The trees have such depth - impressed with the almost 3D effect. And so peaceful. . .

Thank you for capturing our girls in such beautiful light! They have been enjoying this pasture for a few weeks and will move to "greener" pastures very soon where they can take in a good game of baseball while they graze.

beautiful!
I fell life with someof your pics.
can i use your pics in myblog if i Write the name of the photographer?

Great picture... The light on the cattle, the curve going to the right, make it quite dynamic. At the same time, the trees in the background, gives the feeling that it's in the middle of nowhere...
I also really like the tree fallen on the ground in the back, looks dead for 100 years...
thanks for sharing...:)

So peaceful and beautiful!
You always have the clouds cooperating for you.
Now it looks like the sun has made a spotlight to shine on your subjects.

There are some happy cows!
I agree with Matt...thought exactly the same thing when I opened this pic.

Beautiful! My husband and I will be traveling to the Lancaster area soon. If my memory serves, that isn't too far from Durham Township. We're looking forward to the scenery -- very different from our very southern, Southern California views!

Looks like a Hudson Valley painting. Congrats.

Once again Kathleen, you have captured the good life. A pastoral fit for Inness and that lot. But how'd all that luscious green stuff get here so fast? One might easily get the impression those munching maniacs have recently cleared this patch all on their own. (Amazing graze?) --I hope they leave some trees for their distant bird and squirrel cousins who prefer high-rise living over the minimalist sprawl of their cow-buddy neighbors:)

Apparently these cows' rear ends don't need any protection
For they are all grazing in the same direction.
So they fill themselves with grass in this pasture peaceful,
Surrounded by the green of Spring, so beautiful.

It's been a very long time since I took a walk in a field by myself. I should do that.

The warm lazy days of Springtime are felt in this beautiful photo.

JPH aka GPS and david tinnon:

Your fine critique of these lovely photos is always
eagerly awaited.

Perfect image for an allergy commercial. (or a dating service:)

What gives pleasure to this sort of fellow?
Most any Spring picture that includes the color yellow.
Dandelion, Buttercup or Forsythia might be on the docket,
But topping them all is this field of Yellow Rocket.

As if the real life figure may step into a soft pastel landscape. The distant shapes and tones make a perfect destination for our eyes, if not our feet, and yet wandering minds may find common ground in your well-framed vision of Spring. Beautiful again, Kathleen.

Love the color, POV and shallow DOF. It would be nice to see a crop with the subject off to one side, but I can see why you did it. So you could keep the cabin in the frame.

This is so cool... I really like it...:-)

Beautiful. Inclusion of the girl totally makes this too. She brings you into the image.

These are lovely. I like the way you managed the focus/depth of field. Pretty picture.

beautiful as always, KC - it almost looks like frosted snow falling down over the barn.. the star makes the image... fantastic!

I've been visiting your photo blog every now and then and have so enjoyed your pictures that I am planning a trip up north to Pennsylvania just so that I can see for myself the beauty that you always seem to capture. I'll take my camera, but there is no doubt that none of the photos that I take will even come close to any of yours.
Thank you,
Penny Satterwhite

Wonderful combination!

Gorgeous. How long did it take to build this set?

Wow, what a lovely shot!

light and matter follow her
each one as she leads it
and damn if she don't put that barn
exactly where she needs it

frozen butterfly waterfall
in layers complex and clever
and so now I call this shot
the best one-star photo ever:)

And a very happy Spring
to you too, Kathleen,
and dittos to your crew!

This is just lovely. So lush. Great combination with the red barn and white blossoms!

First it looked like snow, then rain, then blossoms! Atmospheric, textural, and sort of disorienting. Fascinating shot. And with a hex sign--adding to the magic! Brilliant.

Love this image. Great eye, Kathleen. (Did you see my email inquiring to possibly purchase images in the future for magazine use?)

Beautiful! Beautiful!

Nice shot! Such a great time of year. Thanks for the ongoing inspiration.

Excellent as always!

Hey, Jenny, Jenny, this blond kid and her drive-by-single-frame-docu-dramas are a so-appreciated source of inspiration, for which the proper repayment has always fallen some 900 and some odd words short. (I'd be happy to help Leno out, does he post photos too?)

