Winter into Spring: Black and White Landscape Photographs of Bucks County, Pennsylvania

“Our lives at times seem a study in contrast… love and hate, birth and death, right and wrong… everything seen in absolutes of black and white. Too often we are not aware that it is the shades of grey that add depth and meaning to the starkness of those extremes.”  -Ansel Adams 

As a teenager, I was inspired by Ansel Adams' iconic black and white photographs of the American West.  His work planted the seeds which have grown into a life-long love of photography. While the majority of my current images are in color, certain subjects and weather conditions seem to pull me in a monochromatic direction.  Between December 2017 and April 2018, some of these situations presented themselves.  I photographed our beautiful and historic Bucks County, Pennsylvania in falling snow, bitter cold (in which the Delaware River was frozen), and dense morning fog.  What follows are a series of Ansel Adams-inspired images taken during the past few months.

Patterson Farm in falling snow, Yardley, Pennsylvania (12/9/17).

Calhoun Street Bridge and the partially frozen Delaware River,
Morrisville, Pennsylvania (12/29/17). 

Statue of George Washington crossing the Delaware River, in falling snow, Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania (12/30/17).

Washington Crossing Bridge over the frozen Delaware River,
Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania (1/2/18).

Cuttalossa Road in snow, New Hope, Pennsylvania (1/7/18).

Lumberville-Raven Rock Bridge crossing the frozen
Delaware River,Lumberville, Pennsylvania (1/7/18).

New Hope and Ivyland Railroad, New Hope, Pennsylvania (1/7/18).

Lake Afton and the Old Library in fresh snow,
Yardley, Pennsylvania (1/17/18).

The Delaware River with gathering ice,
Yardley, Pennsylvania(1/20/18).

Patterson Farm in early morning light,
Yardley, Pennsylvania (2/27/18).

St. Andrew's Church reflected in Lake Afton in falling snow,
Yardley, Pennsylvania (3/21/18)

Fonthill Castle after an early April snow,
Doylestown, Pennsylvania (4/2/18).

The West Trenton Railroad Bridge in early morning fog,
crossing the Delaware River, Yardley, Pennsylvania (4/4/18).

Rusty "International Harvester" truck from the 1940s,
Point Pleasant, Pennsylvania (4/24/18).

Fence and trees in early morning fog,
New Hope, Pennsylvania (4/28/18).

The Delaware Canal and Towpath disappearing into the early
morning fog, Delaware Canal State Park, New Hope,
Pennsylvania (4/28/18).

The Delaware Canal, Towpath and footbridge in early
morning fog, Delaware Canal State Park, New Hope,
Pennsylvania (4/28/18).

Van Sandt Covered Bridge in early morning fog,
Solebury Township, Pennsylvania (4/28/18).

"We're Not in Kansas Anymore": Photographs of a Unique Winter

"Old Man wintertime

He goes so slow

Its ten degrees below, you know

You can take your ice and snow

And let my balmy breezes blow…"

---James Taylor

I know that in the blink of an eye, I will be complaining that summer's "balmy breezes" are too darn hot.  I'll be frustrated by however many consecutive 90+ degree days, not to mention the sticky humidity, and the annoyance of getting sunscreen in my eyes.  I'll be itching for the relief of an air-conditioner.

But for now, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, this feels like the winter that never ended.  Last week our sons had three "snow days," and on two nights our family had local friends sleep at our house, as they had lost power and heat in their homes.  Walking the dog on 10 degree mornings is no joy, and I can't wait to put away the snowblower, shovels, and calcium chloride for the season.

Now that I've vented, let me say that our freezing, snow and ice-filled winter has created some truly beautiful, captivating, and at times almost surreal photographic opportunities.  To paraphrase the Wizard of Oz, "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Bucks County anymore."  The thing is, we still are in Bucks county, it just looks completely different. To capture the following images, I stood outside in the snow and freezing drizzle, walked (cautiously) on a frozen pond and river, and manipulated my camera in 10 and 20 degree temperatures, when I could barely feel my fingers. With the exception of a few images of the Threadleaf Japanese Maple Tree (in Princeton, New Jersey), I took all of these photographs in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Yardley Train Bridge and the frozen Delaware River
Yardley, Pennsylvania

Rowboat stuck in the Frozen Delaware River.
Yardley, Pennsylvania.

Park Bench in Snow
Lake Afton, Yardley, Pennsylvania

Ice Hockey on Frozen Pond
Lake Afton, Yardley, Pennsylvania

Damaged Threadleaf Japanese Maple Tree in freezing Drizzle
Marquand Park, Princeton, New Jersey

Broken Branch of Threadleaf Japanese Maple Tree
Marquand Park, Princeton, New Jersey

Detail of Frozen Branches of Threadleaf Japanese Maple Tree
Marquand Park, Princeton, New Jersey

Partially Frozen Delaware River with Snow-Covered Trees
Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania

Frozen Branch of Japanese Maple Tree
Yardley, Pennsylvania (in our front yard!)

Geese on Frozen Delaware River
Yardley, Pennsylvania

Canal and Tow Path in Snow
Yardley, Pennsylvania

Included in the photographs above are three images of a Threadleaf Japanese Maple Tree in Marquand Park (in Princeton, New Jersey).  Previously I had photographed this tree in a wide variety of seasons, conditions, and times of day. (To see my earlier blog post with a variety of photographs of this beautiful tree, click HERE).  Last week I eagerly returned to the tree only to find that it had been significantly damaged by the combination of heavy snow and ice.  Sad to see the condition of this wonderful tree, I thought of the  George Harrison song "All things must pass…"