Merlavage Images

2011 Scott Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk - Cumberland - C&O Canal

2011-12-11T09:36:00.003-08:00

Here are some photos from the 2001 Worldwide Photo Walk on the C&O Canal, just outside of Cumberland, Maryland...

Senior Portrait shoot with Autumn

2011-12-11T09:29:00.002-08:00

Here are a few photos from a Senior Portrait shoot with Autumn...

Big Piney Reservoir

2011-12-11T09:11:00.002-08:00

Here are a couple fall photos from Big Piney Reservoir, just outside of Finzel, Pa.

A trip to Gettysburg

2011-12-11T09:04:00.002-08:00

I spent a weekend in August'11 in Gettysburg, Pa. Here are a few shots from the trip...

Hannah & Kyle portrait shoot - August '11

2011-12-11T08:11:00.002-08:00

A few pics from my portrait shoot with Hannah & Kyle...

Constitution Park Scenic Overlook

2011-12-11T08:05:00.004-08:00

One of the prettiest views in Cumberland is the Constitution Park Scenic Overlook (especially as sunset). Here are a few shots from the area...

A visit to Irons Mountain

2011-12-11T07:59:00.003-08:00

Here are a few photos from an August 2011 visit to the top of Irons Mountain.

Charlene & Doug engagement shoot

2011-08-05T09:00:00.003-07:00

I got to spend some time with a fantastic couple (and a lot of flying bugs) this past Sunday. here are a few of the photos...

Charlene is a writer, you can find more information about her recent and upcoming projects here.

The Squeeze-In in Sunbury, Pa

2011-07-10T18:46:00.005-07:00

I grabbed a hot dog at the famous Squeeze-In in Sunbury Pa this weekend. Here are a few pictures...inside & out...

Oldtown Maryland

2011-06-26T07:20:00.003-07:00

I spent some time in Oldtown Maryland yesterday. Here are a couple pics. One is the low-water toll bridge that crosses the Potomac, the other is of Lock House #70 on the C&O Canal.

Pin-up portrait shoot with Jordan

2011-06-26T07:06:00.003-07:00

Here are a few from a recent pip-up shoot with Jordan...

You can see more pictures from the shoot here - Jordan pin-up shoot.

Quite possible the world's greatest event...

2011-06-25T08:27:00.005-07:00

This shouldn't be annual, it should be weekly...or even daily...and it should take place in my backyard.
The sign says it all.

(if the sign is a little hard to read, you can see a LARGE version here).

High water along the Potomac (Spring Gap boat launch)

2011-06-25T08:19:00.004-07:00

Ok, this post is a little out of sequence...these shots were actually taken in late May, but I filed this folder away and completely forgot about them.
These shots are of the Potomac River near the Spring Gap boat launch...

43rd annual Heritage Days Festival in Cumberland, MD

2011-06-25T08:09:00.004-07:00

Here are a few photos from Heritage Days 2011...

Delfest 2011 (the fans) - Allegany County Fairgrounds in Cumberland Maryland

2011-06-25T07:51:00.004-07:00

Yeah, the music was great at Delfest...but so were the fans. Delfest is a fantastic event, if you haven't already attended, you should consider it. ...and if you have already attended, then I'll see you there next year.

If you'd like to see more photos from Delfest, you can see them here - Delfest 2011.

Delfest 2011 (musicians) - Allegany County Fairgrounds in Cumberland Maryland

2011-06-25T07:25:00.009-07:00

Here are a few photos of some of the fantastic musicians from Delfest 2011...

Del McCoury

Scythian

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band performing with the McCourys

Chris Robinson

Sierra Hull

If you'd like to see more DelFest photos, you can see them here - Delfest 2011.

...oh, and some of my photos were used in the official Delfest photo set on flickr - you can see them here - Delfest 2011 - official set.

Hannah & Kyle - Prom 2011

2011-06-24T08:15:00.002-07:00

Here are a few photos taken of Hannah & Kyle prior to the 2011 Allegany High School Prom...

You can view the full set of pics here - Hannah and Kye - Prom 2011.

Alex Trebek visits the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad in Cumberland & Frostburg Maryland

2011-06-24T07:52:00.007-07:00

Alex Trebek, the host of the Jeopardy! was in town to cross one more thing off of his bucket list; to operate a steam engine.
Here are a few photos taken during his visit...

You can see more photos from the event here - Alex Trebek in Cumberland.

Three from Rocky Gap State Park

2011-06-23T19:59:00.003-07:00

Here are three photos taken on an overcast (i.e. dreary) day at Rocky Gap State Park.

Covered Bridges of Columbia County, Pennsylvania

2011-06-23T19:46:00.005-07:00

I'm a big fan of covered bridges, so back in May, my sister & I took a drive around Columbia County, Pennsylvania and photographed some of them. Here are a few of my favorites.

Snyder Covered Bridge

Richards Covered Bridge

Esther Furnace Covered Bridge

Krickbaum Covered Bridge

Wanich Covered Bridge

Here are a few other images from the Columbia County Covered Bridge shoot.

There are still plenty more bridges in Columbia County that I haven't photographed yet, so it's safe to say "to be continued...."

Sunset at Dan's Rock Overlook

2011-06-23T19:32:00.007-07:00

Dan's Rock is a great east-facing location, so I often go up there for sunrises, but I rarely go up there for sunsets. One day my friend (and talented photographer) Jeannette Hunt asked if I'd like to go up there and shoot a sunset with her. It turned out to be one of the most beautiful skies I had ever seen.

Here are a few of the shots...

I was happy when I got there & caught this brief rainbow.

That's when the fog started to rise RAPIDLY from the valley.

This was taken just 20 minutes after the shot above.

The fog continued to rise, while the sky turned dazzling pink & blue colors to the west.

...and pink & yellow colors to the east.

You can see more of my Dan's Rock photos here - Dan's Rock Overlook

Pack Saddle Covered Bridge

2011-04-04T12:44:00.008-07:00

Here are a few photos from yesterday of Pack Saddle Covered Bridge, located just outside of Fairhope, Pennsylvania.

