Spring Sunrise Photograph at Bucks County’s Thompson-Neely House, Washington Crossing Historic Park

These days, there is no shortage of photographic equipment which one can purchase. One thing you won't find in any camera store is patience. About a week ago, I made several early morning photo stops, and my last one (at about 7:15 or 7:30 am) was the historic Thompson-Neely House, in the northern section of Washington Crossing Historic Park. I wanted to photograph the rising sun, through the trees and behind the house. The sun, however, was too high in the sky, and the trees were blowing a bit too much in the morning breeze. The next day, I went back to the same spot, about 45 minutes earlier. Patience (and persistence) paid off. At about 6:45 am, the sun was positioned just right, there was less breeze, and (as a bonus) this sheep posed just long enough for me to take three exposures, which I merged into this HDR (high dynamic range) photograph.

These days, the historic house has a quiet, peaceful feeling. However, in December of 1776, George Washington’s troops were encamped on the property prior to the famous crossing of the Delaware River, and the Battle of Trenton. The house was used as a field hospital at the time, and one of the officers who received treatment here was future president James Monroe.