Happy New Year!!!

From my family to yours, We wish you all a safe and happy 2009!!!

Reburn...

Hey everyone,

Hope your week is off to a good start. I'm off on vacation so I can't complain.

Today's photos come from a reburn at a garage fire. The initial alarm came in at 0138 for my department's rescue on the 1st alarm along with several other departments. Of course I slept right through it...Hey when you get to be close to Brad Myers's age and have been doing this for a long time...(Just kidding buddy)

We were assisting Lafayette Fire Company(my very 1st station). Initial reports were PD on the scene with a well involved two story detached garage. The garage housed five vintage autos, one being a "VW Thing". Never heard of that before.

I felt bad for the boys, talking with the chief at the reburn, It was one of those fires that Murphys Law likes to get involved with every once in awhile and this particular fire was chosen this morning. Anyone who has been in the fire service for a long time, has had at least one of those fires in their career. Several Dead Hydrants, only access was through the back lawn to the garage and a very tight alleyway.


Anyway, I was over on that side of town when I heard a mutual aid engine get dispatched to the scene non emergency to assist at the reburn. So I had the camera and took a swing over and shot some photos.

The first photo is of the Deputy Chief from Lafayette Fire Company on a handline.

The second photo is the aftermath of the garage. If you look close, you might be able to see the pickup truck in that pile.


The third photo is Engine 4-10-1 from the Witmer Fire Company

The fourth photo is Engine 6-3-2, a 1978 CF MACK(Greatest Fire Engine Ever Made) and was refurbished in 1993. That was my favorite engine to pump with, It can and still will run circles around any other engine that's built today.

The fifth and final photo is Engine 6-3-3 also from the Lafayette Fire Company as Engine 2 is as well. 2003 Pierce Quantum.

That is all for today, have a great day!!

Fire Apparatus...

Hey everyone,

Hope you had a great weekend. This is one from the archives. This is the front of Truck 5-7(Quarryville Fire Company) operating at a barn fire over the summer.

That is all I have for today..

Have a great day!

Woody

Philadeplphia Skyline...

Hey all,

Hope you had a great holiday!!

This will be brief as I am heading into work for some OT. This is a photo I shot back in August of the Philadelphia Skyline from Citizens Bank BallPark when I was there for a game. I have not had a chance to go out and shoot anything new yet..After today, I am on vacation so I hope to get out and photograph some stuff..


Have a great weekend!!

Woody

Merry Christmas again!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

I hope you all are having a great day today. I have to work for a few hours today but I hope it is quiet.

Today's post are of a photo I did in photoshop. Sometime ago, Brian Bastinelli had posted about the new ladder truck Harrisburg City received. Here is the link to it;

http://brianbastinelliphotography.blogspot.com/2008/12/step-in-right-direction.html

I really liked the post processing that he did and decided to challenge myself to see If I could come close to recreate it If I had the chance. Well, the other day I was out on a call and saw Roherstown's ladder truck and thought it was a good photo op so I shot the photo and spent about an hour in photoshop.

I've enclosed the before and after shot, so I hope Brian gets to see it and lets me know what he thinks. If any of you have any feedback, feel free to post it.

I hope you all have a great day and be safe with your families!!

Woody

Merry Christmas...

Hey everyone,

From my family to all of yours, I hope you have a safe and happy christmas!!

First Fire Call...

Hey Everyone..

Here's another photo from the firecall that Wyatt and I watched. We were standing on the sidewalk when he walked up, turned around and posed in front of the truck...

Hope you have a great week and can stay warm as it's freezing up here in PA...

Woody

Retired Trains...

Important Announcement, Please Read....

Hey Everyone,

I wanted to get this out to the blogger community for your assistance.

First, click here;

http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/231539

or copy and paste into your webbrowser.


Basically, this is the story of a little girl who is only 4 that has a rare and agressive form of a brain tumor. Unfortunatley, there is nothing else that can be done and she has been only given weeks to live.

The only thing she wants for christmas is cards so she can read them.

Tonight, multiple fire,ems and police agencies are meeting at a local hospital(large parking area) with apparatus and then are proceeding to a local school to meet her and her family and to give her cards that all the agencies have collected so far.

If you want to make her christmas a little brighter, her address is in the article and I am sure she would love to get more cards from people.

I know this time of year can be a little stressfull for people and people don't like how the economy is doing, they don't like there jobs, they can't stand the inlaws..etc..

But you know what, when you look at this little girl and what she has had to go through in just a short time being on this earth, life really is not all that bad is it??

Thanks for your help..

Woody

Towers first in again...

Hey everyone,

Wyatt and I were out doing errands when I heard PD get advised of a reported building fire and we were actually just less then 5 minutes away from where the call was at. So I asked Wyatt If he wanted to go see some fire trucks and he was all smiles, so away we went. The additional info was an odor of rubber burning inside the business. My former department, Roherstown Fire Company took it first in with the ladder truck.