Getting there was interesting, I decided to let my GPS choose the route, and it was the first time that my GPS led me down a dirt road that actually looked like it was a hiking trail (there was actually grass growing down the middle). Next time I'll take the route that I've used previously.
Photos were taken with a +8 ND Filter.

The full set of photos can be found here - Pack Saddle Covered Bridge.

Tri-State Zoological Park in Cumberland Maryland

2011-02-10T07:32:00.005-08:00

I had a recent opportunity to do some photography at the Cumberland Zoo. Here are a few of my favs from the shoot...

The zoo is open year-round...you can get more information here - Tri-State Zoological Park

Night Photography in Cumberland, MD

2011-02-10T07:23:00.004-08:00

Here are a few shots from a recent night shoot in downtown Cumberland. I like how the snow on the ground acts as a reflector and adds light to areas that are usually very dark in night photos.

You can see more photography in and around Cumberland here - Cumberland & surrounding Western Maryland

Coming soon to a theater near you....Two Slick Guys

2010-12-22T13:24:00.004-08:00

If you ever have an opportunity to see these guys perform, you have to go. They're two of the funniest guys you'll ever meet AND they do magic. What could be better?

Here are a couple from our recent promo shoot...

Shhh, I've got a Mountain Maryland Secret...

2010-12-22T12:50:00.005-08:00

...and the secret is, this is Kim Rowli, the star of the Mountain Maryland's Best Kept Secrets web series! I'd also like to say that Kim is super-nice and a lot of fun to be around...but you didn't hear that from me. ; )

Here are a few shots from our late November photo shoot...

Hannah & Kyle

2010-12-22T12:39:00.008-08:00

Here are some Allegany High School Homecoming photos of Hannah & Kyle, taken at Rose Hill Cemetery...

East Broad Top Railroad in Orbisonia, Pa

2010-12-22T12:28:00.005-08:00

Wow, late December already...where did the time go? Here are some photos from a November train shoot at East Broad Top in Orbisonia, Pa.

You can see more from this shoot here - E.B.T. Railroad

Happy Halloween!!

2010-10-31T11:41:00.003-07:00

Happy Halloween from the Puggle Pirates...

A weekend in Mt Carmel, Pennsylvania

2010-10-12T07:41:00.010-07:00

Usually when I visit Mt Carmel, it's in the spring or winter when there are no leaves on the trees, but I finally got to visit at a time when there was some fall color on display.

Here are some of the photos...

Brush Valley Reservoir

Ringtown Reservoir

Ringtown Reservoir

Excelsior, Pa

Shamokin Reservoir

Degrees of Bravery on US Route 220

2010-10-11T08:44:00.007-07:00

I came across a nice stretch of foliage this weekend just outside of Bedford Pa. The problem was, it was a very high contrast area, so the only way to get a nice photo would be to bracket some shots & merge them. So, each finished photo is actually three photos, each taken at a different exposure, then merged together.
The other problem was, there was a festival going on in Bedford this weekend, so the highway was quite a bit busier than usual.

You can see my various degrees of bravery below....

Cautious

Adventurous

Foolish

The Covered Bridges of Bedford County

2010-10-11T04:11:00.009-07:00

While I was out photographing the bridges of Bedford County this weekend I thought of a great idea for a movie script. It's about this photographer dude who is photographing covered bridges in a specific county & this lady who seems to like him. My current draft also has a lot of aliens, but they may get dropped from the final version.

Anyway, I was in Bedford over the weekend, so I decided to take a drive and photograph some of the bridges. Here are some of the shots...

Claycomb Covered Bridge

Cuppett's Covered Bridge

Turner's Covered Bridge

Colvin Covered Bridge

Herline Covered Bridge

Snook's Covered Bridge

Dr. Kniseley Covered Bridge

Ryot Covered Bridge

I also took different variations of each bridge, if you'd like to see all 32 photos, you can view them here - Bedford Covered Bridges.

Here's one other from Bedford County that I had photographed previously - Hewitt Covered bridge.

Shawn and Brittany Helmstetter's wedding

2010-10-07T20:32:00.009-07:00

Congrats to Shawn and Brittany on your wedding!! ...and thank you for letting me be a part of the big day. It was a lot of fun.

Here are a few of the pictures...

Photo shoot with Jordan - part I

2010-10-06T12:15:00.006-07:00

Wow...it's October already...yikes, when did the summer end? I'm pretty slammed at the moment with various projects, but I thought I'd share a few pics from some recent shoots.

First, here are some from a recent fun portrait shoot with Jordan...

There will probably be a Part II to this post in the next week or so, since I'm still only about halfway through the pics from the shoot.

Appropriately named dog treats

2010-09-13T13:22:00.008-07:00

Bought some treats for the puggles at last weekend's Heart of Lancaster Festival.

One for Mr. P

One for Stanley

The Tree House Toy Shop

2010-09-07T13:29:00.006-07:00

If you haven't visited the Tree House Toy Shop in downtown Cumberland Maryland lately...well, why haven't you? : )
Here are a few recent shots of the store.

Looking for fun on the Lincoln Highway

2010-09-04T18:04:00.011-07:00

I had some time to kill in Lancaster today, so I hopped on Route 30 to see some of the famous Lincoln Highway sites...

I figured there would be a lot to do, but I forgot to check the time..plus there was absolutely no possible way to tell what time it was anyway....

So, I went to see the famous Lincoln Highway Land of Little Horses Farm Park...but sadly they were closed.

Mister Ed's Elephant Museum looked like it could be fun, but it was a bit hard to find...

So this other roadside elephant would just have to do.

...oh, and the shoofly pie in Lancaster was delicious!!!!!

Up close with the Puggles

2010-08-29T11:48:00.009-07:00

The puggles & I were having a lazy dog day on the back porch earlier today. It seemed like a perfect opportunity to stick a camera in their faces. Here are a few shots of the boys.

Here are a couple of Stanley...

...and here are a couple of Mr. P...

