels to places where weather continues to have a unique impact on the landscape. Everyweek, Peter Lik will attempt to capture the essence of Mother Nature through his lens with his unique perspective, style, and skill. Throughout the thirteen episodes, Peter Lik will photograph stunning landscapes across Hawaii, Alaska, Death Valley, Utah and other hidden gems off the map. We will see all his photographs and techniques along the way as he overcomes weather-related obstacles to find the perfect shot.

Premiere Date: March 31, 8pm, The Weather Channel

For more info, please go to http://weather.com/peterlik.

Disclosure - I have been asked by a staff member at The Weather Channel to help promote this new reality series. Please see a slide show at http://t.co/gk84hAf for more info. Thank you!

Brooms for Sale

Here is an image from today's photo shoot at the Bart Township Mud Sale. I like the pattern that the brooms made. This image was cropped and tweaked in contrast. I will post more images from the mud sale in the next few days. Stay tuned!

Old Green Chair

Strolling around the historic town of Marietta with my new Pentax K7 dslr, I went about the city searching for test subjects. Market Street was full of photo opportunities - from Christmas decorations, victorian style buildings, to this old green chair! The red checkered fabric and red brick building adds contrast to the old green chair, which was the main reason for photographing this unique subject.

Oh, and my new Pentax K7 is a wonderful dslr! I will be blogging more about the K7 in future posts! Stay tuned...

Red Barn Continued

Here is another shot of the red barn, from my morning outing, after the snow storm. The snow on the tree branches surround the barn in a "winter elegance." As each passing winter day brings us closer to spring, let us enjoy what mother nature created.

Enjoy your week!

Winter in Lancaster County

A blanket of white snow glistened in the Susquehanna Valley as I made my way to the red barn. Clutching my camera and tripod, I crossed the not so busy PA Route 441, mounted my Pentax K10D to my Induro tripod, and composed several images of what lay before me.

Satisfied that I got "the shot", I ventured back to the streets of Marietta and continued composing more snow-challenge captures. Will I be able to "win" the ultimate snow challenge, or will my friend Michael capture the moment like no other photographer has done before? Stay tuned to my next blog post to find out.......

Snow Challenge Pic #1

Hello and welcome to another blog post! Today I ventured out in the snow to capture a few scenics. Although my plan was to photograph in and around Mount Joy, I decided to drive down Route 30 East in the hopes of finding some interesting snow subjects.

This old shed may be found a few miles past Route 896 on Route 30 East in Lancaster County. I've passed this place many times with the intention of taking some pics.The shed, along with the relics inside, beckon to be photographed! Light snow was also falling at the time this shot was taken.

This image was changed to a "light" sepia tone in post processing. For those of you who don't know why I titled this image Snow Challenge #1, a friend of mine (Michael) and I have challenged ourselves to take pics of snow this winter. Anyone reading this post are more than welcome to join this challenge. Please send me the link to your images! Thank you!