Fifteen years ago... / "Ice, Kissed by Fire" Photo Spotlight

Greetings friends. Well, if you live along the Northeastern I-95 corridor or coastal New England, you just got absolutely crushed earlier this week!!! ❄️🌬️☃️ Further inland here, the magnitude of the storm was not nearly as intense. Here in Central/Northeast PA, we got anywhere from a dusting to maybe 3 inches in various places, maybe a little more in higher elevation, but boy did I enjoy watching the Weather Channel’s coverage of what was happening along the coast! Holy smokes! It’s been a bit since I can recall a Nor’Easter of that magnitude, especially some of the footage I saw from Massachusetts and Rhode Island (37.9 inches) - the coastal tide, the wind, the blizzard conditions, just wow!!! 🤯 I hope this finds you all safe!

I’m just writing a quickie here today because I wanted to share this thought and memory I had while I was shoveling this past Monday, February 23rd. (And also to give you a heads up for a post I plan on sharing late next week/weekend that I don’t want you to miss!) I’ll touch on that a little more again at the end of this, but back to February 23rd…

The date hit me fairly quickly as for some reason or another it has always stuck out in my mind as one I can recall off the top of my head. And then I got to thinking - boy, that was 2011, this is 2026. Fifteen years ago on this date! It doesn’t seem possible in some ways, and yet in others it feels like a lifetime ago. And in many ways, it was.

I had just recently transitioned from shooting 35mm film to working in medium-format with the Mamiya RB67 the previous Autumn. And I can vividly recall after processing this roll of 120 film how stoked I was over this image! I might also note, this is a year and two months before I would embark on my first backpacking adventure and before owning any sort of “real hiking gear.” It’s an oldie but a goodie, and I’m still proud to share with it you…

“Ice, Kissed by Fire” - Rothrock State Forest, PA (Along the Mid-State Trail)

Photographed February 23rd, 2011

Mamiya RB67 w/ 90mm lens (Normal)

F32 for 3 Seconds

Professional Fuji Velvia 50

“We had recently received a few snow, followed by ice, storms this particular Winter which left the deciduous forests of the mountains around me a magical icy wonderland. When I left my house at the foot of Pine Grove (Tussey) Mountain about an hour and a half before dawn that morning, the temperature read 0 degrees. The mile plus hike on the mountain top was invigorating to say the least! As I got set to await the Sun’s greeting, winds were whipping hard, making it feel like well into the negatives I’m sure.

But, the moment that giant fireball peaked over the horizon and lit the icy branches in front of me aglow, I felt nothing but its beautiful warmth. That ‘warm glow’ lasted only a few seconds, but wow!”

I told you it was a quickie! (For my standards anyway, lol!) I hope you enjoyed. This image isn’t yet linked up in my website store, but if you feel an undeniable attraction to it, just shoot me a line and let me know. I’ll be happy to help you out!

Ok, so I’ve mentioned a couple times now that I have some really cool news to share and show proof of now… Not only is it pretty cool, but I can also link a couple things to it that make it quite the opposite of a quickie, lol! And so I feel a weekend time post(s) will be best suited so that if you do enjoy reading these, you can kick back with a cup of coffee or tea ☕️ or perhaps a glass of bourbon or scotch 🥃😂 and enjoy! Unless you hear differently for some reason beforehand, I’m planning on Friday March 6th & Saturday March 7th to drop these…

Aside from this, I have another idea or two I want to put out there for you in the coming weeks. I have been able to get out and hike a little bit of late and I’m hoping for maybe another good outing during the cold and potentially snowy blast possible early this coming week. I’d like to compile some of my favorite images and my writings of this Winter to share with you as an Ode to this Season before the Spring Equinox hits and I’ll at least begin thinking in that direction…

In the meantime, be well friends, and be on the lookout next Friday/Saturday!😉

All my best,

Brandon

Greetings of the (kind of) New Year / “Sweet Serenity” Photo Spotlight & Special Offer

Greetings of the still somewhat relatively New Year my friends! You see, I started working on this roughly 3 weeks ago now, (and have consequently had to edit it several times, lol!) But, as it is my first post of 2026, I will hold on to that greeting. After all it is simultaneously only AND yet somehow already mid-February! 🤯 Originally, I had wanted to get this out to you all to enjoy during Winter Storm Fern 3 weekends ago but, alas, here we are. (And check me out not crumbling into silence for the next year over it!).