Out from the lingering shadows of night,
Steps the early bird with feathers so white.
To leave the coop took no cajole,
For the leader of the Free Range Patrol.

David Tinnon: Only you can come up with those comments.
Told you once before- Leno needs you.

Sometimes one early bird gets another early bird. This one looks like fine porcelain. Are you sure she moved? :)

Stunning--the white bird against the dark background!

That is one fine looking bird.

This looks like an old English painting.Only an artist's brush could capture feathers so white,smooth and soft.
Glad you caught this beauty in the early morning.

Nice shot. She is looking so proud in a way, as she should :-)

Have a lovely day.

Great shot, Kathleen. It brings back many memories.

Wonderful image here. Love the lines and the nice green.

Came to your site from Google, was looking for PN photography as I am taking a trip there the first of April. Scouted the web and found you :)

Yahoo! I love the whole thing. Like a visual shot of amphetamines at the close of winter. Like a painting. (again:)

As for the crop comment above by marty golin, I often shoot similar subjects both ways and make the emphasis decision later. Totally subjective, both are correct, but I most often opt for huge sky.

I fully acknowledge that this comment is my "imposing" my view on your vision, which really is not my intent. So merely as a comment... It is lovely photo as is, with strong graphic elements (rows in ground, birds on wire) which are enhanced if some/most of the sky is cropped. To my eye, the "condensed" version gives the same feel of the scene w/ less distraction.

The snow white barn roof, the hazy blue sky,
Perched on the wire, birds resting from the fly.
How quickly has this rural farm scene
Changed from Winter brown to vivid Spring green.

thats unbelievable. i like photos with a story and this one has countless... amazing find!

Been offline and busy for a bit and realized that I've missed out on your photos for too long. I need to catch up.
This is such an Americana shot - love the composition and color.

You've got to be kidding. Wow.

I'm guessing about 40 years.

Tractor, trailer and other abandoned stuff.
Parked out of the way, looking kind of rough.
Now firmly anchored to a tree,
Quite an interesting sight to see.

I would have titled it "Tree Hugger"

Beautiful shoot, as always... and a nice focus on this orange old truck.
Thank you Kathleen. : )

OMG, Kathleen! You have documented a whole new branch of evolution. Just goes to show that when the elements are present and the conditions are right.... This could lead to greener vehicles, or a lot tougher plywood. It may take a few hundred million years, but the important thing is that the process has engaged. (Suggested alternate title, "Old Friends.")

Said the Bumper to the Tree: "I'm so into you!"

funny scene, like this image.

What a cool cave! We have a lot of caves here, too, but our rocks are more gray and yours are brown. Reminds me of my tomboy days exploring the woods with my brothers. But they would not have been sitting in chairs reading the paper. lol

I'm just enjoying this shot. You can almost see how this could be a postcard with the words "Wish You Were Here!"
Cheryl Beckham

Great shot. Looks like Bruce Wayne and the boy wonder on a weekend.

I really like this one. Perfectly out of place: sitting on a park bench in a cave. Bravo

Safe from X-flare.

The rocks and caves here in Nashville look very different. Used to love exploring caves - they make me feel connected to Mother Earth.

Kathleen,

I love the photo - I used to sneak to this cave as a kid growing up in Riegelsville. I'm out in California now so it's nice to check your blog and see beautiful shots of places that I recognize. Keep them coming.

I like the composition of this one... AND I like the additional historical article you provided. I just love connecting photography to history.

Their situation could become rather grave
Should a rock come loose from the roof of the cave.
I think for some place safer they should look
For reading their paper and their book.

Super cool. Love the framing.
What a great place for a bench – er, or a cave. -MD

Kathleen,

Looks as though we are not the only ones enjoying a very mild winter. I know I've said it in a previous post. However, it really is wonderful to have you back.

Tim

What they are reading....

http://bit.ly/we3NzC

Nicely set Kathleen! I tend to think of a park bench in a more ...well "park-like" setting, but your trio provides helpful scale as well as an (intended?)invitation for some great man-cave jokes. (I don't know any:)

Very nice. I've been following your blog and it's nice to see another person who likes to document their home area. For me it's been Wilmington Delaware where I work. Keep up the good work - it's inspiring!

