Happy New Year

Greeting's everyone, I want to thank everyone for there support this past. Ansel Adams once said 20 images a year is a good year. So this year has been a good year. And I'm looking forward to a succesful 2010. click here for a gallery of 22 images throughout the year. Hope you enjoy and I'll see you next year!!

Nick

Farmland Vista

It's amazing that just a week ago this was covered in a blanket of about two feet of snow. The last couple of day's I've been scouting out new area's in Lancaster County. This shot is off of a backroad just out side of Intercourse. Hope everyone had a good Christmas, enjoy

Nick

Longwood Christmas

This past week I made a night trip out to Longwood. I was hoping that being the middle of the week and being cold and windy the crowds would be small. Boy was I wrong, it was too busy in the conservatory so I spent most of my time outside. I loved the light on the clouds on that full moon night. Also was satisfied with this pano. Hope you enjoy

Nick

Penn Square, Christmas

Here's a shot I took while out in the city this evening. Actually I was out hoping for wet road surfaces. Nothing beats city light reflections on wet roads. But the timing for this shot was also perfect. Hopefully I'll be out again soon when it's wet out. And for the two ladies that I took a picture of give me a holler it's ready. Hope you enjoy.

Nick

First Snow

We had our first snow yesterday. Wasn't much but it was enough to work with. I went out to County Park and took a few frames of my favorite covered bridge. This subject never disappoints. Hope you enjoy.

Nick

Mississppi Sunset

It's been awhile since I've written and posted anything. Sorry for the delay. I took a brief break then for Thanksgiving went out to Iowa to visit some family. One of my favorite things about the midwest our there sunrises/sunsets. It was foggy and jus horrible conditions for the first several days. But the night before we left the Mississppi River was calm and the sky was perfect for a sunset. Hope you enjoy.

Nick

Hay Bails B&W

Now that I've processed a couple of black & white farm shots, I'm really enjoying it. I think because it gives a back in time feel to it. This was another trip I took around the county this week. This winter I really am planning on hitting up some of these areas especially when it snow's. Hope you enjoy.

Nick

Veteran's Day

While Stationed in Germany I had the privalege to visit General Patton's grave in Luxemburg. Who wanted to be buried facing his men. I'm sorry but this is the only picture I could find of the graveyard. And for those you ever get the chance to go to Europe I highly recommend visiting a WWII graveyard. It's a very sobering experiance. Have a great Veterans Day.

Nick

Lancaster Farmland

Today my wife and I went out to scout out new areas for landscape shots. I want to do a series on sunrises & sunsets with barns and fields. As well as this winter I'd like to have a set in Black & White. This was in an Old Order Mennonite field. The farmer was still out there loading the bails. And he did give me permission to photograph the field. Hope you enjoy.

Nick

Aster multi-exposure

It's funny how when winter starts to come in I start shooting more flowers. The warmth of the conservatory at Longwood Gardens is very appealing then. But I still have a couple of blossoms left in my backyard. So I hurried to get a couple of shots before it's too late. I got this idea from one of Ed Heaton's blog or Image of the week can't remember and combined it with William Neil's abstract shooting. I used 10shots going around in a circle then brought them all together for one image. Hope you enjoy

Nick

Susquehanna Reflection

Most of the leaves are gone but I still liked the late afternoon color. One of the rules of photography is not keep the horizon line in the middle of the frame. But I didn't want to lose the clouds in the sky or too much of the river. Plus what are rules for? To be broken. Hope you enjoy

Nick

Landis Farm Museum

I really enjoy having and looking at a nice simple clean image. I went out to Landis Farm today hoping to capturing a fall image of a farm house I shot this past winter but most of the leaves one the trees had alread fallen down. Also I was hoping to get some late afternoon shadows which really weren't all the lived up to, but what caught my eye was the color here between the hut and the leaves. I shot this in HDR but kept closer to a single shot as much as possible. Hope you enjoy.

Nick

Covered Bridge

The other afternoon my wife and I took a visit to County Park. The leafs are just about peak. I've always have been trying to get a good shot in different seasons of this bridge. I think this 6 shot HDR will work. Hope you enjoy.

Nick

Condrus State Park

You might want to call this the end of summer. The other day I was shooting a sunset. The one thing I really wanted out of the whole thing was a reflection shot. With the wind and lack of clouds using the lake was almost out of the question. But keeping your eye open for things laying around the area that can lead to a more creative shot is very rewarding. Hope you enjoy.