Gambill Summer Carnival at Canal Place

2010-08-27T06:49:00.017-07:00

Now that school's out, it's great to be able to attend the WMPA group shoots again! It felt really good to be out shooting with my friends in the group. This week's shoot location was the Canal Place Festival Grounds, which is currently hosting a carnival by Gambill Amusements.
This was my first night shoot with the 10-20 wide angle lens, and aside from some lens flare & ghosting issues (I don't have a lens hood for it), I'm really happy with the results. Here are a few of my favs from the shoot...

...and since I love the colors of a carnival...here's a super-saturated HDR shot, taken as the sun was setting behind me.

If you're interested, I have shots from past carnivals here.

Rocky Gap Lakeside Loop Trail

2010-08-22T18:19:00.005-07:00

I took a hike with my puggles on the Lakeside Loop train at Rocky Gap today. When I left the house, it was blue sky & sunny, but as I approached Rocky Gap, the wind picked up & some dark clouds moved in. I almost turned back & went home, but I'm glad I didn't, the clouds quickly passed. Here are a couple shots...

Dark clouds & high winds over Interstate 68

One of my favorite spots along the trail.

My hiking buddies

Highway to Hell

2010-08-19T12:47:00.004-07:00

I pass this sign everyday & keep saying I'm gonna stop & get a pic...well, this week I did....

Don't Need Reason, Don't Need Rhyme
Ain't Nothing I Would Rather Do
Going Down, Party Time
My Friends Are Gonna Be There Too

: )

A Splash of Color

2010-08-18T16:24:00.003-07:00

I passed this old barn today driving out past Finzel. I thought it was a nice contrast to the dreary-looking sky.

Sideling Hill - The Gateway to Western Maryland

2010-08-08T12:56:00.012-07:00

Whenever I'm coming home from anywhere east of Cumberland, I always feel like I'm in the home stretch when I pass through the giant cut in the mountain at Sideling Hill. Coming down off that mountain, I feel like I'm finally back home in western Maryland.

Each of these two pics were three bracketed exposure shots (-1, 0 +1) merged into one file. In hindsight, I should have underexposed the -1 file a bit more, since it still contains some blown whites above the mountain. If nothing else, it gives me reason to go back and attempt this shot again. : )

Casselman Bridge in July

2010-08-02T09:31:00.004-07:00

This weekend I ventured up to Casselman Bridge to let the puggles take a dip in the water. This was my first time going up there with a wide-angle lens...it was challenging because the lens makes the bridge look so far away, so I needed to get a lot closer than I usually do.

Here are a couple that I like...

Casselman Bridge is a favorite photo spot of mine. You can see more pics that I've taken over the years HERE.

Wedding Fun with Becky & Chuck

2010-07-26T07:44:00.026-07:00

Shooting a wedding can be hard work...but Chuck & Becky's wedding this past weekend, it was an absolute blast. Everyone involved in it was so easy and fun to work with. I'm really glad I had an opportunity to be a part of their big day.

I'm still going through all the pics, but here are a few of my favorites...

Congrats Becky & Chuck!!!

Some photos from the 2010 Worldwide Photo Walk in Cumberland, Maryland

2010-07-25T17:22:00.009-07:00

This weekend I had the opportunity to lead the Cumberland Maryland portion of the 2010 Worldwide Photo Walk. It was fun to be a part of it; there were 1,111 total walks going on, with over 33,500 walkers.
Our group took a walk up historic Washington Street in downtown Cumberland, Maryland.

I'm still loving my new wide-angle lens, so that's all I brought. I also did a 3-exposure bracket of each shot so I could fool around with some HDR conversion...

We started our walk at the Western Maryland Railroad Station, just as a late afternoon dinner train was departing.

The back entrance to the Emmanual Episcopal Church

I saw this door a little further up the alley and thought it looked cool. I had to crop this photo when I got home, the shadow of my tripod was on the far left. Oops.

Here's a view of Cumberland from the base of Emmanual Episcopal Church.

I found these pipes behind the Cumberland Library.

This shot was pretty difficult...I think I'm still seeing spots...

Here's our group, bravely trying to pretend that it's NOT 110 degrees in the shade.

Thanks to everyone for braving the heat & showing up....

Hewitt Covered Bridge in Bedford County, Pa

2010-07-18T09:08:00.013-07:00

I took a ride out to Hewitt Covered Bridge this morning. When I got there the light was perfect; it was right after sunrise and the bridge is down in a valley, so the sun was just starting to appear over the top of the mountain...with the light hitting the trees just above the bridge with a nice warm light.

That light didn't last long; once the sun got a little higher, the light was very contrasty, so I decided to bracket some shots for some HDR conversion. Here are a few of the HDR shots:

There are a few more images HERE if you're interested in seeing them all.

Driving home from Oldtown

2010-07-01T17:51:00.010-07:00

Jeez...it feels like forever since I've just taken the camera out & taken any scenic images. I'm in the middle of a crazy school semester (my last one)...so my photography opportunities have been slim.
Anyway, here are a couple shots I took this pretty past weekend on a drive home from Oldtown, Maryland...

What's the deal with the Mill Stone, anyone know? What was it?

View from the top of Irons Mountain

John Helmstetter's original barn

2010-06-11T17:41:00.005-07:00

I was going though some old files from 2006 & I came across this one...it's John Helmtetter's original barn, the one that burned down in 2009.

Also, if you look closely above the top of the barn on the left side, you can see Western Maryland Scenic Railroad's #734.

It's funny, the rest of the pictures from this shoot were lousy because of the bright conditions, so I must have just scrapped them all. I really like this one.

You can see a JUMBO sized version of the shot HERE.

DelFest 2010 - Day 3 (final day)

2010-06-03T10:07:00.009-07:00

Ok, this is the last of my DelFest posts. It was such a wonderful event and each day was unique, thus the three separate posts.
Here are a few of the pics from the final day:

Darol Anger's Republic of Strings

David Grisman Bluegrass Experience

The McCoury's got on stage with the David Grisman Bluegrass Experience

Alvin Cordy from The Lee Boys

The Lee Boys

I really enjoyed The Lee Boys set on the second stage. They had everyone on their feet, and it was nice to hear "Superstition" and "We Want the Funk" at a bluegrass festival. I also think The Lee Boys had the amps turned up to 11, my ears were ringing for at least an hour after their set.

