Sutfin House - panorama

The Sutfin House

It might be fair to say that I am somewhat fascinated by this house. I have shot it from every possible side, under many different conditions and many angles. I have sweeping panoramas, such as the lead image, and intimate details of the deteriorating siding. I even participated in a paranormal investigation a few years ago. The house has become quite run down and the front is now mostly covered in plywood, while a chain link fence has been erected to keep people out. It's a shame that they can't restore it, at least partially, like the Craig House not too far away. If you are interested in learning more about the house, check out a post I wrote last year - Hiking Through History: Monmouth Battlefield - Part IV; The Sutfin House. I also wrote Monmouth Battlefield and the Sutfin House, published on the anniversary of the Battle of Monmouth.

The Sutfin House - light sepia tone, 3 image panorama

When the plywood and fencing went up, I was very disappointed because I thought I had forever lost one of my favorite subjects. Recently I began hiking along the other side of the battlefield and discovered all new compositions that didn't show the plywood or fence. These are the images I am presenting today.

I am a big fan of black & white but haven't done a whole lot since my film days - I find the house to be the perfect subject for monochrome, especially when treated with some sepia or other toning. I'm not going to write too much about these images, most of what I have to say has already been said - I just want to share the images and, hopefully, inspire you to visit the house for yourself or find somewhere that inspires you and explore it to it's fullest.

The Sutfin House - black & white

This last image shows the local fire department beginning a "controlled burn" of the brush in the field. As I was hiking along the trail, I noticed the flashing lights on top of the trucks, then saw the men walking around close to the house. My heart sank - my first thought was that they were going to burn down the house. Happily, that was not the case but I did make sure to do some shooting - just in case.

The Start of a Controlled Burn

I hope you enjoyed these new images as much as I enjoyed shooting and sharing them. I'm sure this won't be the last post containing images of the house as I have many compositions still to explore. In the meantime, thank you for stopping by and please leave comments letting me know of your experiences at Monmouth Battlefield or where your "Sutfin House" is. I would love to hear from you.

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All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia
All Rights Reserved They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos, or order prints of anything you see here, you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com

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A Grasshopper's View - ground level photography

Ah yes, did you ever wonder what the world looks like to a grasshopper? No? Honestly, I never did either but I have a feeling the photos here come close to capturing the experience. Ground-level photography (for lack of a better phrase) is something that not a lot of us think about but maybe we should. When I started seriously exploring photography I didn’t think twice about laying in the dirt (or grass or sand or whatever) and doing whatever was necessary to get the shot. Today my first thought is – can I get back up? Well, I have made a decision to re-examine the world from ground-level whenever I can.

The Weeds

I visited a park one evening and was content just to sit and listen to the birds while the sun slowly set but, of course I still had my camera at the ready. I was looking around when a lone dandelion caught my eye with it’s big white head a stark contrast to the sea of green all around it. I thought about getting down and shooting it but as I got up from my chair I saw these weeds reaching up through the grass. I was drawn by the “glow” and thought the subject was worth exploring. I popped open the screen^*, set the camera to “Live View” and got down on one knee. Holding the camera about an inch or two from the ground I started shooting. I had the lens wide open (f/5.6) to minimize my depth of field and really throw the background out of focus. (For more on Depth of Field, refer to "Improve Your Photography: Depth of field – what it is and why you should care")

A View from Below

This shot is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. I don't remember the exact circumstances but a friend had posted on a social media site that they were feeling down - could someone cheer them up. My wife has a variety of flowers planted throughout our yard so I went out to see what I could find. I was only looking for a quick snapshot so I went out armed only with my smartphone. I love the colors of this flower but the light was a bit harsh and I couldn't get a good angle without my shadow so I decided to shoot up. This is a perfect example of what can be done with the lowly smartphone camera. I did get down on a knee for this but certainly didn't have to crawl around in the dirt.

Speaking of Dandelion

This tight shot of a dandelion was taken during a lunchtime walk and had decided to mount my old Canon 80-200mm f/4L on the DSLR. I have had this lens for about 30 years and still bring it out on occasion, even though manually focusing can be a bit of a chore these days. While I, thankfully, didn't have to lie on the ground to shoot this I did sit so that I could get closer to it's level and still have a steady base.

Spring is Here!

Few things say "Spring" to me than seeing the first daffodils poking throw the ground. I have groups of them throughout my yard and find myself shooting them year after year. This was a time I did lay in the dirt; there was no way around it. I will often go out every day (or every other) and shoot them from the very first time they break through to when they are in full bloom. I have had times when I shoot one day in glorious sunshine and the next I am laying in an inch or two of snow. This shot was taken after a brief period of rain. Plants and flowers are always a bit more photogenic with some water on them; don't you agree?

The Dock

I leave you with the most difficult image to shoot. I was hiking through Turkey Swamp Park after work one afternoon when I came across this scene. It was so tranquil and inviting - I immediately know it had to be a panorama and it had to be shot from ground-level. I was on the dock just a couple feet from the shoreline. I didn't have a tripod so I had my elbows on the dock, camera turned to portrait and started shooting. I didn't have my T3i with me, I was shooting a Nikon D60 which doesn't have the flip-out screen so I had the camera up to my eye. It was awkward but worth the trouble.

I hope I inspired you to get out and get down. Working at ground-level presents it's own set of challenges but I think the result is well worth the effort. What do you think? I'd love to hear your stories - leave a comment below.

^* - I own a Canon T3i which makes ground-level work easier than ever; the screen at the back of the camera swivels. This is great because I can hold the camera down low, tilt the screen, compose and shoot. This technique also makes it possible to take shots that would be very difficult, if not impossible, to shoot with the camera to your eye. Have you ever tried to shoot up at a dandelion? Not easy! Now, I still get down on the ground when I need to but it isn’t very often anymore.

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All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia All Rights Reserved They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com

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