Mt. Harmon Plantation in Earleville, Maryland, is an event I return to almost every year. This beautifully restored 18th-century colonial-era tobacco plantation features a stately Georgian manor house, formal gardens, a plantation kitchen, smokehouse, and replica slave quarters—all set on a scenic 200-acre waterfront nature preserve.

Although I live just outside Philadelphia, the drive is an easy and enjoyable 80-minute cruise through the countryside. On this visit, the weather couldn’t have been better—low 70s, sunny with a few clouds drifting by. It was the kind of mild day that makes you grateful to be outdoors.

Surprisingly, my best photos this time weren’t from the reenactment itself. The American and British camps were set up about 50 yards apart, with the British encamped closer to the mansion. Just beside the mansion sits the colonial kitchen, where I found the interpreter and meal preparer, a high school history teacher I’ve met before. He was outside working over his outdoor grill, adding a layer of authenticity to the scene.

This photo in particular stood out to me. The composition draws your eye along the walkway leading to the kitchen door, and through the open doorway, you can glimpse the interior. It’s a quiet, candid moment that captures both the setting and the spirit of the day.

At first, I assumed I’d need to dial the ISO (refers to the sensitivity of your camera's sensor to light) on my Nikon D500 up to 1200 to get enough light inside the kitchen. Surprisingly, I was able to shoot at just 125. The natural light was more generous than expected.

What caught my eye was the wall—an unmistakable example of 18th-century kitchen construction. Its rustic, utilitarian design features exposed wooden framing with vertical and diagonal beams, likely hand-hewn, lending the structure a sturdy yet simple character. Between the beams, horizontal wooden planks with chinking fill the gaps—a traditional technique used for insulation and sealing.

A wooden shelf runs across the middle section, displaying an assortment of period-appropriate items: a large ceramic storage jar, stoneware jugs and bottles, a woven basket, and a shallow bowl. On the lower right, a wooden bucket filled with utensils—possibly cooking tools or wooden spoons—adds to the sense of daily functionality.

Despite not using a tripod, I managed to capture the shot and later enhanced it using filters and adjustments in ON1 software. I like simple photos like this—quiet scenes that speak volumes.

As I stepped into the room on the second floor, a gaming table stood, flanked by a decorative storage box and a scattered deck of playing cards. The afternoon light streamed through the nearby window, casting a warm, golden glow across the scene. It was the kind of light photographers dream of—soft yet directional.

I chose my Nikon 50mm prime lens, setting the aperture to f/1.8 to embrace shallow depth of field. My focus centered on the ornate storage box. The cards behind it faded into a blur. The result was an intimate composition that captured a wistful mood.

Here are the American troops marching into battle (reenactment). I’ve captured many similar moments at other reenactments, but this one stood out. It was late in the day—around 3 p.m.—and the soft, warped light brought out the richness of the scene. What first caught my eye were the colorful leggings, vivid against the shaded backdrop. That contrast made the colors pop, adding a striking visual element to the solemn march.

Many photography books and blogs recommend cropping your photo in-camera to improve composition. Personally, I rarely do that—and I have two key reasons why.

First, at reenactments, the action is fast-paced and constantly shifting. There’s simply no time to compose and crop in-camera when everything is continually in motion. Second, I often don’t determine the most compelling elements of the photo until I review it later. This photo is a perfect example.

I was shooting from about 25 yards away as a long line of British troops advanced in a bayonet charge—visually dramatic, but not unusual. During post-processing, however, I noticed something striking: the alignment of the bayonets and the officer’s sword created a visual illusion, appearing as one continuous weapon. By cropping in tightly, I was able to emphasize that moment. The final image has far more impact than the original.

Click here for here for Mt Harmon 2025 Photo Gallery.

Thank you for reading! Blog #99 will be posted on November 15, 2025. Be safe & well!

Huzzah,

Ken Bohrer