If you're interested in seeing all 400 or so DelFest pics, you can view them here - Merlavage Images - DelFest 2010.

Thanks...

DelFest 2010 - Day 2

2010-06-02T07:13:00.008-07:00

Here are a few photos from Saturday at DelFest.

The John Cowan Band

Cornmeal

Nice catch kid

The Del McCoury Band

Sunday pics will be posted tomorrow...

DelFest - Day 1 (The Avett Brothers!)

2010-06-01T11:11:00.010-07:00

Ok, the Avett Brothers are one of my favorite bands, so having the opportunity to see them play was a definite thrill. In fact, they were so entertaining I had to keep reminding myself to pick up the camera to get photos. I had originally intended to photograph them from several different angles, but once they started I didn't want to lose my spot at the front of the stage. : )
Here are a few of the shots...

The Avett Brothers are an amazing band to see live...strings breaking on every song and tons of energy (for example, in that last pic, two of them are in mid-air). If you're not familiar with this band, you really need to check them out.
You can start here - The Avett Brothers

DelFest 2010 - Day 1

2010-06-01T09:40:00.008-07:00

I was fortunate to spend three days photographing DelFest over the long Memorial Day holiday weekend. Here are a few of the photos...

Bobby Osborne and the Rocky Top X-Press

It wouldn't be DelFest without at least one torrential downpour

The Del McCoury Band

Del McCoury

...oh, and the headlining act was the Avett Brothers!! They'll get their own separate post. : )

Water water everywhere (Big Piney Reservoir)

2010-05-07T04:21:00.004-07:00

I took a drive up to Big Piney Reservoir last night for a group shoot with the WMPA crew. It's hard to believe, but that was my first time shooting there...what a great spot, full of photo ops. I'll definitely be going back soon.

Here are a few of the shots...

You can see more pics from the shoot here - Big Piney Reservoir

Jordan - portrait session

2010-04-29T10:49:00.009-07:00

Here are a few shots from my portrait shoot with Jordan last weekend (a cold & windy weekend, I might add). We managed to get a lot of nice shots despite the weather. These are just a few of my favs from the session...

Scenes from the 2010 Mountain Maryland Marathon

2010-04-21T06:46:00.004-07:00

I had a great time shooting the Mountain Maryland Marathon this past weekend. Here are a few of the shots...

The start of the race

Spectators lined the course

Doug Oates of Hagerstown, finishing first in the men’s half marathon

The Tot Trot

To see more pics from the event, you can click here - 2010 Mountain Maryland Marathon

For more information about the event, visit the official Mountain Maryland Marathon site.

Scenes from a Puggle Party...

2010-04-16T15:02:00.008-07:00

Mr P turned two today and it was quite a wild birthday celebration...full of party hats, rawhide sticks and um, laying on a green chair. Here are a few pics from the big event...

Mr P, the birthday boy, having the time of his life

Tree House Toy Shop - new location, now OPEN

2010-04-05T12:38:00.006-07:00

The Tree House Toy Shop has moved. They're no longer located at The Shops at Canal Place in Cumberland, they're now in the heart of downtown Cumberland, right on the walking mall at 45 Baltimore Street.

The Tree House Toy Shop offers an exciting and educational alternative for children's toys. They specialize in high quality toys that have a retrospective flair and recapture the fun and excitement of hands-on play. The shop is family owned and operated, so when you visit, the friendly face behind the counter is a member of the toy shop family.

Stop by the next time you're downtown, you'll be glad you did. The shop is open 7-days a week.

Meet Stanley the Puggle

2010-04-02T16:36:00.010-07:00

Well, Stanley has been here for over 60 days, so I guess he's officially staying with us (plus I lost the receipt).
The weather was really beautiful today, so we did a quick photo session in the yard.

All shots natural light, f4 with a 70-200 lens.

A flash diffuser is NOT a chew toy!

2010-03-31T16:41:00.004-07:00

Unfortunately my marauding band of puggles were not aware of that bit of wisdom. Here's what's left of my Sto-Fen Omni Bounce & the lid from my LightSphere. I guess I'll be cleaning up plastic poop in the am.

Sunrise shoot at Dan's Rock Overlook

2010-03-20T11:11:00.005-07:00

I really like it when the sunrises around 7:30, I don't have to wake-up so early for sunrise shoots. This morning I took a drive up to one of my favorite sunrise location, Dan's Rock Overlook. I tried something a little different this time...usually when I shoot at Dan's Rock, I base my exposure on the sky, which causes the foreground rocks to appear as dark silhouette. However, this time I used the same exposure, but also used my flash as a strobe to illuminate the foreground rocks. The shots below were all taken with a 30 second shutter, with a burst of flash illuminating the rocks every 5 seconds or so. This brought out the detail in the rocks & shows off all that beautiful graffiti. : )

You can see more of my Dan's Rock Overlook shots by clicking here.

Interstate 68

2010-03-13T19:19:00.004-08:00

I was driving home from teaching a Night Photography class, and I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to do some creative outside experiments due to the pouring rain. I was still feeling the itch to do something creative, so I pulled off the road, under an underpass & took a few long exposure shots of the passing cars.

This one is my favorite. Settings were 89 second shutter / f8 / ISO 200.

6th Annual Hooley Plunge - Rocky Gap State Park

2010-03-07T12:23:00.010-08:00

Here are some photos from the sixth annual Hooley Plunge, a charity event benefiting the Allegany County Special Olympics and other programs for the developmentally disabled.

