One of those things was to review and organize my older photographs. That lead to the photographs below and the realization that for photographers, our passion, art and creative voice are housed in a small metal box of spinning disks called a hard drive. Only the best of these escape to be printed and framed or placed on a website for the world to see.
Do No Harm With Your Photography Lancaster County in Pennsylvania is known for its Amish and Mennonite religious sects. The Amish are a closed sect that shun the modern trappings of life and choose to live without electricity and the machinery driven by it. They farm with horses and travel in horse drawn buggies which makes them particularly attractive to photographers. But, [...]
Composition is a Form of Communication Composition is an elusive thing for many photographers. On the other hand, the technical aspects of photography are fairly straight forward and systematic. One camera setting affects another in a logical way. Once that is learned, the photographer understands how a camera processes light coming through the lens and can create a well exposed photograph. This [...]
Finding the Wonder in the Simple The Tucquan Glen Nature Preserve is located in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. I was surprised at how beautiful this little preserve is as it follows the cascading Tucquan Creek down to the Susquehanna River. The hiking trails look well traveled so I was happy to be there on a cold weekday that was free of the weekend and [...]
An evening on the Ben Franklin Bridge What makes South Jersey an interesting and unique place to live is that you are close to the wilderness forests of the New Jersey Pinelands and the City of Philadelphia. One can enjoy both city and country life without traveling very far. There is a pedestrian walkway on the Ben Franklin Bridge that spans the Delaware River and connects [...]
An aimless pursuit of beauty. What do you do when a day of scouting for photography locations doesn't yield anything? That happened recently on a trip to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. We spent the afternoon hiking the Cliff and other trails to check out overlooks and waterfalls. My plan was to find the best ones and spend the next few [...]
I'm not sure why I went back to the old Pennhurst Hospital which is often referred to as the "Shame of Pennsylvania." The hospital for "feeble-minded children" (from its original name) was built in 1908 and had a long history of being overcrowded, underfunded and understaffed which lead to abuse and neglect of the young residents until it was closed in the 1980's. [...]
If this post doesn't make you cry I'm not doing my job Yellow Dog Village is an odd name for a town, but it is sort of an odd town. In the early 20th century when miners and mine owners battled each other over wages and working conditions, this town was a place of harmony between workers and management. Yellow Dog Village [...]
Photographing the Past While Remembering Mine Scranton Lace Company Loom by Richard Lewis 2015 I recently attended a workshop led by one of the master photographers of abandoned places, Matthew Christopher, at the old Scranton Lace Company in Pennsylvania. The Scranton Lace Company was established in the 1890's and remained in business until 2003. It is a massive, once thriving, complex [...]
We came for the waterfalls but found a lot more. Ricketts Glen State Park One of the nicest things in the Endless Mountains is Ricketts Glen State Park. Depending on what trail you take, it is possible to see up to 21 waterfalls. We hiked the 7.5 mile option to see them all. I was also there in the fall to photograph [...]
The inspiration of a single painting Night by Richard Lewis 2014 Followers of this blog will know that I'm a big fan of the 20th century landscape painters from the New Hope, Pennsylvania area known as the Pennsylvania Impressionists. One particular painting John Folinsbee has always stuck with me. In this painting of a New Hope street, the Moon illuminates the [...]
Making a Photograph Fit the Mood A Glimpse Of The Late Winter Landscape by Richard Lewis 2015 Recently my wife and I jumped the gun on spring when we set out to hike a section of the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania. The trail was very icy and when we reached an overlook called Pulpit Rock, the wind became unbearable. We ate our lunch sheltered [...]
Henry Mercer’s castle is actually a photographic training ground I’m not sure why I decided to join photographer John Barclay on a photo tour of Fonthill Castle. Fonthill is the name of a bizarre home built by a wealthy eccentric named Henry Mercer in the early 20th century. Located in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, it consists of a strange layout of rooms which are connected [...]
Winter View on the Delaware River by Richard Lewis 2014 Setting up my tripod along the Delaware River in and around Bucks County, Pennsylvania reminds me that I am following in the foot steps of a long line of artists who captured and continue to capture the charming Bucks County landscape. When I compose a photograph and focus the camera, I often [...]