I absolutely love the picture of the child with the hat! Just wonderful!

Lovely photos! Also the earlier photos are nice! You live in a beautiful place! I love the photo with the tools.

Nice images... I miss America already.

Great shots Kathleen as always! You truely know how to capture life with your camera - but... It's really not Durham Township! These shots are Williams Township.

wonderful series, great job

Your photos are nicely taken. Can you tell me what camera settings you used for each photo.

I really love the first photo, where you can see the corn bouncing off the pile as it is poured into the truck. Also - I wonder if they make the Little Farmer's hat in adult sizes? I could totally rock that look.

Good job

"Little Farmer." I have a new favorite. Just perfect.

Beautiful images, and my favorite is the shot of the workbench with the tools hanging.

Your images are outstanding. Sharpness and color are always spot-on, literally jumping off the screen when viewed on my Apple LED Cinema display. If you don't m,ind me asking, what color profile and WB setting do you shoot with on your 5D Mark II?

This was a great series of "feel good" shots. It is comforting to know that there are still many people who work hard and have many skills to keep farming alive. I know that I couldn't do it but I do appreciate what they can do and like it that you captured such a variety of shots in the short time you were there.

You have been capturing great photos of farm life.
The little farmer is adorable !

load that gold
til the truck is draggin'
big yellow screw-driver
and a shed that's saggin'
that's no 9-volt,
so please don't lick it
if she don't start soon
get out and kick it
now I know a swingin' spot
just don't mind the bull
the corner's a bit messy
but the soup is good
it's got a missing combination
and tractor seats for contemplation
a can of washers, every man needs that
hey bro, you got a problem with my hat?

(Though each is worth a thousand words, I'm short again Kathleen:)

Beautiful, as always. And "Little Farmer"--could that photo be any cuter or sweeter?

I love farm photos, the corn is really cool. The last shot, however, is awesome, my 14 YO son loves the hat!

I've been meaning to get up early for fog, but fogs are few and far between where I live. Beautiful picture though.

I have never seen fog this thick since I left San Francisco. I miss the chill of the fog vapors when you walk to your car across the parking lot. This fog looks so thick that you could scoop it up in your hand and then blow it away.

I am glad you were there to picture this. I would not like the fog.

Love the minimalism. Nice.

through the clouds peep tips of land
like islands in the sky
who's to say where she doth stand
who knows where the rivers hide
and wisely wrapped in brilliant colors
a fog photographess should be seen by others
lest as she clicks, she doth forget
visibility is poor and roads are wet

TJS: As I mentioned at Eric's Eagle Scout ceremony today, either you know the river very well or you saw me on the bridge in my fluorescent orange hunting jacket, haha! Good job. :)

Fantastico!

La Nina is confusing us all and the further north the greater the confusion. All we can do is make the best of it and enjoy our lower fuel bills.

Kathleen, I always love the river "Shots", even though you can't see the river. My guess on where it was taken, from the Riegelsville Bridge, looking north?

Kathleen,

I too love to capture the early morning fog. The scene speaks of quiet and serenity.

Thank you, thank you, and thank you for bringing this kind of beauty to the rest of us.

Tim

Some say that snow is sleep. I say
That snow is but the rest
Of clouds upon earth's surface laid
To soothe the forest's breast,
To calm the souls that linger there
Beneath an age of leaf
That hides within it's brindle flesh
Whole galaxies of seed.

Some say that snow is chill. I say
That snow is but a shawl
Draped over stones of silence,
That such silence shelter all.
And in such silence seal within
The brook beneath the glass,
That when the spring shall set it free
All dreams to sea shall pass.

Some say that snow is death. I say
That snow is but the prayer
Said when soul in winter's glade
Calls the body from its lair,
To stand within the last of light,
Becoming less than air,
To leave behind what came before
In the shadows dawn prepares.
~Gerard Van Der Leun

Winter, for a few moments, has become rather dogmatic,
Captured in a picture that is basicly achromatic.
The landscape, the reflection, beautiful because it is simple.
Cast a rock into the water, make another dimple.

