On Independence Day, I spent the morning and afternoon at Battlefield State Park in Princeton, New Jersey. The Princeton Battlefield Preservation Society presented a partial reenactment of the Battle of Princeton, a turning point for General Washington’s troops and Patriots during the Revolutionary War. The day was filled with a variety of demonstrations rather than an outright reenactment.
I decided to bring my Mamiya RZ67 Professional II camera to the event. While most spectators had digital cameras, my older medium format film camera seemed more appropriate. This camera — or any camera — is just as anachronistic as a digital camera, but it was fun to focus on a more manual process in this environment.
This manual process made the day fraught with frustrations for me. I would require a tripod to get the best shots, but carrying my tripod in addition to the camera from one spot to another was a pain. With so many spectators, I wouldn’t be able to get a good shot of the demonstrations without setting up in front of people who were there with their families to enjoy the day’s festivities. As a result, I ended up facing the backs of the subjects.
After giving up on the tripod, I tried holding the camera steady, which proved to be difficult with the cannon demonstration. The best timing would be right as the cannon fired, but each time, the noise startled me. I jumped, and had a difficult time holding the camera steady for the right moment. A small digital camera would have come in handy.
The film was developed by Taylor Photo in Princeton, New Jersey, and scanned at home with an Epson Perfection V700. Continue reading to see a few of the photographs, or see more by visiting this set on Flickr.