Atlantic White Cedars in the New Jersey Pine Barrens This is the second of a two-part post on the strangely beautiful Atlantic White Cedar swamps in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. As stated in my previous post, these trees grow in dense swamps by the sides of waterways and play a vital role in filtering water and protecting the riverbanks from erosion. [...]
Spending time in Death Valley National Park was an overwhelmingly creative experience. I think it is for many artists because it is one of the most beautiful and strangely diverse landscapes in America. This is the first of several posts about life in Death Valley. The Racetrack Playa at Dusk by Richard Lewis 2013 A Day at the Racetrack in [...]
This is the second of a 3 part post about my trip leading a group of photographers to Harriman State Park in New York Bear Mountain Bear Mountain Lodge is a historic inn built in 1910 along the Hudson River. The group of photographers I was leading trip seemed to like it here and spent a lot of time walking around the [...]
Note: Starting with this blog post I will be discussing a little bit of why and how I create my photographs. This is the first of a 3-part post on a recent photography field trip I lead to Harriman State Park in New York. Usually my trips to Harriman involve leading hikers wanting to visit remote lakes and vistas that are only accessible [...]
Moon Rise by Richard Lewis 2013 Recently in New Jersey the sun set in the west a few minutes before the full moon rose in the east. Thanks to some great tools I was able to be out in the Pine Barrens to experience it. Getting a photograph like this is not random, it is all about preparation. What is [...]
The old expression “What you see is what you get” when applied to art should really be “What you feel is what you get” I had this experience recently at the Franklin Parker Preserve near Chatsworth, New Jersey. Twilight in the New Jersey Pine Barrens is a very magical time where the woods settle down as night falls. This photograph was made [...]
For years I’ve called myself a Photo Impressionist and even named this blog accordingly. Outside of being a really neat moniker to hang on one’s photographic style, I had no idea what I meant by the term until a friend gave me a book called Pennsylvania Impressionism. The book is about the artists who lived in and around New Hope during the [...]
Bromley Mill, Bucks County, Pennsylvania This image is one I’ve wanted to make for a long time. It is an old mill in Bucks County called the Bromley Mill. I’ve been by it many times at the wrong time of day or the wrong light for a decent photograph. This time I was lucky to be near the mill as [...]
Along Deep Run Creek Atsion Forge Reclaiming History, Hamton Forge Fallen Cedar After the Fire I’ve have not been out with a group of photographers taking pictures since I was a freelance photojournalist years ago. Now, as a landscape photographer I find that the solitude of being alone in the woods gives [...]
Edge of the Cedars Winter Light One of the many things in the New Jersey Pinelands that I find fascinating are the Cedars. They grow along the edges of the rivers and lakes in thick groves. Some of these groves are almost impenetrable and the ones you can enter are usually very dark, wet and swampy. They can be [...]
More of my favorites of 2012. Farming is a big part of the South Jersey landscape and I've wanted to spend more time photographing our "farmscapes" but for some reason it is coming along very slowly. Here is an example of a wheat field which is a large crop that is grown around here. I had noticed this wheat field one day driving [...]
I recently joined the Pinelands Photography Group which is a loose affiliation of people who include photography in the New Jersey Pines among their interests. What makes this group so fascinating is the members. There are botanists, wildlife experts, a few landscape artists and a spattering of all sorts of other people. The most interesting thing I've learned in this group is how little I know [...]
Click on the image to make larger Anyone raised in the spirit of traditional landscape photography has been schooled with the idea that the best time to get a great landscape image is early in the morning or late afternoon. The low light on the horizon is often referred to as “Magic Light” because of its color beauty. Now take our brothers-in-arms, [...]
Stony Brook Cascade of Slid“In the world there is nothing more submissive and weak than water. Yet for attacking that which is hard and strong nothing can surpass it.” Lao-Tzu This Post was written before Hurricane Sandy slammed into the coast on New Jersey with such devastating results. It puts the thoughts I'm expressing here into an even better perspective. Water has [...]
At the airport you expect crowds. The terminal is usually full of people on the inside and planes lined up on the outside. When I walked into the airport in Nashville Tennessee it was very surprising to see this scene; A wide-open area outside the terminal with no planes (except the one taxiing away on the left), ground crew or vehicles. Add [...]
Recently a friend told me about her vacation in Peru. I asked if she took lots of pictures and she said no she didn’t take any. I thought, wow, that is weird but she went on to explain that she felt the need to be in every moment on this trip. That was more important than stopping to record images or memories with a [...]