Valley Forge

I grew up in the area around Valley Forge and, while I don’t make it to the area that often, I knew I’d be down there and planned to take some shots. In fact, this was an occasion when I had a clear vision of what I wanted to capture there. And, even more rare, the results exceeded my expectations.

I was assisted by the heavy air—not a dense fog, but enough of a filter to conjure some beautiful scenes.

Log Cabins

This was the one photo in my mind before coming to the park. The two log cabins. In reality, there is a road and telephone wires that pass in front of the nearby trees. I photoshopped them out to preserve the look I wanted from this shot.

Trees in the Fog

Surprised by the thick air, many of the old trees made great subjects today. The lower visibility demands black and white processing to give them that ghostly feel.

Maurice Stephens House

This house is on the parade grounds of Valley Forge. It does not date from Revolutionary times, but was built in 1816, and has an adjacent storehouse and formerly had a huge barn with a flock of sheep. This area was not parkland until well after the Revolution.