Fall Beauties from CALEDONIA STATE PARK in Pennsylvania, USA

We are so fortunate to have Caledonia State Park right around the corner from us. These days we take a break from the news and find some peace at the park. Taking in nature and photographing the park’s beauties brings peace to my heart and soul. Tom takes care of Zipper, they take “buggy” rides and get a lot of attention from park goers while I settle behind my camera.

Look at that beautiful face…our Zipper loves his buggy rides and meeting friendly people who shower him with attention!

Caledonia State Park is located in Franklin and Adams county in south-central PA. The 1,125 acre park is located between Chambersburg and Gettysburg. It is a recreational park which boasts a swimming pool with picnic areas, an 18-hole golf course, campgrounds, hiking, hunting, fishing and summer-stock Totem Pole Playhouse.

These images were captured on October 21, 2020. Enjoy the beauty of our colorful Pennsylvania FALL!

VISIT OUR BEAUTIFUL PARK!

Caledonia State Park
101 Pine Grove Road
Fayetteville, Pennsylvania   17222
Phone: 717-352-2161
Toll Free: 888-727-2757

BJ Reed’s Portrait Shoot at Fulton Farm

Owens Barn, Civil War Era building

During the COVID-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020, I had the opportunity to shoot portraitures of the farmers and the interns who work at Fulton Center for Sustainability Studies (FCSS) at Wilson College in Chambersburg PA. Locally we call the farm, Fulton Farm. The farm is 50-acres including a seven-acre, USDA Certified Organic portion. Fulton Farm is a community treasure, Tom and I personally participate in their beautiful weekly market shares CSA (Community Shared Agriculture) which we conveniently order online then pick up later in the week at the farm.

Fulton Farms Wilson College Chambersburg PA
Fulton Farm at Wilson College in Chambersburg PA

I was hunkered down at home practicing my portrait photography for months during the pandemic, then PA opened up a bit and I was chomping at the bit to set up some shoots. So I contacted Chris Mayer, FCSS Director to ask if I could come onto the Fulton Farm’s property to capture portraits, with distancing. Chris gave me, BJ’s PHOTOGRAPHY, the opportunity to take 8 portraits during the shoot, they would be used in their next newsletter and for other social media materials.

I happily gathered my camera and equipment then headed over to scout out the location with my assistant/friend Barb Pogue. I studied the landscape, looked for good spaces to shoot, took some test shots with Barb – she’s such a good sport.

Barb at Fulton Farm June, 2020
Barb at Fulton Farm June, 2020

The next beautiful bright sunny day, I set up the shoot. We literally pulled the farmers and the interns from the field. It was such a joy to be outside and my subjects were such a delight! They were engaging and respectful. It was such fun!!

Tooke Farmhouse, Civil War Era building
Tooke Farmhouse, Civil War Era building
Fulton Farms Wilson College Chambersburg PA
One of the greenhouses at Fulton Farm at Wilson College in Chambersburg PA

Here are the hard working members of the team who manage and bring in the bountiful organic harvest from Mother Nature at Fulton Farm:

Chris Mayer is the FCSS Director
Dan Emig is the College Farmer
Jessica Larkin is a farmer and Wilson graduate who has worked at Fulton Farm for a number of years
Dani Stafford is a student in Environmental Sustainability and Health Science at Wilson College
Austin Cubbage is studying Computer Science at Penn State and wanted to try the important work that’s happening at Fulton Farm
Emily is working as an apprentice, she has also been accepted into Wilson College and hopes to start soon
Ethan Kron is a recent graduate of Wilson College with a BA in History and Political Science and he is a second summer intern at Fulton Farm
Grace Ruback is a May Wilson graduate with a Bachelor of Science in animals studies, environmental science and a minor in conservation studies, she is currently working as an intern
Fulton Farms Wilson College Chambersburg PA
Fulton Farm at Wilson College in Chambersburg PA
Fulton Farms Wilson College Chambersburg PA
Look at the beautiful view from Fulton Farm at Wilson College in Chambersburg PA

For more information on Fulton Farm https://www.wilson.edu/fulton-center-sustainability-studies.

Thanks for the shoot and allowing me, BJ’s PHOTOGRAPHY, to enjoy the beautiful setting, take a deep breath and connect with Mother Nature! The clouds are amazing these days!

BJ’s Studio Portraits Project

BJ Self-Portrait

I’ve began a journey in my studio during the Covid-19 years. Starting in January 2020, my project was to learn more about portrait photography. My artistic winter project – practice, practice, practice, lighting, lighting, lighting- the king pin of photography. I pulled old strobe lights out of the closet, one literally fell apart, trashed it. Purchased another strobe and a speed light plus lots of accessories.

Experimenting: Let the fun begin. I started with the one old strobe for Rembrandt and Loop style dramatic portraits but I wasn’t thrilled with those, not for me, dark shadows on my face was less than flattering. Tried Butterfly portrait style too. My favorite style turned out to be flooding the face with ambient light as well as flash or back-lighting as in the window shots. I learned to use various reflectors to shape the light.

Modeling: While in my studio, at that time, I had three choices for models; Zipper, Tom and myself. So, I tried Tom but he could only stand modeling for 3 minutes, Zipper was even worse, that left me. So self-portraits it was. With make-up and hair flying all which way, I became my own model, I really like my boss!

Shooting: I set up a process whereby I could set my own focusing point and shoot remotely…off to the races. After I nailed a few head shots, standing positions and in-front-of-window poses I was ready for prime-time. A few of my friends joined the fun in my studio, lots of laughing going on! So when the COVID-19 lock-down arrived, I was once again alone in the studio…back to self-portraits.

Technology: I feel like I’m technology savvy but this was challenging! Going from using natural light to incorporating various supplemental lighting processes turned out to have a steep learning curve. Finding the most effective new camera settings was tedious, setting up the strobes (I used many years ago) took a lot of trial and error, learning the speed light was a slow process. In the meantime, I took at least 4 online photography classes. AND then we bought a new computer and monitor! But I saw the light at the end of the tunnel and pushed forward.

Lessons Learned: The more you learn, the more you know you have lots more to learn!

CLICK on the thumbnails below to see larger images, enjoy the slideshow.

Hope you enjoyed sharing BJ Reed’s PORTRAIT journey!