To see all of the pics, you can click here - Hooley Plunge 2010

Clearing ice from the water prior to the plunge

Colorful characters preparing to plunge

The first waves of plungers

Learn more about the Hooley Plunge - www.hooleyplunge.com

High-pass filter technique

2010-03-03T08:33:00.003-08:00

I read about a cool high-pass filter technique the other day on Strobist, so I decided to give it a try on a pic of the pups. I think the overall effect is a bit strong for my tastes, but by using a duplicate layer & bringing the opacity way down (this is at about 25%), I like the results.

Western Maryland Scenic Railroad in January?!?

2010-02-02T07:56:00.007-08:00

This past weekend I participated in a Western Maryland Scenic Railroad photo excursion. Typically the WMSR only operates until late December, so it was a great opportunity to be able to shoot it on a nice cold snow-covered winter day.
The train left the station a little past 7:30 am, so it was nice to be able to shoot the train in some unique lighting situations as well.

I'm really happy with the shots I was able to get, so it's really hard to pick favorites from the shoot...but here are some of the more unique shots. You can view all the shots via the link at the bottom of this post.

WMSR #734 crossing the Potomac River just before sunrise

Pulling through the Narrows just after sunrise.

WMSR #724 passing the new barn on Helmstetter's Curve

Snow-covered trees approaching Brush Tunnel

Crossing one of the two switch-back bridges

Exiting Brush Tunnel

heck, I could probably post 20 more that I really like, but in interest of keeping this post short, you can just view all of the pics here - Western Maryland Scenic Railroad January Photo Freight. (the first 34 shots are from the weekend shoot)

I'd love to hear which shots are your favorites. Thanks....

Casselman Bridge in January...OOPS

2010-01-24T08:52:00.005-08:00

Here's a cautionary example to periodically check your lens for obstructions. I stopped at Casselman Bridge yesterday morning for a quick shoot.
I kept the lens cap on the camera until the camera was set-up on the tripod for the shot. It wasn't raining or snowing, but it appears a stray drop of snow or water somehow found a way to get onto my lens. I had the camera LCD screen on histogram-view, so even though I was checking the screen after each shot, I didn't notice the big water spot until I was downloading the pics from the camera.

If you're interested in seeing some of my previous Cassleman shots (without huge blobs of water ruining the shot), you can view them here - Casselman Bridge & Spruce Forest Artisan Village

Muddy Creek falls in January

2010-01-23T15:37:00.005-08:00

This morning I met up with some members of the WMPA for a group shoot at Muddy Creek Falls. We walked down to the base of the falls to get some close-ups, then we went & hiked down the alternate trail to get some shots from the other side of the stream.

What I found interesting was how many frozen waterfalls had formed along the trail from run-off. There were several columns of ice higher than most other waterfalls in the area.

Here are a few of the shots...

Muddy Creek Falls from the base

Muddy Creek Falls from the opposite side of the stream

Large ice waterfall formed by run-off

Large hanging icicles along the trail

Click here to see more shots from today's shoot. The first 12 were taken today.

Winter time in Cumberland Maryland

2010-01-15T08:33:00.004-08:00

Here are a couple more shots from my 'December files' collection. These were taken the day after a heavy snow storm in the area. Both were taken around 11:30 am, which is much later than I generally like to shoot scenic shots, but I wanted to catch the steam train leaving the Western Maryland Station.
Settings for both shots are f16 - 1/500 - ISO 200.

Western Maryland Scenic Railroad in December

2010-01-14T08:37:00.006-08:00

Now that I'm about 90% recovered from my hard drive crash in November, I'm finally getting around to getting pictures off of my camera from the past few months.

Here are a few shots of WMSR #734 on a cold snow-covered day on Helmstetter's Curve. All three shots are pretty similar, but there are subtle changes in the shape of the steam that I really like.

These shots were taken on the final run of the 2009 season. To get to this vantage point I had to trudge through knee-deep snow up the hill on Helmstetter's farm. Shots were taken with a 70-200 lens. The first shot is at 200mm, the second two are at approx. 100mm.

If you're interested, you can view more Western Maryland Scenic Railroad shots here.

Photos from the downtown Cumberland Christmas Tree Lighting on November 26th...

2009-12-04T11:01:00.009-08:00

Here are a few photos from the Christmas Tree lighting in downtown Cumberland from last week. It was really great to see that many people downtown, it was a really festive event.

The lively downtown scene

Bird's eye view of the action

The Emmanuel Episcopal church tree

Santa makes an appearance on the rooftop

You can see more of the pictures HERE.

Also check out my friend Ty's great video of the event - Cumberland Christmas Tree Lighting 2009.

Cumberland Goes to War - week 2 - Planes, Trains & um...Jeeps

2009-11-16T07:07:00.008-08:00

Weekend number two of Cumberland Goes to War was a lot of fun. Abbott & Costello (and Scoop) were in town to perform and entertain people on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad.
A B-25 Bomber also landed at the Cumberland Airport and offered tours, flights and plenty of photo-opportunities with Rosie the Riveter and Abbott & Costello (and Scoop).

Abbott & Costello (and Scoop) pose with Conductor Richard Markle as they board the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad

The whole gang in a WWII jeep

The B-25 "Panchito" taking passengers for a fly-over Cumberland

Rosie in the B-25

Boarding the B-25 the hard way

You can see more images from the event here - Cumberland Goes to War 2009.

Like steam? A day with the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad...

2009-11-11T07:43:00.009-08:00

On Monday I participated in a day-long WMSR photo excursion to raise money to replace John Helmstetter's barn near Cash Valley Road. So far over $40,000 has been raised and the barn rebuilding is in progress. You can learn more (and donate) here.

The excursion itself was fantastic, it was nice to be able to shoot the train in various lighting conditions and in several new locations along the line. The train also put on quite a show, the plumes of steam often blocked the sun (allowing us to photograph in the shade).
Sorry if we did any permanent damage to the ozone layer.

Here are a few of my favs from the shoot...

Early morning sun provides some side-lighting to #734

Passing the Helmstetter Farm

Nice vantage point that I was previously unaware of. West of Brush Tunnel

Another new location...west of Helmstetter's Curve

Impressive steam plume approaching Frostburg Station.