Gorgeous, Kathleen. You've captured the winter light perfectly.

This is a beautiful shot without the reflection in the water, but having the reflection makes it even more special. We've not really had snow here this winter - it is nice to see the white covered beauty that we are missing.

Agree, the water is very glassy, ghost-like, mirror-like. I'm enjoying your return to photography.

Wonderful image Kathleen. I really find the grey refection on the ice to be what brings the image to life for me.

I can feel the cold and hear the quite broken by the sound of your boots crunching in the snow.

I am so pleased that you have returned from your hiatus and this corner of the internet is once again a place of fresh beauty.

Beautiful. Not any snow here yet, but it is getting colder. WHo knows, februari might surprise us :)

This is so coooool !... ; )

gray
soft
glass
quite
trees
asleep
limbs
riot

Serene and beautiful. Nicely done.

Lovely image Kathleen!

Cheers,
Henry

I love living in rural Pennsylvania. Your photos are like a beautiful, handmade quilt. They are lovely and comforting - right down to the bones.

What a delicious find this afternoon. This really hit home to see how totally different some peoples lives are when compared to mine and what I do every day in suburbia. I truly admire men who care for animals and tend to the land, and it is wonderful to see you record so much of what he did there.

What rich colors to fest my eyes on. Absolutely wonderful series....
Lauren Reagan

Another wonderful series of the farm and all its wonder.

Kathleen,
I always love the photos you do at the farm, but these are absolutely stunning! You evoke a whole sense of history in just a few photographs.

I am one of your ardent followers. I particularly love in this series how you have taken a mundane scene and really 'worked' it; worked the angles; worked the light; worked the selective focus. The leg in amongst the corn and the falling corn kernels are prime examples. Just primo!

C'est magnifique Kathleen, comme toujours... ; )

Kathleen...I enjoy following your blog. A few weeks Ellie Seif sent you an email and asked if you would consider speaking at the Cheltenham Camera Club on April 17,2012. It may have ended up in your spam. We have about 50 people at our meetings and would be very interested in hearing about your philosophy and seeing your images.

Please contact me via email or call at 215-248-4894. Thanks. I look forward to hearing from you. Carolyn Johnson

Your photos of Jamie and his farm are some of my favorites, and this series is no exception. Great job of documenting the non-stop work of a small farmer.

Hay Kathleen, that's a lot of great shots for 90 minutes in a barn. (Even an antique barn.) The opening "Bale" and the Steer portraits are my faves, and the formal balance of elements in "Steer II" is a hoot! "Corn Falling Out of the Wagon" is exceptional too. --both for the title and the image:)

Dear JPH: Thank you for your immediate attention to that matter.

What a lovely picture that you have posted for us to enjoy. I'm a newbie here and I really look forward to checking your site out from time to time. So glad that my friend turned me onto you. Awesome photos are always such a turn on for me since I am stuck inside most of the time. Gotta love how the Internet brings most everything right to our finger tips these days.
A new fan,
Sheila Winston

Peek-a-Boo! LOL - Love it!
Darlene MacKenzie

Things should go from worser to fairer
Since I realized my fingers typed in error.
Dactyloctenium aegyptium is now spelled right.
Thank you Jenny,Jenny for bringing my fault to light.
It is not as difficult as it seems,
Egyptian crowfoot grass is what it means. :-)

JJ, I get the impression this group is very close:)

just one more among your legions of lurkers
very glad to find you back

David Tinnon:

Sure do know Miss Molly
I know Lucille and Miss Anne too.

Jenny, Jenny, do you know Miss Molly by any chance?

Who is that masked man?
Good to see him through you and meet you through him.

JPH: Huh?

Mz Connally; The Apparitionist. A warm touch of the spiritual, creating the impression that your subject is partially there, partially not.

--(Could also be a dramatic image with which to publicize a lawn care service, as in, "Now's the time to get the jump on your spring landscaping needs" ...OK, probably not:)

Welcome back! What a lovely surprise to find a new photograph. And Hello to Crowfoot Johnny -

We all missed you lo these many months.

superb!! just amazing...

Vision in the swamp is minimum,
Blocked by the Daltyloctenium aegyptium.

