Time Travel

Fulfilled a life-long ambition today to photograph a Civil War encampment which was staged at Century Village in Burton. This was the perfect setting because most of the buildings pre-date the Civil War which adds greatly to the sense of historic atmosphere. From the moment I entered the gate, I was enveloped with all sorts of people in period costume, not just soldiers but civilians, women and children. It was a multi-sensory experience as I could hear the sound of muskets and cannons. I could smell the burning wood from a multitude of campfires. There were hundreds of period-correct white canvas tends, all neatly aligned as was the custom back in the day. I simulated battle was taking place upon my arrival, staged between opposing groups of renactors portraying Union and Confederate troops. There were multiple cannons being fired, creating thunderous booms and emitting dense smoke. I photographed some of this, but spent most of my time speaking with and photographing people individually. I wandered about the encampment searching for interesting faces and particularly people who looked like time travelers. There were many people who were simply in costume, but otherwise looked just like everyday people. But now and again I would encounter someone who truly looked like they came from the 1860s. One of my specialities is time regression, the aging of contemporary photographs to make them appear old. And this was the perfect venue to capture raw material. The reenactors with whom I shared these photos were very pleased. I'll start off here with some full color 'reality' shots. Then I'll present a few time regressions for comparison.

Some of the portraits were simply too beautiful for time regression. Posed these Union Army reenactors in front of a historic flag and used a hand held flash as a fill light.

Found this beautiful Union Belle taking shade from the sun in an apple orchard.

Had this couple pose in front of the old flag. Had to wait for the wind to catch the cloth and unfurl the flag.

This guy looked like he had just walked off of a Hollywood film set!

The noise from the cannons was incredibly loud, and there were multiple guns present for the event.

The old buildings at Century Village formed a perfect backdrop for these photos.

This guy caught my eye from 50 feet away. He looked right out of an old Matthew Brady photo. He agreed to pose and this is the time-regression of his portrait.

Another character straight out of 1865. People were generally very cooperative with me as I took these photos. I try to keep these session very brief so that they look spontaneous. Generally it's no more than three or four minutes start to finish.

These guys portrayed officers of the Union Army. Found them sitting beneath a shade tree and the pose seemed consistent with what you might find in a historic photo.

This woman wore a hooped dress that seemed absurdly large by modern standards. I wondered how women got about back in the 19th century wearing these things. I asked her to step out from beneath the tent so I could get a full length view.

Another reenactor in the uniform of a Union Army officer poses in front of the Hitchcock House on the grounds of Century Village.

This guy caught my eye; the bowler hat and pipe seemed to work well for him.

One of my favorite portraits of the day was this dear lady. She wore a black dress and the bonnet was the perfect touch. Found her sitting quietly beneath a tent near the end of the day.