PA | Frank's Photography Blog

Posts Tagged ‘PA

Feb

Simon Mulligan Trio

By Frank T. Smith Closed

Categories: Photography
Tags: Allentown, Allentown Symphony Hall, Jazz, jazz cabaret, Miller Symphony Hall, Olympus, OM-D E-M1, PA, Photo, Photograph, Photography, Simon Mulligan, Symphony Hall, Winter

Last year, around this time, I had the opportunity to listen and photograph this amazing trio at the Jazz Cabaret upstairs from the Miller Symphony Hall in Allentown PA. Acclaimed pianist Simon Mulligan has played with everyone from The Royal Philharmonic to Sting. Mr. Mulligan returns to Allentown for an evening of standards, jazz classics, and original music from his CD “Playlist.” Joining Simon will be bassist Gene Perla, who has performed with Elvin Jones, Sarah Vaughan, Nina Simone, Sonny Rollins, and other jazz luminaries. Rounding out the rhythm section will be my good friend, Dave Willard on drums. Expect to hear the Simon Mulligan Trio’s sophisticated take on your favorite timeless melodies and Simon’s own compositions. They will be playing again this Friday, February 19th at 7:30PM. For more info and tickets click here. The following are images from last year’s performance and were shot with the Olympus OM-D E-M1.

Feb

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

By Frank T. Smith 1 Comment

Categories: Photography
Tags: Architectural, architecture, Delaware Water Gap, Historic, Landscape, Olympus, OM-D E-M5 MkII, PA, Photo, Photograph, Photography, Snow, Textures, Vintage, Winter

This is an area that I have photographed in the past. It’s know as the Zimmerman Farm. However, it’s been several years since I traveled back to this area. I shot these images shortly after the last snow storm we had. The area is still as I remember it. All of the images were shot with the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II. Mother nature was more than cooperative this day. The light was beautiful and the textures on the buildings were amazing.

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Jan

Washington Memorial Chapel

By Frank T. Smith Closed

Categories: Photography
Tags: Architectural, architecture, Chapel, Historic, Memorial, Olympus, OM-D E-M5 MkII, PA, Photo, Photograph, Photography, Valley Forge, Valley Forge National Historic Park, Vintage, Washington, Washington Memorial Chapel, Winter

Last weekend during my visit to Valley Forge we stopped by the Washington Memorial Chapel which is located within the Valley Forge National Historical Park. The Images were shot with the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mk II using the 7-14mm f2.8 PRO lens. The inside shots were handheld at 1/20 of a second at ISO 3200.

The Chapel was built in 1903 to serve two purposes. The first purpose is as a tribute to George Washington and his service to our country. It currently serves as a wayside chapel for the visitors of Valley Forge National Historical Park. The second purpose is as the home for the Episcopal parish that worships at the chapel.

The chapel is constructed in an impressive Gothic Revival style with a Bell Tower. The Bell Tower houses the Justice Bell, a replica of the Liberty Bell, which was used in the campaign to gain women’s voting rights. The Veterans Wall of Honor honors all veterans of the United States Armed Services.

Jan

Valley Forge National Historic Park

By Frank T. Smith 9 Comments

Categories: Photography
Tags: Architectural, architecture, Historic, Landscape, Olympus, OM-D E-M5 MkII, PA, Photo, Photograph, Photography, Valley Forge, Valley Forge National Historic Park, Winter

On New Year’s day I had the opportunity to spend the day with some dear friends in the this beautiful park. Valley Forge park was the site of the 1777-78 winter encampment of the Continental Army. The park commemorates the sacrifices and perseverance of the Revolutionary War generation. The park consists of approximately 3,500 acres. It was very cold, but very invigorating. All images were taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M5 MkII and the 7-14mm f2.8 PRO lens (one exception – the image of the tree base I used the 12-40mm).

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Dec

Masonic Temple Treasures

By Frank T. Smith 1 Comment

Categories: Photography
Tags: architecture, Auction, Bethlehem, Historic, Masonic Temple, Olympus, OM-D E-M10 MkII, PA, Photo, Photograph, Photography, Treasures, Vintage

The Masonic Temple in Bethlehem, PA is being sold. As a result of the pending sale, they held an auction on Saturday. There were many photographic treasures throughout the main floor. All of the following images were shot with the new Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mk II.

