150 Years Later: Rediscovering Fort Clinch

Just today, we had the opportunity to shoot another signature Fernandina event for the Amelia Island Tourist Development Council. This time, we visited Fort Clinch – a Civil War era fort that 150 years ago today, was occupied by union troops (and remained in union custody until the conclusion of the war). On the first weekend of every month, you’ll find more than your average tourist walking around these ancient ground. In fact, you’ll be surrounded by troops, doctors, shop keepers, and a slew of other folk straight out of 1862.

Along with a large contingent of other guests, we spent the morning with these dedicated folks, learning much about life in the 19th century. From the joy of dental work (the patient had to use a foot pedal to power the drill), to soldier life in the south before vaccines, to live cannon firing demonstrations (below), the morning was certainly a treat!

Being a history buff myself, this trip was especially enjoyable for me. Inspired by the day, I decided to do a little extra work on several of the photos to give them a period feel (above and below). To do this I created vignetting on the sides, added a progressive blur toward the outsides, and did a slight textured overlay to make it all come together. I thought the finished product turned out well.

Also – neat fact. As you may know, i grew up in NH. While talking with one of the park rangers, come to discover that the granite used in the construction of the fort is no other than NH rock! Pretty cool stuff. Anyway, here are several of our favorite photos from the day – as always, downloadable as HD desktop wallpaper. Enjoy!