Vito Paratore Photography » pennsylvania

New Lens: Sigma 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye

Vito Paratore — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 05:06:25 +0000

Woohoo! I just received the newest addition to my photographic arsenal in the mail today. I ran out of sunlight pretty soon after I got home from work, so I was not able to take many shots. I ran outside right after opening it to take the obligatory “straight up” shot in my backyard, shown below cropped to a rectangle.

I am going to Pennsylvania tomorrow and I plan on taking some photos up there. I will be back Saturday afternoon, hopefully with some photos to show. Have a good weekend!

Newfoundland Barn in Snow

Vito Paratore — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 17:34:25 +0000

This photo is another shot from my drive on New Years Eve. My grandfather and I have taken photos of this barn on many occasions because of it’s rustic look and perfect placement on the curving road. The barn is only a 10 minute drive from my grandfather’s house. I was happy to get a nice blue sky in the background.

Timbertops: New Years Eve 2

Vito Paratore — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 05:03:44 +0000

The second stop of our morning drive in the snow, this birch tree has been in several of my photos in the past. I opted for a more unusual composition by focusing in on the bottom half.

Timbertops: New Years Eve

Vito Paratore — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 02:15:55 +0000

The Sunday before New Years my family and I drove up to Timbertops (the name we have given to my grandparents house up in Pennsylvania) to celebrate Christmas with my mom’s side of the family. Sunday night into early Monday morning, it snowed about 6 inches. My grandfather, my friend Brian, and I went for a nice drive in the Jeep. We stopped to take photos at a few of our favorite spots in the area, as well as stopping at a couple spots where the curving road was particularly nice.

Sno-Glo

Vito Paratore — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 05:20:10 +0000

I apologize for the lack of entries these past few days. I just got home from a youth retreat with my church to Pinebrook Bible Conference. It was an awesome time of fellowship, worship, and teaching. I had meant to post warning that I would be gone for the next couple days, but I ran out of time. I will be adding photos from my trip to Pennsylvania the days before New Years.

Going Away: Christmas/New Years

Vito Paratore — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 18:51:40 +0000

I am heading up to my grandparents house in Pennsylvania to celebrate Christmas. I will be gone until Tuesday, but I may post from up there if I can find the time. Hopefully, I will be able to take a hike to this waterfall in the area. I will post any “keepers” I may get when I get back.

Have a great New Years!

Rickett’s Glen State Park: Pt 4

Vito Paratore — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 05:05:41 +0000

Just upstream of where Kitchen Creek splits into the Ganoga Glen and Glen Leigh, this small cascade can be found. The wonderful lines, colors, and textures of the rock caught my eye. The spotty sunlight coming in through the trees added an extra challenge. I sort of wish it had been overcast, since then I could have made a more even exposure of the falls, but on the other hand, I would not have had the nice, blue reflections on the rocks. Photography is a game of give and take. This does give me another reason to go back (…as if I needed more!).

Timbertops: Rustic Decor

Vito Paratore — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 05:39:50 +0000

My grandparents own a house in north-eastern Pennsylvania, just north of the Poconos. Ever since they bought it, my grandfather has been slowly converting it into a rustic paradise. When they added this room onto the house, I had the opportunity to help out with some of the projects. I helped build the hearth and the rock wall behind it. The framed prints are shots I took on vacations we went on together.

Every time I go to visit, I think about how I should take some photos of this room. This past trip up there, I finally dragged my camera gear out and explored some compositions. I took photos during the day, before the sun starts shining in the windows to the right, and at night, when the small lamps add a nice mood. Now that I think about it, I should have started a fire in the wood stove for the night shots. Oh Well.

Rickett’s Glen State Park: Pt 3

Vito Paratore — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 05:21:19 +0000

As I mentioned in Part 1 of my Rickett’s Glen series, there are 22 waterfalls over 10ft tall. That number doesn’t include the countless rapids and smaller waterfalls in between them. From what I can remember looking at the map, this is one of those smaller waterfalls not considered in the number 22. When I saw this waterfall, I liked the jagged shape of the rocks on the left and how they stood out against the white water. I chose a long shutter speed to give that nice silky look to the water.

Rickett’s Glen State Park: Pt 2

Vito Paratore — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 03:57:57 +0000

Adam’s Falls, a short walk south of the trailhead on Route 118, is a must-see waterfall in Rickett’s Glen. The water falls thirty-six feet between reddish rock covered with lichen and ferns. In the first photo, the clear day made exposure tricky, but I was able to keep detail in the bright areas by blending two exposures in Photoshop. In the second photo, I liked how the water was flowing off the bottom rocks, therefore I opted to go close for a more abstract approach.