Not Just Weddings

Once in a while, I get a chance to venture out and photograph places and things that don’t involve weddings! This area of my site is designated to anything non-wedding related. Scenics, nature, architecture, street scenes, commercial images, still lifes… the list goes on. And all of the knowledge that goes into making any one of these images is usually employed at some point during a client’s wedding day.

Enjoy!

McConnell’s Mill

Just north of Pittsburgh(about an hour), just off of I-79(Rt. 422 exit), is one of the hidden treasures of the area.

I’ve lived in Pittsburgh most of my life, and never ventured to McConnell’s Mill. It is a state park, and it is beautiful. I’d heard about it, and passed the signs on the highway. But it was one of those ’round-tuit’ things.

Well, one day this summer, I packed up my car and my kids and went camping just near McConnell’s Mill, and fell in love with it. I’ve been there three other times since June.

If you park at the first access parking lot that you come to, you will have a one-mile hike down and along the river. At the end of the Ice Age, giant rocks were deposited all along this valley. They are now surrounded by forest, and covered with bright green moss. It’s spectacular, and a photographer’s dream.

Most of these photographs were taken as long time exposures, with the camera mounted on a tripod, sometimes in the middle of the stream. I wanted to capture the movement of the water, along with the trees. The image of me was done with the timer in the camera. What you don’t see is me hurrying over slippery moss covered rocks to get in place by the big boulder. It took a couple of tries to get there in time!

If you’ve never been there, take a drive north on I-79 to McConnell’s Mill. You’ll be glad that you did.