You can view more images from the shoot via this link - Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. The first 25 photos in the gallery were from this shoot.

Cumberland Goes to War 2009 - the first weekend

2009-11-10T10:22:00.009-08:00

Cumberland Goes to War is a 2-week event recognizing the “greatest generation” and their sacrifices – both on the homefront and in battle. You can see a complete listing of all scheduled events here - Cumberland Goes to War schedule.

Here are a few photos from the first weekend of activities:

Rosie the Riveter was there...

...as were FDR and The Andrews Sisters.

There's a large encampment full of re-enactors.

Just don't forget to bring your papers.

You can see more pictures from the event here - more pictures.

Hanging out with Elvis & Priscilla

2009-11-06T12:48:00.006-08:00

I spent yesterday afternoon photographing Elvis, the winner of the 'Prettiest Pet' contest held earlier this year at the Allegany County Fairgrounds. He was such a cute little bundle of energy, it was part photo shoot, part play time in the wet leaves. His best friend Priscilla also showed up for the shoot. Here are a few of the pics...

Rosie the Riveter Contest - we have a winner

2009-11-03T11:13:00.007-08:00

I spent this past Saturday in downtown Cumberland photographing a Rosie the Riveter look-alike contest. What a fun way to spend the day. Along with my friends Ty (part carnival barker, part videographer) and Jen (our Rosie stylist), we ended up photographing a total of 20 Rosies.

You can view the complete gallery of contestants here.

Also, big congrats to Jordan Schupfer who won a nice prize package and who will be our Rosie poster girl in Cumberland Goes to War promotions.

Joe & Shari's wedding

2009-11-02T09:55:00.008-08:00

Whew, it's been a busy fall...I'm finally getting caught up. On Oct 24th I had a blast shooting Joe & Shari's wedding at St John's Episcopal Church in Frostburg, with a reception at the Maplehurst County Club. Joe & Shari were both so fun to work with, it was a great time. Here are a few of the shots...

Congrats to Josh Rogers

2009-10-26T10:38:00.003-08:00

This is a cool story...
About a year ago I received an email request asking permission to use one of my train photos as inspiration for a sketch. It turns out that the artist, Josh Rogers, won a blue ribbon and Best in Show at the Billings Montana State Fair with that train sketch. How cool...congrats Josh, keep up the great work!

A guestbook is not a toy...

2009-10-25T13:29:00.008-08:00

Ok, a little background info. Steve & I had a Featured Artist Show at Arts at Canal Place this past weekend. We went back and forth on our show dates, we originally planned a November show, then flip-flopped and wound up with a September/October show. Then we changed the opening date from September to October....well, anyway, in the end, I ended up accidentally double-booking myself and scheduling the opening on a day that I was also shooting a wedding.

So, since I wasn't going to be there, I left a guestbook for people to sign to leave comments about the show, ask questions about the photos, etc. Well, it seems the beers were flowing pretty well at the reception, you can see the comments below. I'm not even sure what a lot of it even means, WTF does WTF mean??

...all kidding aside, thank you all for coming to the opening, and I do appreciate the comments. I had a great laugh this morning reading them when I went in to the gallery to take down the show. I really am sorry I couldn't be there, you can ask Steve, everytime I spoke to him leading up to the opening I would tell him that I feel like a jerk for not being there.

Thanks again...I appreciate your support!
Bill

Sarah & Chad's wedding

2009-10-21T04:54:00.008-07:00

I had a lot of fun this past weekend shooting Sarah & Chad's wedding at Davis Memorial Church. On the drive to the reception, we made a quick detour out to Rocky Gap to get a few pics in the light rain. Here are a few of them...

http://merlavageimages.blogspot.com/2009/10/sarah-chads-wedding.html

Finzel Swamp - one of Western Maryland's best-kept secrets

2009-10-08T17:03:00.007-07:00

The leaves are starting to pop here in Western Maryland, so it seemed like a perfect opportunity to take a walk through one of my favorite fall locations - Finzel Swamp.
Finzel Swamp is a little out of the way location, visited mostly by bird watchers & local photographers.
The cranberry glades are a bit past peak right now, they're mostly brown & dry, but there's still plenty of color in the surrounding trees.

Here are a few of the shots from this afternoon...

There's now a sign at the entrance to Finzel Swamp, so perhaps it won't remain such a secret location for long?

Blog post

My Featured Artist show...along with Steve Sullivan

2009-09-28T12:08:00.003-07:00

Big thanks to everyone who stopped by my booth at Mountain Heritage Festival in Harpers Ferry, WV . It was great to see you!

If you find yourself in Cumberland MD before October 25th, please stope by Arts at Canal Place to see my Featured Artist show with Steve Sullivan. Here are the details....

09/21/2009-10/25/2009
Photographs by Bill Merlavage and pottery by Steve Sullivan will be on display at Arts at Canal Place (AaCP) from September 21 through October 25. A reception, open to the public, will be held in the AaCP gallery loft at the Shops at Canal Place on Saturday, October 24th, from 6-8PM.

Merlavage brings the viewer a unique perspective of local scenes such as "Cumberland at Night." Sullivan's pottery reflects the influence of his years in Japan where he studied ceramic art. A fine sense of composition, form and line quality are evident in each piece.

A program of the Allegany Arts Council, Arts at Canal Place cooperative gallery is located at 16 Howard Street in The Shops at Canal Place. The gallery is open daily from 10AM-6PM, with extended hours until 8PM on Friday & Saturday nights during the summer months. For more information call 301-777-8199 or visit http://www.artsatcanalplace.com.

