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).

January Mornings in Bucks County, Pennsylvania: Winter Landscape Photographs

Over the past three weeks, I've spent several mornings photographing a few of my favorite spots in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  This winter has certainly been far milder than last year - our boys have not missed and school due to "snow days," and I have yet to contend with my annual struggle to get our snowblower running.  That said, many mornings this winter I left my house with my camera and tripod when the thermometer was between 15 and 20 degrees.  These are pretty chilly temperatures to be manipulating the dials on my Canon.  Often I get pretty engrossed in what I'm doing and lose track of the fact that my fingers and toes are pretty darn cold.  Below are some of my new winter images.  To see more of my photographs, visit my ETSY SHOP.  To see images of last winter, click WINTER 2014 - No. 1 and WINTER 2014 - No. 2.

Cabin Run Creek. Point Pleasant,
Plumstead Township, Pennsylvania.

Tory Road,
Pipersville, Pennsylvania. 

Delaware River,
Washington Crossing,Pennsylvania.

Delaware River and Train Bridge,
Yardley, Pennsylvania.

Delaware Canal (Near Centre Bridge),
Solebury Township, Pennsylvania.

Delaware Canal (Near Centre Bridge),
Solebury Township, Pennsylvania.

Geese over Frozen Delaware River.
Yardley, Pennsylvania.

Morning Reflections on Lake Afton,
Yardley, Pennsylvania

Delaware River and Train Bridge.
Yardley, Pennsylvania.

Frozen Zen?
Cabin Run Creek. Point Pleasant,
Plumstead Township, Pennsylvania. 

Lake Afton.
Yardley, Pennsyvania

"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…"

Ice, Snow and Fog: Black and White Photographs of an Odd Winter Morning in Bucks County, Pennsylvania

This past Saturday morning (January 11th, 2014), I was out of the house well before the sun came up.  It was an unusual morning, with drizzle and fog.  The temperature was in the 40's, which seemed balmy compared to four or five days earlier, when I my first dog walk of the day was in a bitter cold 5 degrees.  The extreme cold stretch had caused portions of the Delaware River (between New Jersey and Pennsylvania) to freeze.  As the weather had warmed for a few days, chunks of ice were drifting down the river.  I took all of the following photographs on Saturday morning, between about 7:15 am and 9:30 am.  The fog and drizzle combined with the remaining snow and ice to create a beautiful, almost surreal landscape. 

Train Bridge Over the Delaware River in Morning Fog
Yardley, Pennsylvania

The Calhoun Street Bridge with Ice and Fog
Morrisville, Pennsylvania

The Banks of the Delaware River with Ice and Fog
Morrisville, Pennsylania

Love Seat Swing in the Ice and Fog
Morrisville, Pennsylvania

Tree Along the the Delaware River in Ice, Snow and Fog
Morrisville, Pennsylvania

I took all of these images with my Canon EOS 7D digital SLR camera.  After minor edits in iPhoto or Photoshop, I converted them to black and white using OnOne Perfect Photo Suite.  To see more of my work or to purchase a print, visit my ETSY store HERE.