PA | Frank's Photography Blog

Posts Tagged ‘PA

Jun

Paint the Night

By Frank T. Smith Closed

Categories: Photography
Tags: Light, Light Paint, Light Painting, Night, Night Painting, Night Photography, Olympus, OM-D E-M1, OM-D E-M5 MkII, PA, Photo, photo workshop, Photograph, Photography, spring, Steve Tobin, Workshop

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure to run a workshop with Dan’s Camera City sponsored by Olympus, titled “Paint the Night”. I guess you can tell what the workshop was all about. We were fortunate that Steve Tobin, an incredible artist located in Quakertown, PA, allowed us to use the grounds of his studio. It was an amazing setup for doing light painting. As you can see we used multiple types of light sources from burning steel wool to Pixelsticks. It was a great evening with a great group of photographers. Of all of the images in this post, my favorite one is the last one. I call it “Kissing Angels”. I didn’t notice it at first. I discovered it after I downloaded it and saw it on my computer. It is actually part of a larger image. I have been asked if it was produced with smoke. The answer is no. It was done with a white LED light wand, in combination with the Olympus’s “Live Composite” mode.

The Green Giant

May

Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve

By Frank T. Smith 2 Comments

Categories: Photography
Tags: Bowman's Hill, Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve, Flora, Flowers, Landscape, Macro, Olympus, OM-D E-M5 MkII, PA, Photo, Photograph, Photography, Preserve, spring, Wildflower

A few weeks ago I traveled with my friend and fellow photog, Dave Rehrig to the Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve. It has been several years since my last visit to this beautiful Delaware Valley, Pennsylvania area. I had forgotten how beautiful this place is. They boast the fact that they have nearly 800 varieties of natural species (there are approximately 2000 species native to PA). More than 80 of which are rare, threatened or endangered native plants designated as Plants of Special Concern in Pennsylvania. Here is a link to Bowman’s Hill Website. All images were shot with the Olympus OM-D E-M5 MkII. The macro shots were taken with the M.Zuiko ED 60mm f2.8. The rest were taken with the M.Zuiko ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO or the M.Zuiko ED 7-14mm f2.8 PRO. The last image of the flower is a series of 20 focus bracketed shots (which you can set to automatically shoot within the E-M5 Mk II) that provided me with a greater depth of field and thereby allowing me to have the front to the rear of the flower in full focus.

Birth of a Fern

May

Historic Bridge Details

By Frank T. Smith Closed

Categories: Photography
Tags: Allentown, Bogert, Bogert Covered Bridge, Bogert's Bridge, Compression, Historic, Lehigh Parkway, M.Zuiko ED 300mm f4.0 IS PRO, Olympus, OM-D E-M1, PA, Photo, Photograph, Photography, Vintage, Winter

I’m fortunate to live in an area that has diversity as it relates to contemporary & historic structures. However, I find myself drawn more to the historic structures. These two images were taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 and the M.Zuiko ED 300mm f4.0 IS PRO lens. This lens has a full frame 600mm equivalent which is great for creating compression in the image. Which was what I was trying accomplish with these images.

This covered bridge is know as Bogert’s Bridge. It was built in 1841-42. It takes its name from the Bogert family. Peter Bogert purchased the land on which the bridge is located in 1744 as part of his farm. Its most distinctive feature is two long arch trusses resting on abutments at either end. Of which, was my focus for the following images.

May

Spring at Jacobsburg State Park

By Frank T. Smith 4 Comments

Categories: Photography
Tags: Flora, Jacobsburg State Park, Landscape, Olympus, OM-D E-M5 MkII, PA, Photo, Photograph, Photography, spring

A few weeks ago, I made my second trek up to the Jacobsburg State Park. It is a beautiful park with well maintained trails. I had my Olympus OM-D E-M5 MkII in hand and it was paired with one of my very favorite lenses, the 7-14mm f2.8 PRO. This image was taken just before all of the spring foliage came alive. I shot this hand held at 1/20th of a second (thanks Olympus for the 5 axis image stabilization), ISO 400 at f/5.6.