At any rate, I hope this finds you all safe, warm, and well. And I hope that it also finds you enjoying the comforts, coziness, peace and silence of deep Winter.

If you haven’t picked up on the fact that I’m pretty weather obsessed by now, well yeah I’ve got some issues.😂 And so, I am well aware that you folks out West, especially in the Rocky Mountains, have not been having even remotely what you would hope for in terms of your Winter weather and snowpack. (Although now you finally do have a huge system about to pummel the Sierras & Cascades and finally move into the interior Rockies this weekend!!! ❄️☃️🏂⛷️) And though I sincerely do feel for you, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I am stoked over the Winter we have been having here in the Northeast!!! If only all the places that want and NEED snow could consistently get it every Winter!

It has been quite some time since we’ve seen Old Man Winter grace us with this consistency of snowfall and duration of Arctic cold in Pennsylvania, and I’m feeling pretty darn nostalgic over it! In fact, throughout the region I call home, we got absolutely dumped on by Winter Storm Fern there in late January! With anywhere from a foot to 18+ inches and the Arctic sub-freezing air holding sway, all that beautiful powder has just been hanging out. And talk about Winter Wonderland, wow is it glorious out there!!!😍❄️🌕🥶

As I had a feeling it was going to be, this storm was the biggest since Stella that I’ve been a part of since getting out on the Art Festival Circuit and subsequently getting involved in Landscaping and Snow Removal work in 2016/2017. I clocked about 25 hours of snow removal over the 2 days ensuing Fern continuing on Northeastward. And although quite a workout for sure, it honestly felt really good!

Unfortunately and very regretfully, due to several life factors, I have not gotten out to play in all this snow too much yet. My daily walks with our dogs have been sustaining me somewhat though. And although we are facing a warm up now for a handful of days, bahhhhh!!!, it looks like we should be getting cold with some more chances of snow later in the month. (And there is still March to come as well!) So, I am hopeful to get a good snowshoe and/or micro spike hike/backpack or two in before this Winter is said and done with!

With any luck I will have some excitement to share on that end in the coming weeks…

Speaking of excitement to share - be on the lookout in the near future for something amazingly cool that I lucked into becoming a part of and can now finally show visual proof and confirmation of!😉

But for now, let me leave you with this wonderful Winter memory, and a special offer exclusive to you email/blog subscribers…

“Sweet Serenity” - Shingletown Gap, Rothrock State Forest, PA

“This little slice of Winter bliss dates back to March 2017. If you recall, Winter Storm Stella, a Nor’Easter that pummeled much of, well the Northeast. Some of you may know, while others may not - but since I embarked on the journey to chase my artistic dreams in July of 2016, I have also filled in the seasonal gaps by doing Landscape and Snow Removal work. Not only does this allow me to continue to “play” outside, but I find the physicality of it, much like backpacking, to be extremely satisfying.

Why do I mention this? Well, this Winter of 2017 was when I got myself into this “side work” by getting involved in snow removal with a local landscaping company. Although it can be frustrating when I would love to just be “out there” hiking and enjoying, the Winter income is necessary. And honestly, I do love being out in the storms and feeling a part of it all, pushing one’s limits and reaping the rewards.

On this occasion, however, as Stella was hitting our area in the wee hours of the night and continuing through the next day, I was allotted a little time to myself that morning doing what I love in the midst of a Winter Storm, rather than simply enjoying the aftermath. So, for a peaceful few hours I hiked, (rather trudged!), blissfully through about a foot of snow in an area known as Shingletown Gap in the Tussey Mountain region near the little town of Pine Grove Mills, where I had lived.

I have always found this little neck of the woods, resplendent with Hemlock and Rhododendron tunnels surrounding a babbling brook, to be a Winter haven. I could try and write a million more words describing the scene, but I think you can perfectly see how sweetly serene is the calm and quiet of this snow falling down in the forest. And there is nothing else, there needs be nothing else in this moment of peace.

I would shortly after, go on to meet my comrades for roughly 24 hours of snow removal and drifting/ice cleanup for the next 3 days. But all the while, I had this time and this vision of “Sweet Serenity” drifting through my mind.”

I hope you enjoy the magic of this moment as much as I do. And if so, here’s what I’d like to offer you for a limited time - I have had this framed piece on hand for several years now, and I’d like to try and move this (and a few others you might see popping up over the next couple of months) to make way for some new pieces.

