It is always a privilege to share with my readers the prodigious photography of Ken Bohrer. This is his American Revolution Photos Recap 2022 that he published on his blog on January 1, 2023. A true talent behind the lens, Ken has spent decades attending countless reenactment events. As such, he has collected what I believe to be the finest and most comprehensive photo album of American Revolution reenactments hands down! To every gathering he brings his keen insight on how best to portray this living history. So too, his pictures display the warm and wonderful relationship he has with the incredible reenactors who invest so much in time and money to bring us these invaluable events. Without question, it is his vast knowledge of the period’s history that shows itself in stunning photojournalism that in themselves document a period of history that we all cherish as our founding legacy. Visit his website at American Revolution Photos and enjoy his treasury of outstanding photography.
American Revolution Photos-2022 Recap
This blog is to recap the reenactment events I attended in 2022. I was at five regular and one national. Regrettably, because of a flat tire the night before, I missed one of my annual favorites the, Battle of Monmouth. And was cancelled because of bad weather, the Battle of Germantown. What luck!! Here are my five favorite photos of the year.
For 2022, this is my top choice. Good photos tell a story, and this one does that. It’s from the 1777 Whitemarsh reenactment. Notice the reenactor on the right pondering. Everyone else is looking to the left, but he’s looking down, thinking of something. About what? Was it to decide on what type of wine for dinner? Or when is his upcoming dentist visit? That’s what makes this photo special. You don’t know.
This reenactor asked me to take his photo at the Assault on Ft Mercer event. One of my photo friends recommended me to him. I found a quiet secluded spot near some trees and took about ten shots in ten minutes. I decided to use my Nikon 50mm 1.8 lens. This lens blurs out the background. I knew later it needed to be converted to b&w in post-production. Here he resembles an 18th-century soldier, weathered and battle-scarred.
National events, such as the Battle of Brandywine, have many reenactors. It is impressive when they are in formation, especially the British soldiers. Yet it must have been frightening to watch in an actual battle. That’s the feeling I wanted to reproduce.
To make the British troop formation feel massive, I was on my stomach and held the camera as close to the ground as possible, shooting upwards. The image, with a gray sky, gives a sense of foreboding!
This photo is of Washington’s Life Guards at the Frye House at Washington’s Crossing. This photo shows the officers starting to gather to discuss strategy for crossing the Delaware River.
A reenactor spitting the paper from biting a cartridge while loading a musket is a photo I’ve been attempting to capture for years. When loading the musket, the cartridge black powder is first placed in the priming pan and the rest in the muzzle, followed by the ball and wadding. This photo of Noah “Ned Hector” Lewis, whom I had a blog interview about six months ago, shows that.
Thank you for reading!
Blog # 56 will be posted in February 2023. Be safe & well!
Ken Bohrer