Nick

Sunset

How do you photograph a sunset? Now what makes a good sunset shoot is clouds for the different colored light. And calm waters for reflection. But sometimes mother nature doesn't always work out the way we want it too. Today I went out to a new location in York county. Obviously by the shot here I didn't have calm waters and no clouds. I'm still working on a few shots. Because one other thing I forgot to mention is the use of things around the area that enhance the shot. Which I did have. Hope you enjoy

Nick

Peaceful Stream

The best part of this weather we've been having is the water level's in these small streams. This is another image from Saturday's shoot. I really felt the urge to share just because of how the stream leads the eye. Also the mix of tree's with colored leaves worked well too. I used a feathered edge for effect. Hope you enjoy.

Nick

Tucquain Glen

This morning I got together with Ed Heaton for a little creek shooting at Tucquain Glen. Now with all of the bad misty/rainy weather that we've been having it is actually a perfect time to be out. The lighting is soft and diffused. Small creeks have plenty of water and color is a bit more saturated. It actually was a good morning and I think we both came out satisfied with the results. Hope you enjoy.

Nick

The Overlook

Well as you can see we're still a couple of weeks away from peak fall foilage in Lancaster County. But patchyness has started to emerge. I was scouting out areas in the southern part of the County for potential peak shots. Looks like this one could warrent a second look. Hope you enjoy.

Nick

Fall Foilage Abstract

This past afternoon my wife & I got together with my mom, sister and her kids. No offense to my family but usually I prefer to be by myself. But I won't resist taking my four year old nephew around. Here I used William Neil's abstract technique that friend & fellow photographer Ed Heaton helped me with. Hope you enjoy.

Nick

Country Sunset

This is down the road from the spot where I took the "Cornfield Sunrise." I was actually out scouting a spot for a sunrise when I decided to shoot this one. The most important part in this is the way I have the road and fence positioned to lead to the sunset. I don't think I would have shot it without them being there. Hope you enjoy.

Nick

Cornfield Sunrise

For the last week or so I've had trouble with my internet connection.The only time I have gotten online has been only to check e-mail. So I haven't been able to post anything on my website or blog. This pano I took a couple of mornings ago. I was going to a spot off Snake Hill Rd for you local people but saw some fog in the distant. So took a quick ride looking for a valley to shoot in. Came across this one spot, and panoramic just came calling. Hope you enjoy

Nick

Prince Street Garage

This past evening my wife and I took a quick trip downtown to capture some more imags of Lancaster. We both wanted to work on getting the lights on the Prince Street Garage. They change colors every few minutes. I spent some time inside the garage. The Parking Authority won't let you walk around like you own the place. But on the sidewalk with the blurred traffic at the bottom providing the base. We have a solid subject. I hope you enjoy.

Nick

Falls in Holtwood

This image I took when I was out with Ed Heaton last Saturday for the Amish barn raising. We went by the Historic Lock 12 area near the Holtwood dam. We've both have photographed this area extensively. So it was a welcomed challenge of finding some new angle on an old subject or a new subject. Hope you enjoy.
Nick

Movement & Patterns

This week I've been working on my night shooting in downtown Lancaster. One of the things I've been concentrating on is to have blurred movement in the image whether it's people or traffic. This is accomplished with leaving my shutter open. Also I've been working on patterns in building lights as well as street lights. This image here outside of one of the more popular watering holes I feel provides a great example of when you combine the two. Unfortunately my gallery tab isn't working so to view the rest are on my website. Sorry for the inconvenience. I hope you enjoy
Nick

Tobbaco Barn

This past Saturday I go together with fellow photographer & friend Ed Heaton. We had gotten together to shoot an Amish barn raising. Unfortunately there was no barn raising, they must have taken the day off. Anyway they did allow us to shoot there barn and with the light hitting and just the right time it made a great subject. I hope you enjoy.