Units cleared the incident after about 15 minutes.

Have a great week!!

Woody

More Christmas Decorations...

Tis the season...

Hey everyone,

Hope your having a good week. I think I was/am having the same week that some of my other fellow bloggers were having and that is not having anything to say at all with some of the photos. Today's photo was taken behind a local resort. My wife was in the mood for their chicken and waffles dinner(If you ever come to Lancaster, let me know and I'll hook you up with all the great places to eat and places to visit)

This is to the rear of their restaurant, where they have a walking path along a pond and a golf course. It's actually pretty nice, so I was kind looking at the area thinking about it and decided to shoot a few photos and this one I worked in photoshop for about 30 minutes.

One question I have for the experianced photographers. When you are shooting, do you prefer Jpeg or Raw?? I'm curious as to what everyone thinks, I've heard a couple different opinions and I'd like to hear yours..


Now, I am going to be trying something new with my photography. I have decided to try and sell some of my images on the side. I have thought long and hard about doing it and I decided to go for it. One of the reasons is I have gotten alot of good feedback from you folks since I have started this blog to which I appreciate it very much. I've also gotten my share of constructive criticism which I also appreciate because it has made me a better photographer. Now, If all the feedback I have received would have been, "you suck, throw your camera away..etc.etc." I would not even attempt to sell any of my images.

Is it a risk?? Absolutley, but life's not worth living unless you take a risk now and then right??

I have created a generic website. Here is the link; woody911.dotphoto.com, you can copy and paste it in your browser and I have also created a link to it under sites I like under Woody Woodward Photography. Please bear with me as I have just created it and as I get time, I will be adding images to it.

Let me know what you think..

Have a great week!!

Woody

Another Train...

5-12-4 hits the streets again...

Hey everyone,

Sorry I missed yesterday, so I decided to post today to get caught up. Once a year, Retired Engine 5-12-4, a ward lafrance comes out of retirement every year and takes Santa Claus on a special trip around the first due area to visit the kids and their families. I snapped a few photos before they departed the firehouse.

Hope your having a good weekend!!

Woody

Engine pumping at 1st due job...

Center City Lancaster...

Hey Everyone,

Hope your week is going good. These photos were taken right at the heart of Lancaster City in the historic area.

The first photo is of Central Market. I believe it's one of the oldest operating markets today.

The second photo is of the Solders and Sailors Monument. One of the more historic moments that I know of is John F Kennedy spoke in front of the monument giving a campaign speech and Lancaster was one of his stops in this area. The famed facade of the Watt and Shand building is in the background.


The third photo is of the controversial Lancaster Convention Center. It was held up in court for many years before it was finally cleared to start construction. They are now in the finishing stages and it is due to open I belive in March.

With the new things I learned from Brad Myers, I worked on these photos for about an hour applying what I learned in photoshop. I was pretty happy with the results..


Hope your week is going well!


Woody

Working on the railroad...

Hey Everyone,

Yep, more from the railroad. Hope your week is going well. I spent about an hour working on this in photoshop, trying some new things that I learned from my friend Brad. I can't even imagine how tough a job this is/was, even back in the day..

Stay Warm!! Hope for warmer weather soon...


Woody

Another attempt at making a photo appear aged..

Hey everyone,

Hope you had a great weekend. So I decided to attempt another shot at aging a photo and I would love for some feedback. At first glance, would you be able to tell that this is really just a model from the railroad museum with photoshop work or would you think it appears to be an actual photo??


I saw a photo that Brian Bastinelli did of a older style of fire apparatus. At first glance, I thought it was an actual rig, but I was then informed it was just a toy sitting in Brian's house.

I thought that was a really cool photo so I am trying to see If I can recreate that look, but trying something different...


Have a great week!!


Woody

Learning Experiance...

Hey Everyone,

While at the museum I shot alot of the photos manuel. I also shot some automatic. If you have ever been to the Railroad Museum, they have what I would consider, good natural lighting so I thought I would be ok shooting without having to use the flash. I started to shoot some photos and to be quite honest, I was not too happy with how some came out when I shot manuel, I thought I had my settings right on my camera but I have been known to be wrong before.

Here's an example of what I was talking about. The top photo was shot manuel and the 2nd photo was shot automatic with a flash. I don't think the first photo came out too well, I like the second photo because it brings out more of the details.

I did learn some things though about lighting and what works and what does not work while shooting in the museum.

Which photo do you guys think is better???


Have a great weekend!!

Woody

Get The Tracks Plowed...

Hey Everyone,

I know this is a SWF day, but I had absolutely nothing at all for prepared for today. So, I am going to show more of some of the trains that I photographed at the museum for today and hopefully, get back to SWF next week.

I thought this was the most unique train car I have ever seen. This was the first I ever knew they even had a train car like this back in the day.

You can click on the top photo to read more about the history of the car. The car was used mainly in Northern Pennsylvania and was known as the C&PA SnowPlow which was used on a 32 mile shortline track. It is believed that this snowplow is the oldest one in existence of it's kind.

