A corn crib barn stands out in a Northumberland County corn field. Taken back on 4-2-2010 during a Covered Bridge trip through the Pennsylvania counties of Northumberland and Union.

I shot this as five bracketed RAW frames at 1/3rd stop increments handheld and then combined them into an HDR with Photomatix Pro. Textures applied from the commercial texture packs purchased from Flypaper Textures and Distressed Textures.

Update on my leg for those that have asked – Just got back from the Surgeon. He says after eight weeks, there isn’t enough healing so I have to wait at least another month. Because of some other long term health issues I have, the bone isn’t healing as fast as it should. Looking at the X-Ray, realistically I would guess that I may be able to walk and drive again sometime in the Winter. My entire Summer has evaporated. [insert very, very bad words here]

This is a shot taken from the modern highway bridge that Pumping Station Road uses to cross Marsh Creek about 400 feet downstream from Saucks Covered Bridge.n This is from my last trip to the Gettysburg area back on 3-18-2010. The water was so still on this afternoon. No ducks in the area, no kids throwing stones, just a perfect reflection of the covered bridge.

A bronze plaque located near the bridge states: “In 1938, the Pennsylvania Highway Department determined that the Sachs Bridge was the most historic covered bridge in the state”. It makes those claims for good reason. The bridge was used for the movement of both Confederate and Union troops during the Civil War battle at nearby Gettysburg in 1863. The bridge, which has also been known as “Sachs Bridge”, was built in 1854 by David Spooner and runs 100 feet across the Marsh Creek in Cumberland Township, PA. In 1996 the bridge was lifted off its foundation and carried a short distance downstream. Repairs were made on the bridge in 1997. The bridge was closed to traffic in 1968 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It is said to be a hot spot for ghost hunters seeking contact with the souls of three people who were allegedly hanged at one end of the bridge.

The Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association, who owns the bridge, really has done a remarkable job at landscaping and upkeep in the bridge area.

I shot this as seven bracketed RAW frames at 1/3rd stop increments and then combined them into an HDR with Photomatix Pro and finally, tone mapped that image.

Original

After an afternoon storm passed through the Oley Valley, the sun made a return and bathed this Hoch Road farm in golden light before setting. I shot this last year on 7-29-2009 and had posted a different shot of this farm previously but I wanted to do a version that was a little less heavy handed on the processing and a little different crop.
Original

“Sometimes I do get to places just when God’s ready to have somebody click the shutter.” — Ansel Adams

Sunrise over the marsh near the Gull Pond at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Oceanville, NJ. Shot back on 7-3-2009 as seven bracketed exposures and merged to HDR and tone mapped in Photomatix, converted to black and white using Adobe Lightroom 3 today 7-18-2010. I had posted a color version of this last year but I think I prefer the black and white version more because of the amount of natural contrast in the scene.

For more information on the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, visit their web site atwww.fws.gov/northeast/forsythe/.

“If you’ve never experienced the joy of accomplishing more than you can imagine, plant a garden.” ~Robert Brault

A stone lantern highlights this section of the gardens at the Shofuso Japanese House in Fairmont Park Philadelphia. The Shofuso Japanese house and gardens were built in 1958 in 16th century style. Shofuso is located on the grounds of the Horticultural Center in the West Philadelphia section of Fairmount Park. The perfectly proportioned architecture of the main structure and adjoining tea house is enhanced by an ornamental garden and picturesque pond. Tours of the house are available and periodically there are special events offered including tea ceremonies, bonsai plant showings and more. Finding a cultural nugget like this so close to the city of Philadelphia is very unique and special and definitely needs to be checked out if you are looking for something a little different. There is an almost unlimited amount of composition opportunity within a small area at Shofuso.

For more information on visiting Shofuso, check out www.shofuso.com/.

I shot this as seven RAW bracketed exposures (hand held) at 1/3 stop variance and then combined the exposures into an HDR and tone mapped using Photomatix Pro.

This Bucks County bridge was built in 1873. It utilizes a Town Truss design and has a span of 110 feet and a weight limit of three tons. The bridge has also been known as “Slifer’s Bridge”. Built of hemlock, it crosses Durham Creek, which was once known as “Cook’s Creek”. It is owned and maintained by Bucks county and is open to daily vehicular traffic. The bridge is in excellent shape. Unfortunately, this bridge has been the target of several failed arson attempts in recent years, most recently in 2004 and 2007. What makes these people want to destroy historic treasures like this is beyond comprehension. The bridge is surrounded by some really beautiful farms that also offer some great landscape photo ops.

For more information on the Bridges of Bucks County, visit the Bucks County Covered Bridge Society.

I shot this as five bracketed RAW frames at 1/3rd stop variance and then combined them into an HDR and toned mapped them with Photomatix Pro. From my trip through Bucks County on 5-30-2009.

I had been meaning to get to this particular mill for a while and with rain and fog on this particular day(4-25-2010), it seemed like as good as time as any. Nice shooting weather. It would rain and stop, rain and stop all day long.

This mill was built somewhere between 1800 and 1830. It is located in Fawn Township near the intersection of Garvine Mill Road and PA route 425 (aka Woodbine Road). The water source is Bald Eagle Creek. What is puzzling is that on top of the hill behind the mill (the view you are seeing here) is a head race formed by the two foot high rock trough on the left, which would make this an overshot wheel but there is no current water source for the head race. It is said that the Bald Eagle Creek furnished water to the head race but given the elevation I would have to think the creek no longer takes that route. There isn’t a lot of information available on this mill on the Internet so I’ll have to hunt around a bit more to get the back story on how this mill operated and what happened to the original water source. The Miller’s house can be seen across the valley from the mill in the background.

