place to shoot

[sean yoon]

Hi,
I just started shooting large format. I did some practice in my balcony, and I am trying find some places near by to try out more. I live in New Jersey, and I cannot really think of places that i can go.(I am not much a traveling person) So, does anyone of you guys who lives in New Jersey or New York recommand me a place? It does not reall have to be in New Jersey or NewYork, but within 1-2 hours of drive will be fine.

Thanks alot

Sean

[John Kasaian]

Sean,

I'm not from your part of the world, but I've always found the winter seashore appealing---deserted beaches, boarded up tourist concessions, that sort of stuff. Do you have anything like that in New Jersey?

[Terence McDonagh]

I'm in Hoboken. There's millions of places really. The Jersey City and Hoboken waterfronts are mostly parks now with views of Manhattan. Downtown Manhattan on a weekend is empty enough to make tripod use mostly hassle free. Central Park (set up the tripod OFF the paths).

Harriman State Park just over the border in NY from northern NJ.

Asbury Park fits Mr Kasaian's description. Sandy Hook. Great Falls. Any of the NJ highlands state parks with reservoirs up on the NY border. Landscapes are good for learning tilts and trying to get foreground and distance into focus at the same time.

Most of the older NJ towns have picturesque old town centers, just go before stores open on Sunday mornings. You can learn a lot about rises and swing movements on the camera with building facades.

Personally, I like to photograph the old cemeteries in NJ. Pick up the NJ Gazetteer book of maps at a book store and they typically show all the cemeteries. The real small ones tend to be the oldest. Old and tilted tombstones offer endless possibilites for working with camera movements.

I've even shot in downtown Newark, but I don't recommend that. Around the Catholic Cathedral is safe enough though.

[paulr]

Sean, what are you interested in? what do you like to look at? what do you walk past every day that might be worth exploring?

[Hiro]

Sean,

I assume it is not your first camera? Where did you go with a camera on weekends in your pre-LF life? Local parks, beaches, lakes, woods, downtown...? They may not sound exciting but are as good a place as any to start. The slow pace of LF could let you find something new in old scenes.

[ronald moravec]

I photograph near Landenberg, Pa. when I visit my daughter. It is near the Pa, De. Ma corner.

There are several places with old ruins form the 1700`s, White Clay Creek which is really a small river and goes thru public access forest, and horse farms galore. People are friendly and I have never been hassled unlike my home town.

Details by private E-mail.

[darr]

Hi Sean:

I grew up for a time in South Jersey and when I travel back, I like to visit Batsto Village (http://www.batstovillage.org/) in the Southern Pinelands. Batsto is known for its historical significance (c.1766) and beauty. The structures are superbly intact complete with authentic furnishings from the Revolutionary War era. The grounds are quiet, full of pine trees and the Mullica River runs through there adding the opportunity for some beautiful scenic shots. There is an original Gristmill, General Store and one of the first Post offices the U.S. built. I have found the stables and blacksmith shops a great place to find some shots as well. When I have gone back to shoot, I have always found it quiet and scarce of people. Two years ago we took our then 15 year-old son, and since he has grown up entirely in the Atlanta and Miami areas, he was fascinated with the whole place. From your neck of the turnpike it may be about two hours away. Hope you get to visit there sometime!

[Walt Calahan]

I grew up in Bound Brook and Flemington, NJ.

There are tons of place to photograph.

Where exactly in NJ do you live?

You say you don't like to travel, so why not walk out your door and photograph the neighborhood?

If you're near a PATH train, zip into NYC and shoot.

If you have a car, go to Sandy Hook or High Point State Park, or the little towns on the Delaware River from Lambertville north. Great B&Bs in the Delaware Valley. Great restaurants and coffee shops and antique stores in Lamberville, Frenchtown, etc.

As Darr suggested, Batsto Village is wonderful, as well as the rest of the Pine Barrens.

Try to find Hacklebarney State Park on your map and go there. Most people in NJ have never heard of Hacklebarney. http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/hackle.html

From there you can explore Long Valley (good brew pub up there).

Get out and see the Garden State!

Geez, I've got to visit my home state soon. I miss it. HA!

[Pete Watkins]

I'm in the U.K. so I can't recommend locations for you but I would suggest that you try to photograph locally while you are learning. This way if you like a picture but feel that you could make an improved negative you don't have to travel miles to re-photograph the location. Its worked for me. PETE.

[adrian tyler]

andre kertesz did beautiful photographs of cristal objects inside his house, and some of his memorable photographs are out of his window. a large format camera and house with all it's angles and objects can be a great place to shoot and learn, add to that a box of polaroid film and you'r off!

[Brian Ellis]

I second Darr's recommendation of Batsto Village. I don't live in New Jersey but Jim Rhoades originally suggested it to me for when I visited relatives in Moorestown and I've now been there three times. It's less than an hour from Moorestown. It's a great place for old, weathered but not decrepit, architecturally interesting buildings. I've gone on weekdays in the fall or winter and usually been almost the only person there. If you go to my website www.ellisgalleries.com and look in the Architecture gallery you'll see a couple photographs made there. The last time I was there it was fall and the leaves were turning, one of the few times I've wished I used color film.

[Steven Barall]

If you want picturesque areas in Jersey get tourist info off the internet. I think that's as good a way as any to get started. It's fun to be a tourist in your own area.

[Emrehan Zeybekoglu]

Parks, train stations, railroad tracks, abadoned buildings, industrial facilities, cemetaries, decaying structures, fire hydrants, wharves.......

[Jerry Flynn]

Not to encourage imitation, but as something to look at as a New Jersey native would be the book Urban Landscapes by George Tice. All photographs were taken in New Jersey with an 8X10 view camera.

[Michael Graves]

Go back in time mentally and pretend you're Wright Morris. That was a man who found interesting photographic material whereever his feet landed him. When I grow up, I want to be just like Wright. That's assuming I ever grow up.

[sean yoon]

Thank you so much guys,
This is first time dealing with LF, and I've been using 35mm for 2 years. I would love to travel, but I just did not have many chances to go out to parks and so on. i wanted to try some landscapes.
Anyway,
I did not know there are so many places to shoot! I guess everything's there for me in my town, and around my house :)
Like you guys said, i am going to start to shoot and do more pratices in my town.

Always best,
Sean