The specs on this framed piece - a 20x24 Fuji Crystal Archive Lustre print (Limited Edition #1/450) originated on Fuji Velvia 4x5 sheet Film, double matted in 6-ply White Crescent Conservation Board and 4-ply Crescent Forest Green Suede, finished with TruVue Museum Glass and one of my Custom Curly Maple Frames w/ color burned in using Aquafortis (30x36 frame opening, roughly 36x42 outer dimensions). As I said, I’ve had it for a few years and there are some minor dings/wear on the frame, but maybe just a little more character if you ask me!

The price tag on it has been $1,500. I’m offering strictly to you email subscribers 20% off at $1,200. Six percent PA Sales tax would also apply, so $1,272 total after tax. Shipping or delivery and subsequent charges would depend on location and any potential timing factors. This will all be discussed.

So, you love the photo but not in the market for this large piece? I get it! I also have these on hand which could be shipped out as early as next Tuesday (February 17th) -

1 - 16x20 print in 8-ply Black Crescent Conservation Board - $250

1 - 11x14 print in 6-ply White Crescent Conservation Board - $85

2 - 11x14 prints loose - $75

(6% PA Sales tax + shipping will also apply)

And any size loose print also available at a few clicks of a button in my website store! Click here

Just reach out to me via phone or email to let me know if I can help you out with this piece or print(s), or anything at all! I’d love to see it go to a loving home. And as I’ve displayed below, it makes for a wonderful Holiday Season and/or Winter companion! (Or a year round display of your love for Winter and to help cool the blistering heat of Summer!)

From a few Christmas Eve’s ago

View w/ good natural light and outdoor/Winter ambience

Close up view with natural light and Winter ambience

I look forward to perhaps hearing from one or more of you, and as always, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your time and support! Enjoy your (hopefully) long holiday weekend.

I’m excited to be connecting with you again, excited for what I have to share coming up, and excited for what this trip around the Sun might hold!…

All of my best,

Brandon

The Spring of Genius

“Let us love Winter, for it is the Spring of genius.” - Pietro Aretino

Ever since I first read this quote on a box of Celestial Seasonings tea, I have reveled in how clever I find the thought of it. And if you do ponder it, one might find how true it is. I do, anyways - for it is both the end and the true beginning of Nature’s cycle. The life and health of many living things depend on good precipitation and snowpack as well as a long cold dormancy to rest and be able to spring back into a life filled with abundancy when the time comes. I have found that for myself, it is the time when I allow myself to rest without guilt and also the time when I can reset, rejuvenate my thoughts and creative ideas. And of course, hopefully get out and play in that beautiful snow a bit! (Which is also a great way to keep one in shape - think “Summer bodies are made in the Winter” - there really is no better way to prepare for extremes and physical challenges like getting out in the Winter playground!). And so, in this sense, my Winter is a chance to form the genius that bursts me back into life come Spring.

That being said, among the many thoughts of “genius” I have this Winter is the idea of fulfilling a goal I have had for several years - to accomplish backpacking in every calendar month of the year. I spent a few years accumulating the gear I felt necessary to be able to at least begin to overnight in the Winter, most of it taking advantage of end of season sales. Then last year(2021), I felt the time had come to give it a go. We ended up having several ample snowstorms hit my neck of the woods from late January through late February and I took full advantage getting out twice in February and once in early March. As I sit here still today, it went very well and I LOVED it! It brings me back to the joy of being a kid again on an adventure filled snow day :-) It also left me with only January and December yet to achieve backpacking in.

On Christmas morning, one of the gifts Anna, my fiancé (yes that is new news in my life that I will elaborate on in a later post!) had for me was a book by Norwegian writer, Torbjørn Ekelund titled A Year in the Woods. In a nutshell, he goes on one self-described “micro-adventure” each month of the year. That does it, I thought - “this is going to be the year that I make that happen as well! I hope for some months to have either multiple outings and/or an extended adventure, but at the very least I can get out for one night each calendar month of 2022.” I hope, or should I say one of my many hopes during this experience will be to gain a closer understanding of both the dramatic and the subtle shifts in Nature as the days, weeks and months go by. I expect it to broaden what I glimpsed in 2018 while hiking the same trail during every calendar month of that year. So far, I am 2 for 2, having just returned from an outing the past two days. But I will share more on February later. I want to start at the beginning and highlight my January adventure now. Please enjoy, excerpted from the pages of my journal…

January 27th and 28th - Loyalsock State Forest

“Sipping my coffee in the grand snowy silence at my ridgeline campsite above Ketchum Run. Last night was cold and dark, perhaps and most probably the coldest night I have spent in the woods, quite fitting for January! I stayed relatively cozy though bundled up in my sleeping bags (yes bags!), a candle in the snow for ambience, and for dinner some warm and comforting chicken and dumplings washed down with a fine porter and some sips of bourbon.