Nick

Lancaster Sunset

The other night I went out to a spot that I've been eyeing for a while as a potential sunrise/sunset location. The only problem was shooting over a fence and under electric lines. Lately we've had some really awesome sunsets where the clouds have had some great color but I think if you have a city skyline the opposite way you have great light on some buildings and reflections as well. Hope you enjoy.
Nick

Trees Abstract

The last couple of months I've been working on technique done by William Neil. The whole process is actually simple once you get the hang of it. It's all about merging different shots but rotating the camera while shooting the scene. I think it's pretty cool technique. I'm still working on it so hopefully I'll have a few more. Hope you enjoy.
Nick

Rainy Lancaster

Last night I meet freinds and fellow photographers Ed & Kelly Heaton in downtown Lancaster. Every time I've gotten together with Ed it's raining. This time I had to handle an umbrella along with the camera. It never really let up but it does give a magical auroa with the lights and the rain. http://www.photoshopshowcase.com/ViewFlashMedia.aspx?AID=246473&AT=3 for a small gallery. I processed a few of these in B&W to give a different feel. I hope you enjoy.
Nick

Ben Franklin Bridge "Sepia"

I spent most of this weekend going through some of the shoots from this summer. Deleting shots that never worked out and doing some edits on others. I did two different edits for this shot of the Ben Franklin one was in color no color and the other copy I did with Sepia. Both came out good but the color no color I decided to work on a little more. Sepia obviously seemed to work right off the bat. Hope you enjoy
Nick

Senior Day

This past week I spent a day shooting my cousins senior pictures at Longwood. Besides the oppressive heat it was very nice day enjoyed by everyone. I think the best thing out of it was the pushing of myself for better creativity with portrait shots.
Hope you enjoy.
Nick

Tucquan Glen

The other day I made a trip back to Tucquan Glen. My goal is to shot this area during the fall and this coming winter. So I'm scouting out spots along the creek to get a solid plan. This is part of my ongoing portfolio of the Holtwood Environmental Area. I think the thing I like the most about this spot is that it's about 15min from the city of Lancaster but you feel as if your a thousand miles away. http://www.photoshopshowcase.com/ViewFlashMedia.aspx?AID=243607&AT=3 for a small gallery I hope you enjoy.

Nick

Swirling Dasies

Sometimes I get bored shooting flowers. I think if all I do is take a basic shot. I then start to feel like I'm missing out on some technique to help enhance the image. Here with this shot I just put a little swirl into it in Photoshop. I do think it's easy to get carried away with special effects but at the same time there great when you need to add a little pop. Hope you enjoy.

Nick

WW II memorial (pano)

This is image has been a long time coming. Over the past couple of months my computer has been taking a turn south. For the most part I could not perform alot of the actions in elements because I've been running out of RAM. I took this image this past April while with a group of friends in Washington DC. I really liked the composition from the get go. The only problem was I couldn't finish it. Well now the new computer is hooked up and I'm ready to go. Hope you enjoy

Nick

First Friday

This past friday evening I made a short little trip to gallery row in downtown Lancaster for first friday. My main goal was to capture the life of the downtown area. I think this says it all with the movement of the people and the galleries. Hope you enjoy.

Nick

Lancaster County Sunrise

This morning they were calling for morning fog. A subject I try to shoot as much as possible. Also this barn I've been eyeing for a little bit as well. unfortunately I was in a bad spot, but found some better ones afterward. Also The haze on the horizon even waiting for the sun to get above that it didn't seem like it was going to work out. Even going through the whole post processing I wasn't happy with the results. But with the Topez Simplify filter I felt with the painted effect I was willing to share this shot. Hope you enjoy.

Nick

Daybreak (pano)

About a year ago I took this shot of this barn for a sunrise. I thought it was a ok, but always wanted to get back to it. This morning they were calling for fog then clearing up for a nice sunny day. So here was my shot to get back. This shot here is an HDR pano. At first I was just concentrating on the barn but when the sun started to come through the only thing I could think of was a panoramic opportunity. Hope you enjoy.

Nick

On the fringe

Right now we are in the middle of some humid weather. I guess the only good thing about it all are the late afternoon thunderstorms. I've really have been interested in getting some good shots of storm fronts but can't say I'm at the right spot at the right time. Well here all I had to do was walk into my backyard and take this shot of Lancaster City. I'm still up in air over which one I like better. I'm leaning toward the Black&White. By the way there used to be a big tree blocking this view till a couple of weeks ago. Hope you enjoy

Nick

Lancaster Twilight

When it comes to shooting in an urban area there is such a 'magical' time right after the sun goes down. The sky still has some color to it but at the same time all the city lights are coming on. The same holds true for the morning but you honestly would want to get up that early except for goofy photographers. This past weekend I ventured some more around the downtown area of Lancaster. Here's a shot of Penn Square my shutter was at 20 seconds at f-8. I was open long enough for the light to go from green to red. Click here for a small gallery. Hope you enjoy.