Apr

Lumberville – Raven Rock Bridge

By Frank T. Smith Closed

Categories: Photography
Tags: Architectural, architecture, Bridge, Delaware River, Foot Bridge, John A. Roebling, Lumberville, New Jersey, NJ, Olympus, OM-D E-M5 MkII, PA, Pennsylvania, Photo, Photograph, Photography, Raven Rock, Raven Rock Bridge, spring, Vintage

This past weekend I ventured to an area on the Delaware River known as the Lumberville – Raven Rock Bridge. The reason it was of interest to me is because it is a foot bridge. In this day and age, one rarely sees this. The original bridge was built in 1856 and what we see today was reconstructed in 1947. It connects Lumberville, PA and Raven Rock, NJ. The design was handled by John A. Roebling who is most famous for his design of the Brooklyn Bridge. All images were shot with the Olympus OM-D E-M5 MkII and the M.Zuiko ED 7-14mm f2.8 PRO or the ED 8mm F1.8 Fisheye PRO.

Apr

Hidden Gems of New Hope

By Frank T. Smith Closed

Categories: Photography
Tags: Art, Eclectic, Landscape, New Hope, Olympus, OM-D E-M5 MkII, PA, Pennsylvania, Photo, Photograph, Photography, spring

This past weekend I was in New Hope, PA. In the early days of our country, this was a mid-point between New York & Philly and of course, George Washington was supposed to have lodged here. Today, it is a vibrant eclectic arts community. There are visual treasures at every turn. However, you need to keep an open eye to catch many of them.

Mar

Frank T. Smith Photographer as Seen by PBS

By Frank T. Smith 4 Comments

Categories: Photography
Tags: Allentown, ArtsQuest, Autumn, Bethlehem, Cuba, Fall, InVision, Lehigh Parkway, Olympus, OM-D E-M1, PA, PBS, PBS 39, Photo, Photograph, Photography, TV

This past fall I was asked to do a presentation on my recent visit to Cuba for the Olympus InVision Photo Festival in Bethlehem , PA. During my preparation for the presentation, PBS39 asked if they could do a story on me because of my connection to the region and as an advocate of InVision. Here is the story.

Mar

Olympus InVision Photo Festival (part 2 of 2)

By Frank T. Smith 2 Comments

Categories: Photography
Tags: ArtsQuest, Bethlehem, Bethlehem Steel, Historic, Industrial, InVision, Olympus, OM-D E-M5 MkII, PA, Photo, photo workshop, Photograph, Photography, Urban Decay, Vintage, Workshop

The images from the previous Olympus InVision Photo Festival post were mostly from the Sunday workshop. Here are a few more from the Southside of Bethlehem. The following images were taken at the Book Store, Machine Shop and the Cathedral Church of the Nativity:

Mar

Olympus InVision Photo Festival (part 1 of 2)

By Frank T. Smith Closed

Every November, ArtsQuest puts on the Olympus Invision Photo Festival. The event is focused 100% around photography. There are presentations, social activities, and workshops throughout the weekend event. Here are a few images from the event:

Light Painting on the Hoover Mason Trestle

The roof of the Hotel Bethlehem

The Smithy

Feb

Five Below

By Frank T. Smith 8 Comments

Categories: Photography
Tags: Boy Scout, Camp, Five Below, Frozen, Landscape, Olympus, OM-D E-M5 MkII, PA, Photo, Photograph, Photography, Poconos, Rescue Falls, Snow, Waterfall, Waterfalls, Winter

This past weekend I had it in my head that I wanted to photograph some waterfalls in the Pocono region of Pennsylvania. The main reason I wanted to do this at this time frame, was because it would probably be the coldest weekend of the entire year, which should make for some great imagery. In that regard, I think I was right on target. I reached out to fellow photog from the area, Eric Goins. He was kind enough to recommend Resica Falls. It is a Boy Scout camp I had been to many years ago with my sons. When I arrived, it was a balmy -5 degrees Fahrenheit. I wasn’t sure if my equipment or periodically exposed hands would endure. I’m happy to report, both performed very well. I used the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II and the M.Zuiko ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO with a 10 stop ND filter. After a couple of hours I knew I shouldn’t push the boundaries too much further. I headed out and treated myself to a much deserved hot chocolate. BTW – As I was leaving the temperature made it up to a warm +3 degrees. So, when someone says No-pain No-gain, I have an even better appreciation for that!