Sooooo glad to see you back!

Wow. This does some interesting flips of scale and space. And completely dreamy!

Nice to see you back in action (took me a while to find this pivotal post!). I hit this blog more than any other and I've missed it. Hope all is well.

-Steve

I love this photo also

Glad your back! Thanks for the Gene Autry.

Add my voice to the others. Welcome back. Missed you and worried.
Nice shot - I've never been able to take a photo from inside a plane without reflection problems, but I always sit next to the window and look out as much as possible.

Ohh congratulations with the 9th anniversary of your blog. Good luck in the futures.

I wasn’t expecting a new post when I checked back…. but 21?! What a nice surprise to see your blog up and running again. You have one of the best photoblogs out there. Glad you are back, and I hope all is well. I am not sure what happened, but I hope 2012 is better for you than 2011.

Just wanted to chime in with everyone else that I'm so very happy to see new photography from you. Hope the new year treats you well and much luck on the book writing.

Thank you, everyone! It's a joy to be back to work here. I appreciate your kind comments very much!

Welcome back! You were missed! Looking forward to seeing lots of pix of Stouts Valley from Ballek/Steely Hill points (if you are so inclined). Your latest are stunning! I'm so glad you're back again! Happy 2012!

I'm so glad you're back!!

So glad to see you back Kathleen, and with such an inspirational photo to boot!!

Also looking forward to reading up on your recent trial/adventure? Whatever it was, it can either make you bitter or better. Somehow I think you'll be all the better for it!!

How Appropriate : That you were brought back To us from
"EMERALD CITY " Via ( A modren day Balloon ) Back to what a lot of us have to thank you for : Showing us the Land of the Real "OZ"

'A Heart is Not Judged By How Much You Love,
But How Much You Are Loved By Others'

Welcome Back & Much Thanks for sharing your work

As Gene Autry was the Singing Cowboy,.. Annie Oakley of Durham is to Photography ! So Glad you have returned to grace us with your passion , Theres know place like Home !! Much thanks from Seaside

Miss Molly,

Sorry. Lived in California since 1969.

-Rob

As everyone here, I am delighted to see your latest photos again!
Meilleurs voeux pour 2012 !... :o)

I clicked, once more, expecting the September 5 post to appear, and what joy! What ecstatic joy! You have been in my heart and prayers, and I am so happy you are back. Love and hugs from Lancaster, PA.

Kathleen is back! That is what I call a Happy New Year.Now, to go see those 21 presents you placed under the tree.

Yeah you are back! What a fantastic surprise to check today and see that your lovely, unique and inspiring images of our area are back again. I've truly missed your work.

She made many of us shout with a joyous cry,
"She's back!" with a shot of PA from the sky.
Once again our lives will be filled with rapture
As we view the latest Kathleen capture.

Rob Baker - Are you the Bob Baker who once lived in Philly, worked in the 1st PA Bank then moved to Bakersfield, Calif.?

Welcome Back Kathleen!!! Glad to hear all is well, and will look forward to the book. - Love all the photos since 9/5 but really appreciate Traugers Crossing photo. One of my favorite drives thru every season. Noreen

Dear Kathleen,

You have been truly missed. Every day, as I browsed through my favorite sites, there was an emptiness every time I visited here. When your Twitter and your Big A 365 Project fell empty as well, I was sad and worried. I think I may have shouted out loud when I saw your first Tweet a few weeks ago. I know I am being a little selfish in being happy you are back, and am not forgetting that it probably took a lot on your part. Best wishes and positive thoughts from California.

-Rob in Vacaville

Kathleen ,
Hope your health continues to improve . So pleased to have you back .You put joy into all our days .
Adolph

Soo glad you're OK! It's strange how modern technology reduces the 3500 miles between us and our different worlds to a click, and somehow bridges the gap between two people who have never met. I enjoy your blog and like many others was very worried when you disappeared. Let me know if you ever come to the UK...

You obviously remember Blake and

...see a world in a grain of sand
and a heaven in a wild flower...

Welcome back! HNY!

John B

Yay! You are back! I saw part of your lovely state in December -- Gettysburg to Lancaster and back. Beautiful -- even through the pouring rain of one of those days!