Stolen camera - a cautionary tale

2009-09-22T10:52:00.003-07:00

Well, I had my 40D stolen this weekend (along with a 50 mm lens & a 16 gb card). I’m always very careful with my camera equipment (or so I thought), so I thought I’d tell my story as an example of how quickly it can happen.
I was tailgating at an Eagles game in Philadelphia with a large group of friends. My vehicle was parked right in the central tailgating area, in fact it was so close, several of us were sitting on my hood at times during the tailgate. Throughout the tailgate I’d bring the camera out and take a few pictures and when I was done I’d store it on the rear floor of my vehicle tucked under the seat. The Saturn has tinted back windows, so even if you put your face against the glass and looked through you’d still have a hard time seeing a camera on the floor, under the seat. I didn’t think to lock the doors, after all it was tailgate, we were in and out of the vehicle several times getting supplies, plus I was right near the vehicle at all times.
As it got closer to game time I locked up the car and headed inside the stadium. I didn’t check for the camera because I wasn’t going to bring it into the stadium anyway for concern it could get damaged. I assumed it was still tucked under the backseat.

When I got home that evening & unpacked, I noticed that the camera was nowhere to be found. Sometime between when I took my last batch of tailgate photos and game time, someone must have seen where I was putting the camera & grabbed it when I wasn’t looking. It would have had to be a fast grab, nothing else was moved or misplaced, and several other valuable items were still in place (iPod, cell phone, etc).

Needless to say, it is very disappointing. Not only are the camera and lens valuable, it also had a memory card full of pics from our weekend in Philly. If there’s a less on to be learned, it’s that camera theft can happen very quickly, take extra precaution to protect your gear. Another lesson learned is that there are a small percentage of jerks at every event. An Eagles game is like a huge celebration with fellow fans, there’s a great feeling of community in the lot…so to steal from a fellow fan is just lower than low.

…oh, and if anyone knows of any scumbags who were at the Eagles game this past weekend who are now sporting a new 40D camera, please let me know.

Thanks…
Bill

"Recent Work" exhibit - Bill Merlavage & Steve Sullivan - Sept 21st through Oct 25th

2009-09-15T10:59:00.004-07:00

A dual exhibit at Arts at Canal Place, titled ‘Recent Work’, will feature the pottery of Steve Sullivan and the photography of Bill Merlavage. The exhibit will run from September 21st through October 25th, with a reception open to the public on October 24th from 6-8 p.m.

This is my first local exhibition in over two years, and I’m excited to be displaying many new prints, including several large images printed on canvas. It’s great to be doing a show with Steve, he’s a good friend & his pottery is fantastic, our styles compliment each other very well.
Almost all of the prints in the show have been taken within the past year, and many have been taken within the last 6 months…so a lot of new images will be making their debut at this show. I also plan to add additional pieces as the show progresses, so by the time of our late October reception, the show should look different than it did in late September.

A little about my photography; except for rare instances, anything that I have printed has been the culmination of several repeat visits to a location. I’m fanatical about the light that I shoot in, so I’ll visit a location at different times to determine the best lighting for the scene. The images are carefully composed and the camera settings are carefully adjusted to ensure the image will look good as a print. I do very little post-processing to my images, I strive for a finished image straight from the camera.

I hope that you’ll stop by to view the exhibition and I hope you’ll stop by to meet Steve & I at our reception on October 24th.
You can also view my images online at any time at www.merlavageimages.com.

Here is more information about Arts at Canal Place, including hours & directions.

Mountain Heritage Festival in Harpers Ferry, WV - Coming soon...

2009-09-11T13:03:00.003-07:00

I hope to see you all there. The festival is coming up, Sept 25-26-27, 10 am to 6 pm each day (except Sunday, show ends at 5 pm). I'll be bringing lots of new never-before-displayed work, including a bunch of new large canvas prints.

This is my final show of the 2009 season.

Here are the festival details - West Virginia Mountain Heritage Arts & Crafts Festival

Sean & Amy's wedding

2009-08-24T11:54:00.006-07:00

I had a blast this weekend shooting Sean & Amy's wedding at Chanteclaire Farm. The bride & groom were a lot of fun, the location was beautiful and the weather was perfect. Here are a few of the shots...

A Weekend in Pittsburgh

2009-07-27T13:15:00.006-07:00

Jamie & I took a road trip to Pittsburgh this weekend to do a little sight-seeing. For me, sight-seeing involves eating as many different foods at as many different places as possible, but I did manage to put the fork down long enough to get a few pictures. Here are a few of my favorites from the weekend....

The Pittsburgh Skyline from the top of the Incline

The Pittsburgh Skyline from down by the river

The Phipps Conservatory

Inside the Phipps Conservatory

Inside the national Aviary

You can see more pics from the trip here (night shots), here (Phipps Conservatory) and here (National Aviary).

July 18th Worldwide Photo Walk - Cumberland, MD

2009-07-19T12:13:00.005-07:00

On July 18th over 30,000 photographers worldwide took to the streets to capture some images. I hosted the group here in Cumberland, Maryland. We had a little over 20 walkers and we explored downtown Cumberland, looking for unique photo ops.

Here are a few of my favorites that I had taken:

Most of our group, at our pre-walk group shot.

Cumberland is full of large brick buildings

I liked how the vines framed the text

Again with the vines

We finished our walk at the Western Maryland Railroad Station

You can see all of my shots here and you can see shots from the rest of our group here.

On the set with NatGeo

2009-07-11T14:46:00.004-07:00

Earlier this week the National Geographic Channel was in town to film a WWII spy documentary. Several of the scenes were shot onboard the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad cars and around the station. Here are a few still photos from the shoot...

Somewhere out west??

Get your Chiton here...

That's her, that's the spy

July 4th fireworks

2009-07-05T05:22:00.003-07:00

Here are a few fireworks shots from Cumberland's 2009 fireworks show. These shots were taken from Constitution Park as the fireworks went off directly overhead. All pics are straight out of the camera, Bulb setting was used at f11.

North Branch of the C&O Canal

2009-06-21T18:00:00.003-07:00

Took a walk on the C&O Canal this morning along with a couple friends. There weren't a lot of critters out today (ha, just the three of us)....so I just focused on the scenery of the canal. It's such a beautiful place. Here are a few from the walk...

The lush green color along the towpath in June.

This spot might be worth another visit in a few days when this guy opens up.

On my drive home, I detoured out to Rocky Gap State Park & saw this red-winged blackbird sitting on a fence post.