I awoke today pleasantly surprised by a light dusting of snow on my tent and snow gently falling through the Hemlock forest around me! I guess that Nor’Easter pushed a little further West after all :-) I have just been quietly sitting here in the snow, just being in this Winter forest, so silent, frozen and at peace…

Shelter for a night and a day - January 2022

Hiking in yesterday, I learned within minutes, and with joy as there is much more snow up here in the mountains than in the valley at home, this was going to be a snow shoe adventure, not a micro-spike hike. And so an immediate pause was in order to re-equip. ‘Ok, now we’re having fun’ I thought as I meandered my way through the snow-draped, frozen forest. All stream crossings were tentative but successful steps across the snow laden ice that all but completely deafened that sound of the water flow underneath, only barely exposed in small gaps here and there. In fact, the quiet - aside from the crunch and sloosh of my snow shoes and sound of my breath - was all that could be heard.

And so it was that ever so peacefully I decided roughly 2.5-3 miles in that a certain patch of towering Hemlocks on a ridge resting above several frozen features of water flow clutched to the cliffs along Ketchum Run was going to be my home for the night.

Well into nightfall as I sat cozy in my camp chair and sleeping bags, I noticed the faint twinkling of stars in the forecasted cloudy night sky. The speckling in the Hemlock canopy openings was a welcome surprise but no doubt allowed the temperatures to plummet a bit more into the teens than expected. But it also accentuated the dark of night. Cold and Dark - January - yes, perfection!

So quiet, I just let my mind drift into the oblivion of night. Every now and then a faint hoot or howl would break the silence - owls, coyotes perhaps. Such beautiful darkness. Eventually the cold would let me know it was time to get bundled up inside the tent.

When I woke this morning, peering at the weird shadows on top of the tent, a little tap of my finger would reveal with giddy delight that it had snowed! In fact, it was snowing!!! And it would continue throughout the day. And even better, it was so delicate, a dry, powdery snow (thanks to the cold) that I can just sit here in the open air of the forest, wrapped in my bags enjoying it without getting or feeling wet.

My cozy little nook off of Loyalsock Trail - January 2022

And so there I sat indeed with my biscuits and gravy with sausage crumbles and hot coffee, breathing in every breath of that clean, pure, piney air for as long as I could until I knew it was time I must move. I applauded myself for realizing this was a moment to be savored for as long as possible, to forego other hiking possibilities this day and just be in this moment - the calm silence, the falling of the fresh snow, the smell of the pine, the barred owl calling ‘who cooks for you? who cooks for you all?!’

Forest view at my campsite - January 2022

Everything cloaked in new snow.

Once I was able to pull myself to my feet, get packed and get moving, I enjoyed more moments frozen in time. Frozen waterfalls that is. I knew this is what I wanted to photograph - a scene I actually came first to know last March and now presented again, but more dramatically on this excursion. Along the cliffside rising above this stretch of Ketchum Run is an ice blue frozen cascade, and this time heavily draped in snow - a scene of pure Winter majesty.

Freshly dusted forest and a frozen over waterfall under there! - January 2022

Frozen wall and fresh snow along Ketchum Run - January 2022

After capturing my moment in time I would more diligently get to the snow shoeing out, and just in proper time as the temperatures would plummet well into single digits and sub-zero windchills come nightfall. And now I was a bit wet from sweat and the constant grazing of my enormous pack against the hanging boughs of Hemlocks dropping their snow down over me and slowly but surely adding weight to my beast of a satchel. I do not have the proper gear yet for sub-zero’s!

Alas, I safely got out of the chill and back to warmth, a great January adventure under toe!”

All my best until next time,

Brandon

P.S. - Since I never posted any, here’s a few extra gems from my time out there last Winter!…

Alan Seeger Natural Area - February 2021

Frozen Fir forest - February 2021

Encased in ice - February 2021