Thank God your back,I have missed your photographs,greetings and blessed 2012
from The Netherlands.

We've been patiently waiting for you, and now see that your photos are better than ever! Take care.

Ah, the world's a little better now you're back! So pleased.

Good to see you back! Your images are always inspirational and take me back home. I grew up near Durham and miss it.

Best,

Paul

Ahh your back. I am once again inspired to do better already. Thanks Ed W

A return flight in more ways than one. Bravo, Kathleen!

I like this shot, also nice b&w.

a nice holiday moment ... the afterglow of the holidays ?

This one made ma laugh. Thanks.

i have a 10-year-old, and can totally relate to the child being in his own world, happy and not noticing the grown-ups. they take their background role, and the joy of music and play is central.

I like this picture. Nice depth of field and I can emotionally relate to the content and the title.

Blues? I don't see any blues.

hehe, one guard the window and the other the door, would like to see two dogs do that with such grace ;)

Excellent! Love the composition.

mice don't read
neither to rats
just fine I'm sure
with these two cats

Nature (Like a comedian) abhors a straight line.

I love the fleeting detail in this one...great work!

This is a beautiful photograph.

Very mysterious, somewhat ominous trees in deep blues!

The river gets high
and we get the blues
after the drought
this flood is good news

ooonnnn my ownnnnnnn......
when I wander from this wonderland alone........

wooden squiggles
slowly drawn
who'd have noticed
then you came along

just to think
makes me smile
Kathleen saves a forest
as a digital file

Such a well composed squirrel amid the art nouveau vines. Beautiful.

Quiet beauty

Trees in the fog they always look alive or even ominous, wicked...but the sheep? They brought Monty Python's Flying Circus and all the sheep jokes\skits to mind...snicker, snicker...!

C'mon lady, we're sheep, and sheep don't say cheese.

there's a dark spirit rising up from the right
or perhaps a stray digit is blocking the light
the truth of the matter i can't really say
it's pretty, mysterious, and i like it that way

A dark spirit looms at lower right,
or an errant digit cross lens' light?
What dark matter this? It's hard to say!
You've a lovely image anyway:)

Love flipping thru your work...
Was wondering if you could post the before and post-processing?
Thanks

Albert: Good idea - need to remember to carry that around!

what, no ND filter? ;)

Fog sporting a copper jacket.

Depuis longtemps, je viens regarder vos images, et toujours je suis enchanté par leur vérité éclatante disant à chaque fois ce que vous vivez au jour le jour magistralement.

Stunning play of light and dark. Beautiful capture.

"Where there's fog, there's fire!" --The flaming corn doth proclaim.

silent take-off
solo flight
the moment comes
the time is right
spreading wing
rush of air
i see it all
for you were there

Just one, quoth the Raven and perhaps then, nevermore

This was our wedding day!

Awesome!

If you say they grow on trees, that's good enough for me.

Johnson & Johnson's cotton clouds. Now available in these convenient sizes.

Like two-dimensional pasteboard pop-ups, these "Hollywood" hills must have have gotten lost.

That accent of 62-27-11-0 at the top which slips down into the mist, making the warm tones below explode into the morning. Very much the painting!

Some Pig! Like the other comment, I immediately thought of Charlotte's Web when I saw this. Templeton the rat is lurking somewhere.

You captures the dusty light of barns. Wonderful composition and light.

Looks like Charlotte's Web. Is that the spider??

I so totally knew that, Kathleen.

It's a lightbulb!

Is that an egg sack, or do Durham spiders collect tennis balls? (I'll let somebody else can climb that ladder:)

this is beautiful!!!!

Love this photo! It reminds me of some of my favorite roads in Western NC and Virginia. I also love the backstory. I'm the only non-morning person in the family who frequently missed the bus when I was a kid. :D

This is BEAUTIFUL!

Looks to me like the happy couple just beamed up from the Enchanted Forest to the Mother Ship. --or Issac goes to Magic School. (I've made the "over-sleeper's commute" at least half a dozen times this year, but I don't get THAT view Mz-fortunate:)

This is like watching a film, waiting for
Guinevere and her charming Knight of the Round Table to come riding around the bend