Lake Tobias, Halifax, Pennsylvania

To date, this may be one of the most excitable trips I have been on with my photography club. We had the pleasure of visiting Lake Tobias, which is kind of a sampler safari here in the Harrisburg area. They take you through the woods and fields in a school bus that has had the roof completely removed. We booked one specifically for our club, so we all had the luxury of having a seat to ourselves for unobstructed views of the wildlife.

Again, I’m not the biggest wildlife photographer, but this was a chance to work on my skills in a more controlled environment.

After our bus tour, we went out on foot to explore the other exhibits. Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to get great photos of the tigers, which are my favorite animals. Otherwise, what a fun day.

If you’re ever in the Harrisburg/York/Lancaster part of Pennsylvania, need something to do and enjoy wildlife, this is a must. Check out their seasons/hours here: https://www.laketobias.com/.

-Mike

Frederick, Maryland

Today my camera club teamed up with another club from Maryland for a photo walk around the city of Frederick, MD. The Maryland club had a handful of leaders who took us around to different attractions and sites they had scouted out for great photographic opportunities. It was awesome to meet new photographers and get some great, productive images.

-Mike

Cleveland, Ohio

There were a few reasons for this trip. One, obviously, the chance of photographing a city I have always enjoyed visiting. The others- to meet up with family who lives somewhat nearby and also to attend a Phillies @ Guardians baseball game.

Unfortunately this trip started off pretty rough. Arriving at our hotel, it was filled with mold, the odor of drugs and cigarette smoke, dimly lit with sticky floors, trash lined throughout the hallways and had a parking lot full of trash and broken glass. The staff was awful and we walked right out, only receiving a refund for one of two nights.

Putting that aside, we visited some really good restaurants, stayed in a really nice hotel and saw a great baseball game even though my Phillies lost.

This city has a ton of great photographic opportunities and is filled with friendly people. I even had a cop stop me to exchange IG’s. And another cop stop me threatening to confiscate my camera since I didn’t have a “permit” to be shooting in a particular public building. Right before I was able to go Constitutional on him, he told us he was joking and gave us a really cool history lesson of the market we were in and even gave me some ideas where to shoot.

Overall a bad trip turned awesome!

-Mike

Wildwood Park & Nature Center, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

I’m not much of a wildlife photographer, though it’s definitely an area I would like to focus on more and learn how to develop more patience to get the opportune images. I got up super early this morning and picked up a fellow photographer buddy of mine who is amazing at wildlife photographer. I definitely learned a lot this morning and had a blast checking out all the animals I never paid much attention to at this park before.

Back when I attended Harrisburg Area Community College, I would drive here sometimes between classes to walk around and kill time.

I am very happy I revisited with a purpose.

Also, this place is dog friendly and you can catch and release fish.

-Mike

Kiwanis Lake, York, Pennsylvania

Kiwanis Lake is a small park located in York, PA. Known for its population of herons, egrets, mallards, Canada geese and more, this is a great birding location. I was amazed at the photography opportunities one can experience in such a concentrated area.

My trip was made complete by a visit to Hefty Lefty’s for a massive Italian hoagie.

It was also cool on my way home stopping for gas and being treated by a low fly-over by a Ford Trimotor airplane visiting from Wichita, KS per the tail number.

-Mike

Anderson Mill, Franklin County, Pennsylvania

I really don’t have much, if any, historical knowledge on this site other than this being an old grist mill. This is a trip I took with my camera club to explore this mill. It’s definitely from the 1800s and through monetary donations has been restored and is able to undergo maintenance. The owner is awesome and loves talking shop with you and explaining how everything worked back in the day.

-Mike

Huntsville, Alabama

Shortly after visiting Nashville, we rented a car and traveled further south to the Huntsville, Alabama area to visit family. Always an awesome time (and awesome food)! Here are some images I captured during my stay. The first image (building with gray and yellow facade) is in South Pittsburg, TN. This is the Lodge Cast Iron factory. If I don’t fly, or have access to a car, I always stop in. I make a hard right upon entering and go to the wall of “factory seconds.” Premium cast iron cookware with defects so minor I can’t spot them but I spend 30% less.

The images of the chairs and the flyers on a wall are taken at Lowe Mill. This, besides the Trash Panda’s baseball stadium for some Trash Panda action and the NASA exhibit, is one of my favorite places to visit when in Huntsville.

-Mike

Nashville, Tennessee

After a short flight from Harrisburg, my mother and I arrived in Nashville where we would spend a few days before renting a car and driving down to Alabama to visit family. I had not been to Nashville for several years and two new buildings really stood out- Bridgestone Tower (images 1-2) and JW Marriott Building (images 3-7). I love architectural and city photography (and good BBQ), so I had a blast spending a couple days here. Unfortunately my planning was a bit off as the SEC basketball tournament was going on and there was a Predators game as well. So the city was quite congested with humans.

-Mike

Strasburg Railroad Museum

As a kid, if I wasn’t out side getting dirty and bruised riding by bike or playing sports, I was inside playing video games, playing with my Matchbox cars, Legos or Lincoln Logs. But mostly, I was playing with my Lionel train sets. Surrounded by lit-up Department 56 buildings and other miscellaneous buildings, trees, model cars, roads, fake snow, tunnels and bridges, I ran my Wabash freight train and Pennsylvania passenger train all the time. The old steam engines lit up and smoked. It was my favorite toy and so many memories were made. Aside for waiting for trains at crossings, I do still love them. Especially museums and other places that preserve old trains. It was also exciting to see a really neat Lego city with electric Lego trains and of course the Ghostbusters car and Mystery Machine.

This museum is about 45 minutes from where I live and I enjoy going once or twice a year, followed by a visit to Shady Maple.

If you’re a train buff and live near Lancaster County, or are visiting, it is worth your time to visit.

-Mike