Sometimes, you have to take pictures when you can. I hoped to spend the entire Saturday at the 2024 Pennypacker Mills encampment event in Montgomery County, in the eastern suburbs around Philly. That was my plan. It didn't work out that way, but I made the best of it.

First, I needed to take my oldest son to a Saturday class he has weekly. Luckily, the school is only about 15 miles from the encampment. It was not a good start when we left home late. I arrived about an hour later than I hoped. It was also a rainy day—no downpours, but just enough rain that I needed to cover my camera while walking around.

Here is one of the last photos of my day: a simple photo of the dragoons practicing in formation. They were in an open field near the parking area. No one else was around. I followed them around and took about 20 shots. Unbeknownst to me, I captured a flying bird in this shot. I don't remember that ever happening before.

But, shortly after, I needed to drive home because my toddler wasn't feeling well. I missed all the afternoon firing and maneuvering drill events. Ah well, photographing some is better than not at all!

Some information about this historic site.

"Pennypacker Mills is a well-documented historic site of what life was like in the early 1900s. With a unique original collection, the mansion is fully furnished with antiques collected and documented by former Pennsylvania Governor Samuel W. Pennypacker reflecting his interests in early Pennsylvania history, German and Dutch settlers, Native Americans, the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. The collection also includes Governor Pennypacker’s political (1903 - 1907), genealogical and personal papers."

The house, built in 1720, is in the colonial revival style. You may wonder if George Washington visited this home. Yes, he did! It was his headquarters before and after the Battle of Germantown in 1777.

Post-processing my photos afterward is the most fun for me. The picture on the left shows how my camera sees the image in RAW format, with no changes. But, if you shoot in JPEG format, the camera automatically makes corrections and adjustments. With the array of tools, sharpening, filters, and sliders in On1 software, I can completely metamorphose photos as I did to the one on the right.

This level of control empowers me to shape the image to align with my vision and artistic intent. The process is similar to the old black-and-white film days when we tweaked the print using tools to dodge and burn to manipulate the exposure of select areas. However, with the advent of today's technology, this process has blossomed into a whole new domain. The difference in the quality of the images' created today is truly remarkable!

On the house tour, I felt like I was in a museum or antique store. The house had many portraits, paintings, drawings, and other exciting objects displayed throughout. The preservation of this house is outstanding. So many other similar historic homes needed painting or had water damage, but not this one. When taking the tour, this kerosene lamp caught my attention.

Later, in post-processing, I wanted to create a nostalgic photo. My first thought was to convert it to B&W. Then, with filters and tools in On1 software, I made this look like a nostalgic B&W image with lots of film grain added. It was so much fun! 

You can always learn something new at reenactment/encampment events like this. Here, a Brewster was demonstrating the art of making beer. He's using a blow poke, from research learned that wasn't around in the 18th century, to stoke the fire. I took the photo just at the right time.

Thank you for reading! Blog #74 will be posted in August 2024.  Be safe & well!

Ken Bohrer