I’m feeling a bit down this autumn. Usually my fall is filled with outdoor nature excursions. This year we are forced to be ever more frugal and have chosen to cut out the road trips. I am missing my family and friends in Philadelphia. Honestly, I miss exploring new Pennsylvania trails as much as my loved ones.
My favorite state park of recent visit is Ricketts Glenn. The slippery trails along boulders misted by endless cascading waterfalls is especially enchanting when the leaves are scattered in your path.
We stayed at a charming bed and breakfast called Hart’s Content. It was romantic and our host put us at ease. The owner built the home for the purpose of a getaway for couples and travelers to the wilderness. I appreciate the craftsmanship and upkeep and, of course the main event, her fantastic breakfast. She coordinated breakfast time for just me and my wife after the other guests were fed.
I’m learning there are lots of great hikes in the Central PA area. I’ll be reporting on what I find close to home and try to remember to bring back some pictures.
A dead tree, roots, vines... I don't remember what this is
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Autumn is a time to purge. The trees shed old burdensome growth. Setting forth the ability to develop greater strength, winter prepares challenges which may prove sustained life.
It is the meaning of our son’s adaptation of the Tutelo word for the color-rich season. My wife and I had to leave behind growth as single individuals to come together to begin a strong family. Fall is a time when we most enjoy taking hikes, making family portraits against the fall foliage, and watching nature’s course.
My son fills in the hues when I get trapped in a black and white picture. He is blessed with pure kindness and generous forgiveness. He is a spectrum of color- an autumn of inspiration.
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The Guiness Book of Work Records wouldn’t accept my entry for the longest panoramic photograph of graffiti, even though it is. The abandoned rail tunnel features over 100 yards of continuous graffiti. We took about 75 exposures, covering about 70 yards of wall space to complete a panoramic image measuring 25 feet in length.
This place brings back memmories of being young, rebellious, and feeling at home. Anywhere abandoned, serene or overtaken by nature is where I liked to hang out most. I remember thinking at age four that the concrete jungle surrounding me was awfully unnatural. Luckily I grew up near part of Fairmount Park that were easily accessible by bicycle.
Sometimes I think that there could be a day that we are all gone and everything built by man will come undone. I found a book that explains theories of how the Earth would continue if humans dissapeared. It is titled ‘The World Without US’ by Alan Weisman.
Click here to see the entire panorama
I travel extremely light when urban spelunking. I didn’t bring along all of these items. I used just one speed light, light stand, umbrella, Canon 1D MKII, batteries, and head lamp.
I don't mind damaging or losing this equipment.
Porsha took snapshots as I entered the shadowy abyss of the abandoned rail tunnel.
Checking the exposure often helped continuity for the panorama.
This is a good example of how pieces are painted over one another.
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This was my first attempt at photographing models and makeup. I didn’t know much about the chosen location or how to light it. My wife and I brought along a couple hot shoe flashes and big reflecting umbrellas. We decided to coordinate the background with the outfits and makeup colors. We tried to make the lighting to appear to be bright and futuristic, without blowing out the makeup.
Inspiration immediately caught fire as I was led to this location. My first experiments in photographic arts were on landscapes such as these throughout the city of Philadelphia. All of these images are straight out of the camera. The saturation, exposure, and sharpness were all done on the fly and left as is.
Thanks, Victoria for a far out fashion shoot!
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