Fort Pickens - Comments please

[Ed Richards]

I have been shooting coastal defense forts when I get a chance. I have added a page on Fort Pickens, which is on West Pensacola Beach. Comments are welcome. I will be adding pages for other forts as I accumulate images.

http://www.epr-art.com/galleries/b5-Fort-Pickens/

http://www.epr-art.com/galleries/b5-Fort-Pickens/photos/1766.jpg

Please post your own forts here as well.

[papah]

Wonderful! Your gallery reminds me of some of the cathedral photographs of Fredrick Evans.

I have a gallery from Ft. Casey, in Washington State, called "Theatre of Fear", not shot in large format, but using a soft-focus lens:

http://hemingway.cs.washington.edu/portfolio/#/content/025-Fear/

[cdholden]

Ed,
If you should find yourself in Key West, pay a visit to Ft Zachary Taylor. If you have a day to spare, do the day trip to Ft Jefferson (Dry Tortugas National Park). If the weather and lighting is in your favor, it's a day to remember... and a good dose of Civil War era history.

Chris

[Donald Miller]

Very nice Ed...I like the body of work that Bruce has as well.

[Ed Richards]

Very nice Bruce! You could have passed those off as exotic alt process old camera stuff.:-)

Chris - I have seen Ft. Zachary Taylor but only had time for a couple of shots. I did not have time to get to Ft. Jefferson, but really want to. It is supposed to be the jewel of the coastal forts. QT has a wonderful color picture of it in Rangefinder.

[cdholden]

I've got some shots that managed to turn out ok the day I went. After coming home, I found my Bessa had a tear in the bellows. I got a few 35mm slides from outside, but most of the inner perimeter and views from the top were ruined. We're doing a family trip to Miami later in the year. I'm hoping to get a day or two away to recover/avenge my last photo accident.
Chris
p.s. It isn't just QT's slide. The water really is that beautiful if the weather and wind are calm.
They also allow snorkeling for those who aren't engulfed in putting their vision to film.

[darr]

Great project Ed!

I shot Fort Pickens many years ago and found it to be an interesting pile of bricks and water. ;) Your work is much better than what I took away from the fort!

Another Florida fort you need to shoot is Fort Clinch. Fort Clinch is located in Fernandina Beach, near Jacksonville. It is very accessible and one of the most well-preserved 19th century forts. Although no battles were fought there, it was garrisoned during both the Civil and Spanish-American wars. When I was there in 12/2008, it was during the week and there was no one there except maintenance workers painting the buildings and the gift shop cashier. I talked with a maintenance fella while I was "tripod shooting," and he said that it is normally that quiet during the week. I had my Nikon (my dog was in Jax for surgery and I was just passing time), so I'll bet your LF would fit wonderfully on the grounds and the park workers would enjoy seeing it. Definitely a place I want to go back to.

http://cameraartist.com/snaps/20081219_Fort_Clinch_004.jpg

http://cameraartist.com/snaps/20081219_Fort_Clinch_110.jpg

Fort Jefferson I visited a few years ago too. It is not that accessible IMO, as you need to go by boat via key West and when I was there, it was crowed with tourists and overnight campers. I lived at the time in Redland FL (West Homestead area) and I went on a Friday. The grounds were interesting because of the history and location, but I would think you need special permission to use a tripod. The fort is under water in places and you can snorkel up to its walls which I did and found to be so cool! :D Overall as a tourist attraction and history marvel, it was worth the trip, but for me, my ALPA or Nikon would work and I would leave my LF gear for a quieter place. Just my 2 cents!

Darr

[bbuszard]

These are all very nice, Ed. I've taken a couple of trips to the fort nearest me in Newport News, which is fort Monroe (of civil war fame; very important in the Peninsula Campaign). I've only shot 35mm there, though. You have me thinking I need to get out there with the big box.

One aspect of fort Pickens that fort Monroe shares is the long series of barrel vaults. They remind me of Roman architecture.

[Ed Richards]

Darr,

Nice shots and great tips. I will check out Fort Clinch. You give me pause about Fort Jefferson. Perhaps QT can tell us about tripod permissions. I have been experimenting with my D700 in the forts. It is much faster, but still takes a tripod - at least for the interior work. I will find out a lot more before I venture to Jefferson.

bbuszard,

The forts really reward LF. You are right about the barrel vaults and the Roman architecture. I had not thought about that. What really surprised me is that there is a arch on the bottom of each passage as well as the top. This strengthens the wall against cannon shot.

[cdholden]

Forts Jefferson and Zachary Taylor were both tripod friendly when I was there in late 2004.

Chris

[Joe O'Hara]

Ed,

An image from Fort Mott, on the Delaware River in NJ, built during the Spanish-American War. Apparently the guns, when present, were never fired in anger, although perhaps for fun from time to time.

I may post others from there as time permits. Lots of good material available, but visits to the site are not advisable during the mosquito season.

[Keith Fleming]

Ed,

Bravo on your Fort Pickens series!

For those who live in or visit the Northwest, I recommend Fort Worden State Park and Conference Center here in Port Townsend, Washington, on the north Olympic Peninsula. It and two smaller forts on nearby islands, all built after the Spanish-American War, guarded the entrance to Puget Sound. The building material for the massive gun positions was concrete, not brick, but the geometry provides some interesting shapes and shadows to photograph. These huge gun positions ring the top of Artillery Hill, and there are others at the base of the hill. The light house is photogenic too. Fort Worden was an active Army post until about 1954, and all the officers housing and barracks have been converted to vacation rentals, and there are spots for RV's down near the beach. It means your lodging will be within walking distance of your subjects. The downside is that the state parks require a permit for commercial photography, so a non-professional may have to tell the park rangers--all good, friendly people--that the photos will not be for commercial use. The best time to shoot is early morning--the light in summer will be great in the afternoon, but the on-shore wind is a factor to consider later in the day.

Keith Fleming





Keith Fleming

[William McEwen]

Nice work, Ed.

I spent a long morning in the early 1990s at Fort Pickens. Just a tourist, shooting less than a roll with the Rolleiflex.

I vowed to return there with a handful of portrait subjects!

A place where one could shoot forever.

[Mark Carstens]

Late to the party...very nice work just the same, Ed.

I especially like your interior shots in the Fort Pickens Gallery...even more than the Fort Barrancas interiors from your "Coastal Defense Forts" gallery...really inspiring.

~Mark

[Louie Powell]

I also enjoy photographing old fortifications. Some of my favorites include Fort Knox in Bucksport, ME, Fort Point in San Francisco, the various fortifications in Marin Headlands, and Fort Caroline in Fernandina Beach, FL.

It might be interesting to have a 'stickie' thread listing these fortifications, access considerations (Fort Ticongeroga does NOT allow tripods), and 'photographer's secrets' about the forts.

[Ed Richards]

Louie,

Interesting idea! It would nice to get a project going on forts so we help people interested in photographing them.

[cdholden]

I find it interesting that I now know of TWO Fort Knox locations.
The other is in Kentucky, housing our nation's gold plus some other odds and ends I'm sure we're not aware of.

[Ed Richards]

Yea, I would like to get a shot of the Ark of the Covenant. Isn't it in one of the Fort Knoxs?:-)

[Robert Hughes]

Yea, I would like to get a shot of the Ark of the Covenant. Isn't it in one of the Fort Knoxs?:-)
Here you go: 4th aisle on the left, about 12 feet up:
http://media3.picsearch.com/is?SuicPjEULhvWGgoc_tB58E7E3Ga-J3oKi9vvZiZKtps