Room 2020

2009-06-14T05:15:00.006-07:00

Are you afraid of the dark? If so, you should request Room 2020 at the Holiday Inn Express in Charles Town, WV. They generously provide you with the highest powered night light that I've ever seen.

The innocent looking nightlight by day

My room at 11pm with no absolutely no other lights on in the room.

The view from the bed. Sunrise already? Nope, still 11 pm. Grandpa, is that you?
There were no curtains to close, only the sheer white ones were adjustable. Those dark ones to the side are just decoration.

Further, if you're hungry while In Charles Town, you should get a Giant hoagie with the works from Jersey Mike's. Great stuff...

Here's the hoagie, with a 2 Litre soda for scale (um, and to wash it down).

Here's the aftermath...

This weekend - Mountain Heritage Festival in Harpers Ferry WV

2009-06-10T06:14:00.001-07:00

I hope to see you all there. The festival is this weekend, June 11-12-13, 10 am to 6 pm each day (except Sunday, show ends at 5 pm). I'll be bringing lots of new never-before-displayed work, including a bunch of new large canvas prints.

Remember, Father's Day is the following week...one stop shopping for your pop.

Here are the festival details - West Virginia Mountain Heritage Arts & Crafts Festival

Meadow Run Cascades at Ohiopyle State Park

2009-06-01T08:41:00.006-07:00

Hooray, I found a cool new place to photograph in the area, someplace that I had never been before. Big thanks to my friend & fellow photographer Jeannette Hunt for taking me there. Oddly enough, the cascades are down in a valley, but the trail to reach them seemed to be a steep uphill hike both ways. I'm not entirely sure how that's possible, but my legs are sore all the same.
Along with four other members of the WMPA, we left Cumberland at 5 am to get there before the sun hit the falls. Here are a few of my favorites from the shoot...

The cool thing about the Cascades are they're a series of mini waterfalls, so the photo opportunities seem endless

The only other people crazy enough to be up this early were fishermen

Eventually the sun came up, giving some nice color along the treetops

You can see more pics from the shoot and from Ohiopyle State Park here - The Cascades

Delfest 2009

2009-05-29T17:39:00.004-07:00

DelFest is bluegrass legend Del McCoury's annual music festival, held in Cumberland Maryland at the Allegany County Fairground. I was fortunate enough to have attended several days of the three day festival this year. Here are a few of my favorite photos from the event...

Sam Bush

Del McCoury

Ollabelle

The Darkstar Orchestra

DelFest - fun for all ages

To see more pics from the festival, click here - DelFest 2009

Del McCoury and the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad

2009-05-29T17:00:00.005-07:00

This past week I had an opportunity to ride along on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad with Del McCoury, his family and a couple hundred bluegrass fans. The Bluegrass Train was sponsored by WAMU Bluegrass Radio. During the layover in Frostburg, Del performed a few songs with Vinegar Creek Constituency. It was a great time. Here are a few photos from the event...

Katy Daley and the WAMU fans preparing to board the train in Cumberland

Del spends some time in the cab of #734

Del & his family in the open-air car as the train steams toward Frostburg

Performing with the Vinegar Creek Constituency at the Frostburg Depot.

You can see all of the pictures from the event here - Del McCoury and the WMSR

Chek out my friend Ty's fantastic video of the event - Ty's Bluegrass Train video

Delfest 2009 - The big storm

2009-05-26T15:38:00.007-07:00

Wow, while shooting the DelFest music festival this weekend I ended up in the middle of the craziest storm I had ever seen in Cumberland. Rain, wind, hail, rapidly changing temperatures, thunder & lightning....this storm had it all. When the hail & rain weren't coming in totally sideways, I managed to raise the camera to snap a few pics. Here are a few of them...

Trying to secure the beer tent

This was dry grass 15 minutes earlier

The aftermath the next day...all the trashed Ez-Up tents

The rest of the storm pics are here - DelFest hail storm

Here are some great stories from the storm - DelFest storm stories

..and finally, to experience just how bad it was, check out this video. Watch how quickly that Ez-Up tent gets trashed. Great American Taxi's Delfest 2009 set

Night at the Carnival

2009-05-22T07:17:00.007-07:00

I always enjoy when Gambill Amusements come to town. Not only are they the nicest people you'll ever meet, they put on a first rate carnival. It really turns Canal Place into the place to be. I plan to spend some more time down there this weekend, but here are a few shots from my Thursday night visit.

More shots from this year & from last year are HERE

For more information about Gambill Amusements

Western Maryland Scenic Railroad station at night

2009-05-06T11:13:00.004-07:00

One quick image...taken on a rainy / misty night.

"I'm boarding the express, wrapped snuggly in my mink to meet my lover Carlos...I have the money hidden in my garter, and when we meet we'll make our grand escape."

Text by my good friend Michelle O'Mealy

Phil Keoghan of the Amazing Race visits Frostburg & Cumberland

2009-05-04T13:15:00.014-07:00

In an event coordinated by the Allegany County Department of Tourism, Koehgan rode from Frostburg to Cumberland on the Great Allegheny Passage - Maryland as part of his "Ride Across America". The New Zealander also visited with fans at the Frostburg Trailhead and staged a video/photo session with the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad locomotive on his way to Hagerstown. Koeghan's trek was one of forty different 100 mile jaunts in a ride for MS which ends May 9th in New York City.

For more information or to support Phil's MS ride, click here.

To see more pictures from his Frostburg / Cumberland visit, click here.

Phil at the Frostburg portion of the Allegheny Highlands Trail

Phil reaches Cumberland

Phil approaching the Western Maryland steam engine #734

Phil and his father watch as the train pulls into the station

Phil taking #734 for a spin

It's steam season...

2009-05-02T16:22:00.004-07:00

Ok, now it's official, spring is here. Flowers are blooming, things are green again...and most importantly, steam engines are once again roaming free throughout the countryside.
Here are some shots from the first run of 2009 for the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad (WMSR).