Life of a Small Town Photographer: Two Forms of Theatre

Welcome to the new look of Life of a Small Town Photographer. We updated the layout because it gives us the liberty to make changes to the design as we progress. The black background allows the photographs to pop on the page. Let us know what you think.

We start this week's blog by going back in history about 230 years. Over the past weekend, Fort Roberdeau in Blair County, PA, held it's annual Revolutionary War Days. Fort Roberdeau is located in Sinking Valley, Blair County, PA and holds programs almost year around.

We like to arrive at these events early in the day, before the rest of the tourists. That way, we can get photographs that portray the re-enactors on their own.

By using both a sepia filter and muted colors, I tried to make these photographs more like they might have been done if there were cameras around during the late 1700s. Hindsight being everything, I would have been better off doing this presentation as paintings which would have been more fitting for the time period.

Encampment outside of the Fort walls. We were there early in the morning, so many of the re-enactors were having their breakfast.

When cooking over an open flame with dutch ovens, supper has to be started early in the morning so it's ready for the final meal of the day.

A militiaman cleans his long rifle preparing it for use at a moment's notice.

Tory soldiers march off on their way to church.

Company drummer setting the cadence for church call.

Tory Regimental officer calling the heathens to church one final time before the services begin.

Fort Roberdeau black smith shop. My last visit to the fort, when I was out touring on my motorcycle, was included in the post for 26 September 2007.

Revolutionary woman.

Making bread pudding on an open hearth. Altogether this process takes about four hours.

The paymaster for the Regiment prepares to distribute the pay.

Militia men prepare to hoist the colors prior to the paymaster distribution of the pay.

The Colonial Army officer awaits the pay for himself and his men from the pay master.

The military and militia await their pay. Notice the separation between the regular troops and the militia which consisted of the local farmers and frontiersmen.

The next three shots are portraits of some of the local farmers, trappers, and frontiersmen.

Re-enactors come from across Pennsylvania to take part in this encampment.

The 42nd Regiment of the Royal Highlanders. The flag on the left are the colors of King George III and the colors on the right are those of the 42nd Royal Highlanders.

As far as I know, I'm the only photographer that showed up in Westover to cover the Lewis and Clark Circus for any of the newspapers or the tv. Granted, this isn't the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus, but still, when was the last time you saw any kind of circus in your town. I really had plans to go over to Westover to see the whole process of setting up, performing and then tearing down again, but the weather on Saturday was the pits. This delayed our visit to Roberdeau to Sunday so I only got to shoot about two hours on Monday afternoon.

It's 3 o'clock Monday afternoon, 13 July 2009, and the circus is just starting to come alive in preparation for the 5 o'clock show.