Nick

Ben Franklin Bridge & Zoo, Philadelphia

This past friday I met some friends for a sunrise shoot down near the Ben Franklin Bridge. Now the sunrise was a wash but the rest of morning was spent shooting around the bridge & the Zoo area's. Capturing some great patterns in the bridge and animals you don't see everyday in southeast Pennsylvania. click here for a small gallery. Hope you enjoy.

Nick

Suzie's Hole

Well lets start off by saying it good to be back on the Internet. After a week of no Internet you feel isolated from the rest of the world. But that didn't stop me from enjoying some quality time with the camera. I spent most of the week shooting and scouting out new area's in and around the Holtwood Environmental Area. This shot here is done in the Pequea Gorge 'Suzie's Hole.' Hope you enjoy

Nick

flow of the glen

Water is such a fascinating subject. There are so many different way's to capture the smoothness of a stream or falls. One way is shoot leading your eye down a stream. Capturing every drop in the stream is one continuous flow. This one was captured at Tucquan Glen late Sunday afternoon. Hope you enjoy.

Nick

Summer Showers

The good thing about all of this rain these past couple of week's has been the swelling of the local creeks & streams. I climbed down into this small little gorge on Saturday after a down pour to get this shot. It's an 4 shot HDR image with shutter speeds at 1 1/2, 2, 2 1/2, 3 seconds, at f-8. Hope you enjoy.

Best of Light
Nick

Penn Square

While out the other night I was planning to work on some traffic shots. But wound up with a nice consolation in the Veteran's memorial in downtown Lancaster. This HDR image was taken about five minutes after the sun went down. Sorry but I could not move the construction sign. It was chained; they'll be done soon, Hope you enjoy.

Nick

Lancaster County Courthouse

When people first think of Lancaster County the main thing that pops into our minds is the peaceful rural life and the amish. But there's another side of this area and that's the city. I was out doing a sunset shot this past weekend. It was actually turning into a disappointment till I got a ray of light leading my eyes straight to the courthouse dome. I added a little topez buzz to it and there you go. I hope you enjoy


Good light
Nick

Wedding Day

Hello everyone, it's been a while since I've posted, that's because on Saturday I shot my first wedding. It actually went pretty well. We did the Bride & Groom shots over in Lancaster County Park, where there must have been about six other weddings going on throughout the day. It's amazing how much prep time is used before the day. But I strongly think that's what made it flow. I hope you enjoy.

Good Light
Nick

Longwood Fountains

This past weekend I made a trip to Longwood to work on some school material. I planned to stay outside for most of my time there but was cut short due to the rain. I did get enough time to get a shot off of the Italian Water Garden. Hope you enjoy

Nick

Around the bend

During my latest trip to Holtwood earlier in the week. I noticed a really nice high the water level. So Saturday I made a little trip over to Tucquain Glen, which is the same vicinity just over some ridges to Holtwood. I used a Topez Simplify filter here. The meta data for this was an ISO100, shutter speed of 1 sec at f-22. On another note for the last couple of weeks I have been shooting in straight up Manuel. For the last couple of years I have just stayed in aperture mode. I was content with controlling the amount of light that I was letting in. I'm noticing some good results by staying in Manuel. I hope you enjoy.


Good light
Nick

Spring Falls

It's amazing how time flies by in between post. The other day I realised that for the past couple of week's all I shot were portraits. To get back into the swing of spring. I made a quick little trip to Holtwood. The last time I was here it was all snow & ice. First time in awhile the water was this high. I hope you enjoy.


Good light
Nick

The view from Jefferson Memorial

Before we got soaked in DC we had a little thunderstorm go through the area. Thankfully we were inside the Jefferson Memorial. I took this shot while it was raining and the clouds took up half of the Washington Monument. When it had begun to clear up I took it again with better results. On our way back to the hotel it began to torrential downpour. Now I know my camera bag is waterproof.


Good Light
Nick