The mill has also been known by the names Anderson’s Mill (named after the original builder) and Rock Run Mill (Not to be confused with the mill by the same name in Maryland). It was originally used to grind cornmeal and in later years became a cider mill. The original mill burned down in the late 1800′s and was rebuilt from the foundation up in the years 1899 & 1900. The original wheel on the mill was wooden and was replaced when the mill was rebuilt. The mill is currently owned by Gene Badders who is refurbishing the mill.

I shot this as seven bracketed RAW frames at .7 stop increments and then combined them into an HDR with Photomatix Pro and finally, tone mapped that image before bringing it into Photoshop CS5 and doing the B&W conversion with onOne’s Photo Tools.

A look inside the engineer’s cab of the Reading Railroad Switching Locomotive # 1251. The 1251 is one of nine remaining Reading Company engines. This engine was the last standard-gauge steam locomotive in daily operation on a class one railroad in the US. It was built by Philadelphia & Reading Co. in September 1918 from parts of a I-8 2-8-0 Consolidation and was retired from regular service on Feb. 9, 1963. It last ran on 1966. The 1251 is what is known as a “Tank Engine”, so called because it carries its water supply and fuel on board itself, rather than in an attached rail car called a tender. Such locomotives are often used as switchers in rail yards, and for relatively short runs. If you are familiar with the Children’s book and TV show series “Thomas The Tank Engine”, Thomas is modeled on this type of locomotive. Shot at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg, PA back on 3-29-2009.

For more information on the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, visit their web site at www.rrmuseumpa.org/index.shtml.

I shot this as seven bracketed RAW frames at .7 stop increments and then combined them into an HDR with Photomatix Pro and finally, tone mapped that image.

This bridge, who’s official name is “Big Chickies #4 Bridge” was built in 1855 by Charles Malhorn and Levi Fink. It utilizes a single span, wooden, double Burr arch truss design with the addition of steel hanger rods. It crosses the Chickies Creek for a total length of 96 feet. The bridge is owned and maintained by Lancaster County and is in great shape and open to daily vehicular traffic. In 1980 the bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places as structure number 80003531. You can find this bridge on Erisman Road North of Landisville, PA.

I shot this as five bracketed RAW frames at 1/3rd stop variance and then combined them into an HDR and toned mapped them with Photomatix Pro.

This is the entrance way to Lake Meade, a private community in Adams County, PA. While on my way to the Anderson Farm Covered Bridge in August of 2009, I passed this sign and immediately saw their six foot waterwheel and knew I had to shoot this.

I shot this as five hand held bracketed RAW frames at 1/3rd increments and then combined them into an HDR with Photomatix Pro and finally, tone mapped that image.

This octagonal one room schoolhouse was built about 1836 and was in use until 1915. It was renovated several times throughout the years, first in the 1930s and again in the 1960s. A major rebuild had to be performed in 1972 after flood damage. The latest renovations began in 2006 and went through 2008 which included the addition of school desks, black board and period cast-iron stove as well as repointing of the exterior stones. It is located about a mile from Rishel Covered Bridge on PA Route 45 between West Chillisquaque and East Chillisquaque Township in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. The school once featured a belfry on the roof as shown in this old news article I found.

For information and locations of octagon and round dwellings in the U.S., check out this web site.

I shot this as five hand held bracketed RAW frames at 1/3rd increments and then combined them into an HDR with Photomatix Pro and finally, tone mapped that image.

When I was inside this boxcar I was taken by the way the exhibit lighting was hitting these milk cans and the way the wood grain was in great contrast to the metal of the milk cans. I sort of felt like a Hobo riding the rails if only for a few minutes. Shot at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg, PA.

For more information on the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, visit their web site atwww.rrmuseumpa.org/index.shtml.

I shot this as seven bracketed RAW frames at .7 stop increments and then combined them into an HDR with Photomatix Pro and finally, tone mapped that image.

This is the main house at the Henry’s Forge historic site within the Jacobsburg Environment Education Center near Wind Gap, PA. They forged iron on these grounds starting in 1809. Today it is surrounded by some great trails that are used pretty heavily for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding, all in a very quiet, forested setting.

For more information on Jacobsburg Environment Education Center visit this site

I shot this as seven bracketed RAW frames and then combined them into an HDR with Photomatix Pro and finally, tone mapped that image to create the final product.

This Lancaster County mill was built around 1836 by Abram Mylin. It also went by the names “Millvale Mill” and “Harnish’s Mill” at various times. The first mill on this site was a log mill built in 1774 by Jacob Smith. That mill was a corn & saw mill. J. Smith replaced this mill around 1806 with a new stone mill. In 1815 it was described as a 3 story grist mill. In 1836 Mylin built a new mill or enlarged the old one to 3.5 stories. It was remodeled again in 1853 after a fire. It was purchased by Abraham Mylin in 1846, who erected an addition to the building and put in another water-wheel. He owned and conducted the mill until 1857, when he sold it to Benjamin Harnish. In 1868 it was sold to Jacob B. Good, and two years later to Thomas Baumgardner, the present owner. Mr. Baumgardner repaired the mill and put in new machinery. It is both a merchant and custom mill, and has four runs of burr-stones. The water source is the Pequea Creek.

I shot this as five bracketed RAW frames at 1/3rd stop and then combined them into an HDR with Photomatix Pro and finally, tone mapped that image to create the final product.