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Aug

Wehr Covered Bridge

By Frank T. Smith 2 Comments

Categories: Photography
Tags: Bridge, Clouds, Dam, Live Composite, Olympus, OM-D E-M5 MkII, PA, Pennsylvania, Photo, Photograph, Photography, Sky, South Whitehall, Wehr Covered Bridge

In South Whitehall, Pennsylvania there is a park area known as Wehr’s Dam/Covered Bridge. The historic wooden bridge was constructed in 1841. So with my gear in hand from an earlier shoot, I thought it would be a good place to capture a few pics. The only challenge was it was the middle of the day with harsh light.

I have been experimenting with Olympus’s “Live Composite” mode which is a feature available on the OM-D series cameras. Most of the time this mode is used for night shots. Lately, I have tried doing this during the daytime hours with the hope of creating a painterly effect. However, to do this during the day, you will need some ND filters. The images I’m sharing consist of two 10 stop ND filters. Needless to say you must have a tripod to make this work and some moving component to create the desired effect. In this case it was the clouds that I wanted moving. The effect is a result of cloud movement and not a post-processing effect. The first two images were about 5 minutes in length & the third image was approximately 2 minutes. On Saturday we had some beautiful fast moving clouds which made for ideal conditions to accomplish my objective.

Nov

Fonthill – Interior

By Frank T. Smith 4 Comments

Categories: Photography
Tags: Doylestown, doylestown pa, Fonthill, Fonthill Castle, Historic, Olympus, OM-D E-M1, PA, Photo, Photograph, Photography, Vintage, Workshop

My friend John Barclay is an extremely talented photographer who has exclusive rights to photograph the interior of Fonthill located in Doylestown, PA. Here is a link to his website. He ran a workshop there a couple of weeks ago and invited me to join him. Of course I was honored and excited to attend. He runs the workshops several times during the year. If you have the opportunity to participate in one of John’s workshops, you won’t be disappointed.

Nov

Steve Tobin Studio/InVision Photo Festival

By Frank T. Smith Closed

Categories: Photography
Tags: ArtsQuest, InVision, Landscape, Olympus, OM-D E-M1, PA, Photo, photo workshop, Photograph, Photography, Steve Tobin, Workshop

This Sunday there will be an opportunity to photograph in one of the most amazing facilities I have seen. Several weeks ago I photographed some advance promotional shots for ArtsQuest for the upcoming workshop titled “Out of This World – Photograph the Works of Steve Tobin”. This is part of the Olympus InVision Photo Festival. There are indoor and outdoor opportunities. If you are interested in more details click HERE. This will be an amazing experience and one you won’t want to miss.

Oct

Jim Thorpe Expedition

By Frank T. Smith 3 Comments

Categories: Photography
Tags: Autumn, Dan's Camera, Fall, Historic, Jim Thorpe, Landscape, Olympus, OM-D E-M1, PA, Photo, photo workshop, Photograph, Photography, Railroad, Train, Workshop

Two weekends ago I had the honor of leading a workshop in Jim Thorpe, PA for Dan’s Camera that was sponsored by Olympus. The event was sold out, the group was fantastic and we were able to experience some amazing photographic opportunities. We had private access to the “Old Jail”, our own private rail car and mother nature treated us to some of the best fall colors I have ever seen.

Oct

Haines Mill

By Frank T. Smith 2 Comments

Categories: Photography
Tags: Autumn, Fall, Haines, Haines Mill, Historic, Ken Haines, Landscape, Lehigh County Historical Society, Mill, Olympus, OM-D E-M1, PA, Photo, Photograph, Photography, South Whitehall Township, Vintage

Last week I photographed the historic Haines Mill in South Whitehall Township, PA. The original mill was built around 1760 and reconstructed in 1909 after a fire gutted the interior. The mill was operated until 1956. Today it is operated by the Lehigh County Historical Society. The day we photographed the mill we were treated with a bonus. A fellow by the name of Ken Haines introduced himself and explained he was the great grandson of the original Haines operator. He was kind enough to show us around the mill and some of the ajoining property.