Who says you can't learn something new everyday..

I hope your week is going well...


Woody

Pennsylvania 1223

Hey Everyone,

This was probably one of my favorite steam locomotives that is on display at the museum. This is the PA 1223. The locomotive was built in 1905 and was retired from active service in 1950. After retirement, The 1223 was leased to the Strasburg railroad from 1965 to 1989. This locomotive was also in the movie "Hello Dolly"

You can read more about the history by clicking on the top photo.

Hope your having a good week!

Woody

More from the museum...

Hey Everyone,

This will be brief as I have to get back into work early today. This is another shot from the train museum. I have not really had a whole lot of time to do any photoshop work to them. The only change I did to this one was I made it black and white.

For you train buffs, If you never have been to the museum. You really need to take a trip and experiance it, it is pretty cool.


Have a great day!!


Woody

Train Week...

Hey Everyone,

I hope you all had a good weekend. I had the pleasure of visiting my friends and fellow photographers, Brad Myers and Brian Bastinelli while they were protecting the Capital City on Friday night with Tower 2. Thanks again Brad for the photoshop class.


Today's photo is from a trip I took to the State Railroad Museum in Strasburg. When I took this photo, I thought of the past and how cool it would be If I could try and create an aged look with the photo to make the photo appear from a different time period. Well, I spent about an hour trying to do so till I got a look I was somewhat happy with. If you have any feedback, I would love to hear it..

I've also added the original photo for comparison

Have a great week!

Woody

Downtown Lancaster...

Hey everyone,


Hope your enjoying your Black Friday. Today's photos were taken just a few hours ago in Downtown Lancaster City. I decided to head into town and take a walk around the square and shoot some things.

The first one is on top of the Prince Street parking garage looking NW from the center of town. That section of the city is probably the nicest part of the whole city to live in.



Photo 2 is of the Greist Building, currently the tallest "High Rise" in the city. Nothing like what my Harrisburg friends are used to though. I think it's only 8 stories.



Photo 3 is of a streetcar that a group is displaying next to the city police station. Apparantly, some people think it would be a good idea to put tracks down through the city and run street cars/trolly's in the downtown to attract business to the new convention center that's been a big stink for the past 10 years but is now finally being built and almost finished.


I don't think a street car is a good idea. Mainly, because of the traffic volume in the city. The streets are tight enough to begin with. I'm sure that this group though consulted with the most important department in the city to get their input as we all know politicians and people who want to improve things do, and that department would be the Fire Department(Note the tone of sarcasm)


Ok, off my soapbox. I hope you all have a great weekend!!


Woody

Happy Thanksgiving...

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I hope you enjoy your day today. I won't be getting my dinner till sometime later as I have to work today, so no skywatch today.

These two photos were taken at Halloween. The first one Wyatt was posing with Lisa and then Wyatt charged me laughing. I was leaned back with the camera when I took this shot. The second one was out on our back deck and Wyatt was doing a superman pose, so I was actually laying down on the deck looking up at him. I think that photo came out well.

If some of you remember about my brother in law being over in Iraq. He is officially HOME from his tour. I am happy about that and thankfull. Wyatt and Lisa are down in Texas now, they left Monday morning. I was not able to get off work, so here I am. I miss them both, but they will be home in a few days. I can't wait...


Have a great day everyone!!

Last Barn Fire Picture...

Morning Everyone,

This will be the last day for the barn fire. This was shot after our Truck repositioned to get a better knock on the fire. I did a little cropping work to remove a tree that was in the photo just to the left. I was actually standing behind the tree and leaning against to take the photo as it got pretty hot with the radiant heat.

I hope you all have a great holiday!


Woody

More Barn Fire Pictures...

Good Morning Everyone,


I hope your week is going well so far. Here are more photos from the fire Saturday. The first few are of my department's ladder truck getting set up and ready to fly(Brad, the truck had first water on the fire) The other photo is of an engine crew protecting a silo that was an exposure and was about 20-25 feet from the fire building.

That is all I have for now, Have a great day!!

Fully Involved....

Hey everyone,

Yes I am back. It has been a little bit of a rough week, but things are starting to get back to normal.

Now for the photos;

These were taken this past Saturday. I was ready for work when I got the text page for the barn. I had a little time, but not a whole lot so I ran down with my camera. When I was heading down the highway, I could see black smoke pushing out of one end of the barn, my initial thought was that maybe the boys could get this. Well, I parked out of the way and walked up and well, what you see was the end result.

I shot about 100 images before I had to leave for work. Otherwise, I would have tried to shoot more manuel, but I did all these in auto due to time constraints.

The fire was ruled accidental due to a faulty wood stove. I will post some more of these later in the week worked up in photoshop and let you judge how they came out.

Again, sorry I was not around but I am going to start getting back in the swing of things..

Have a great week everyone!


Woody