Tag: Princeton Battlefield State Park

Mercer White Oak, Princeton Battlefield Park

Mercer White Oak was a historic tree at Princeton Battlefield Park that stood tall amidst the park's rolling hills and lush fields. The tree was named after General Hugh Mercer, who died from wounds he received at the Battle of Princeton during the American Revolution. The tree became a symbol of the battle and a testament to the bravery of the American soldiers who fought there. The tree was one of the largest and oldest white oaks in the state of New Jersey, with a massive trunk and sprawling branches that provided shade for visitors to the park. The Mercer White Oak was not only a natural landmark but also a crucial part of the park's rich history, serving as a reminder of the sacrifices made during the American Revolution.

The Mercer White Oak tree was about 300 years old when strong winds ripped it apart in March 2000. Soon after the tree's death, an arborist planted an 8-foot sapling from a Mercer Oak acorn inside the former tree's stump. That fenced-in young oak tree is the one that is seen in Princeton Battlefield Park today.

On this misty, foggy day, the tree takes on an ethereal quality, shrouded in a mysterious veil of white. The fog seems to wrap around the trunk and branches of the tree, adding to its already stately presence.

This is one of several frames from one of the four cartridges of Kosmo Foto Agent Shadow 400 35mm film I bought last year. The film was developed in Tennessee at Boutique Film Labs and scanned at home using an Epson Perfection V600 and VueScan software. The negatives were converted as part of my workflow using Negative Lab Pro.

Putting my best foot forward

Best Food Forward

I get the attention deficit thing. I discovered that listening to music on my phone and wireless headphones can help me focus my mind. But wearing headphones means being unaware of my surroundings in situations where sight and sound are essential.

One thing that frustrates me about where I love is that I see these beautiful scenes on my way to and from the office or while driving around town, but the narrow-one-lane-no-shoulder country roads don't allow for stopping, and we don't have any sidewalks here either. It can be a strange site for other motorists to watch a car slow down and stop briefly while the driver rolls down the window and stick out a DSLR camera and lens. It works when traffic is light only.

Princeton Battlefield State Park, Princeton, New Jersey
"Princeton Battlefield State Park in the Fog" — 29 October 2014 — Apple iPhone 6 + iPhone 6 back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 @ f/2.2, ISO 800

Sometimes I get lucky, and the scene unfolds before me, traffic is light, and the road has a shoulder. But still, there is no time to pull out a DSLR, set up a tripod, compose the shot, set camera settings etc. Sometimes, there is just enough time for a grab-shot photo on the iPhone. It's the best I can do at that moment.

"View from The High Line, Manhattan, New York" — 28 September 2014 — Apple iPhone 6 + iPhone 6 back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 @ 1/10000s at ISO 32

Being without my Nikon1 has forced me to use my iPhone 7. The camera on the iPhone 7 is much better than the camera on my previous iPhones. But I am less happy with recent images taken with the iPhone 7 and less willing to use it in general. But by using a DSLR for most of the pictures I captured over the last few years, I seem to have forgotten how to compose and think through capturing images with the iPhone. Looking back through my catalogue over the last few years, I have many old iPhone images of which I am proud.

Beach, Sunset, Rodanthe, Pier, North Carolina
"Rodanthe Beach, Outer Banks, North Carolina" — 3 September 2015 — Apple iPhone 6 + iPhone 6 back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 @ the 60s at ISO 32

Why am I so stuck now? Why am I not even trying? Why am I struggling to put my "best foot forward"? Have I become one who thinks one can only capture a good photo on expensive high-end equipment. I hope not!!

Self Portrait, Carnegie Lake, Princeton, New Jersey
"Self Portrait, Carnegie Lake, Princeton, New Jersey" — 5 November 2015 — Apple iPhone 6 + iPhone 6 back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 @ f/2.2, ISO 32

For the last few weeks, while driving along Mapleton Road on the border between Plainsboro and Princeton Township, I have observed the beautiful morning sun that illuminates the expensive homes on the western side of Carnegie Lake. There is no place to stop and take a photo. But I am determined, and perhaps tomorrow I will arise before dawn, drive to the southern end of Mapleton Road, park my car at the entrance to the Delaware and Raritan Canal Park Trail, and walk the trail, with the tripod and iPhone 7, north toward that area. I expect the walk will be pretty cold.

Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve, Princeton, New Jersey
"Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve, Princeton, New Jersey" — 31 October 2015 — Apple iPhone 6 + iPhone 6 back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 @ f/2.2, ISO 32
  1. Dropped! Broken! ↩

History

Tuesday Photo Challenge – History (Dutch goes the Photo!)

What I’d like you to do in this challenge is to share a bit of your personal view of history in your image(s) and post. History has a lot of meaning for many of us, and certain parts of history may resonate more with us than others. It will be fun to see what parts of history we bring together this week, as a globally diverse group of Earthlings! (yes, I’m assuming that we’re all from this planet.

Created by photographer Frank Jansen, the Tuesday Photo Challenge is a weekly theme-based challenge for photographers of all kinds to share both new and old photography.

Tuesday Photo Challenge – History (Dutch goes the Photo!)

What I’d like you to do in this challenge is to share a bit of your personal view of history in your image(s) and post. History has a lot of meaning for many of us, and certain parts of history may resonate more with us than others. It will be fun to see what parts of history we bring together this week, as a globally diverse group of Earthlings! (yes, I’m assuming that we’re all from this planet.

The word history derives originally from Ancient Greek (historía), meaning inquiry or knowledge from inquiry. However, the word enters middle-English as meaning "story" in general and by the mid-fifteenth century had morphed into the current definition: the branch of knowledge that deals with past events.

Ok. Wow! With the previous themes, I have sometimes struggled to find things to photograph that matched the theme. But not for this one. For this weeks’ theme, I was overwhelmed with choice.

I live in one of the most historical areas of the USA. The towns of New Jersey are all in some way or another involved in the War of Independence with Great Britain at the start of the American Revolution.

History, Princeton, Princeton Battlefield Park, Colonnade
Colonnade and Memorial Grove, Princeton Battlefield Park | Tuesday 8 November, 2016 | Nikon D5100 | Tokina AT-X 116 PRO DX II 11-16mm F2.8

I live on the Somerset County1 border with Mercer2 County, just a few miles from Princeton Battlefield Park where General George Washington, our first President, and his Continental Army fought the British on their campaign to recapture New York.

Princeton Battlefield Park., Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey.
Re-enactment of Battle of Princeton | Saturday 27 May, 2017 | Nikon D5100 | AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

A standoff ensued until Washington routed the British forces to the south [of Princeton]. With their main force now in retreat, most of the British troops in Princeton also fled. Still, a few did take up positions in Princeton University’s Nassau Hall for a time until flushed out by Continental Army forces.George Washington’s Mount Vernon

History, Nassau Hall, Princeton, Princeton University
Nassau Hall, Princeton University | Thursday 31 March, 2016 | Nikon D5100 | AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8

In Kingston lies the re-constructed house, Rockingham (Judge John Berrien House), which served as Gen. George Washington's final military headquarters and where he wrote his Farewell Address to the Armies of the United States in 1783.

History, Rockingham, Kingston
Rockingham, Kingston | Sunday 9 July, 2017 | Nikon D5100 | AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

A little further away is the aptly named Pennsylvanian town of Washington Crossing, where George Washington on a very wintry Christmas Day in 1776, with horses, guns, wagons, and soldiers, crossed the Delaware River and marched ten miles south. They arrived in Trenton, New Jersey the next day and fought and defeated Hessians mercenaries.

Where must we go …we who wander this Wasteland in search of our better selves?The First History Man from the move Mad Max

Created by photographer Frank Jansen, the Tuesday Photo Challenge is a weekly theme-based challenge for photographers of all kinds to share both new and old photography.

  1. Somerset County is named for the English county of Somerset ↩
  2. Mercer County is named for Continental Army Brigadier General Hugh Mercer. ↩