Just before the Thanksgiving Holiday I had the opportunity to travel to the east coast to visit family in Ohio and Washington D.C.

Trips like these always offer great excuses to spend time outdoors, either alone, or with family and friends, during some of the best times of the day for natural light photographs.

Paine Falls, Ohio

My trip began in Ohio where I spent a morning at Paine Falls in Leroy Township.

The falls is named after Colonel Hendrick Paine and his a family, who built a sawmill at this site in the mid-1800’s. All that remains of the sawmill is the waterfall that fueled it.

Potomac River, West Virginia

My next adventure took me to the Potomac River where I bathed in a brilliant morning sunrise, which cast a beautiful reflection along the glass-like river.

Pymatuning Lake, Pennsylvania

And then on the way back to Ohio I stopped at the quiet snow-swept Pyamatuning Lake. The state park that bears the lake’s name straddles the Ohio and Pennsylvania borders and is located near Youngstown, Ohio.

Pymatuning Lake is a popular swimming, boating, and fishing spot for area residents, but on this November evening even the heron attempted to escape the scene.