From selfies to
large-format landscapes, when you visit the picturesque sites in Kent County, you’ll want to keep your camera handy.
For the wilder side of nature, the Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge offers diverse habitats from woodlands to wetlands. Have the camera set on zoom or, better yet, armed with a telephoto lens while you roam the forests or wade the waters where deer, fox and migrating fowl are prevalent. Similar sights await at the Sassafras Natural Resource Management Area and neighboring Turner’s Creek. The Millington Wildlife Management Area likewise supports a variety of flora and fauna while also protecting endangered species. And, the Chesapeake Farms Wildlife Habitat offers a self-guided tour of their 3,300-acre facility dedicated to advancing agricultural and wildlife management practices. Be patient and let the animals settle in around you.
Pets get lots of love on social media, and parks are a great place to pose the pooch. So, bring your furry family member or visit the Chestertown Dog Park where loyal and obedient models are eager to please.
Change your camera settings from sepia and black-and-white because on the farm there’s a vibrancy of life that must be captured in color.
Along the Waterfront
Let’s face it, water is nature’s mirror
for the sun and when the two meet… well, it’s a match made in photographic
heaven. With Kent County’s 209 miles of shoreline, there are many locations on which to reflect. Crouch along the banks of rivers and creeks
to frame their rippled surface with reeds; stroll waterfront promenades, wharfs
and piers to catch a couple walking hand-in-hand or a youngster casting a line in hopes of the winning catch.
Wander the docks of numerous marinas throughout the county for stylish nautical shots. With direct access to the Chesapeake Bay Spring Cove Marina accommodates everything from large catamarans to smaller pleasure
craft, while Duffy Creek Marina on the Sassafras River offers a more secluded, wake-free environment. From modern yachts with coiled lines to
sea-worn pilings with seabirds sitting sentry, there’s no shortage of content.
For a truly majestic maritime vessel,
visit the S.V. SULTANA, a yellow-hulled reproduction of an 18th
century schooner, docked at the Chestertown waterfront. You’ll want to set your camera to the
video option as you set sail on one of their public tours.
If you covet those
offshore shots, but heeling under sail isn’t for you, step aboard the Chester River
Packet, a 65-foot, 1920s-style classic tour boat, which
also departs from the Chestertown waterfront. They offer half-hour
public cruises, dinner cruises (sunsets included), Sunday brunch cruises (don’t
forget to click at the champagne glasses), and even special charters.
Why not get in the water? Use a water-resistant camera or case, then hold your
breath for an underwater selfie at one of Kent County’s two public beaches.
The small, sandy beach at Rock Hall’s Ferry Park looks out onto the Chesapeake and, on a clear day, the
adjacent Baltimore skyline. A stone breakwater keeps the waves at bay making the
shallow swimming area ideal for experimenting with your camera. The park also offers
green grass, a gazebo and barbeque grills, so spend the day and catch the
magnificent sunset.
With long stretches
of sand, Betterton Beach is a great place to play with
perspective. Set up a trompe l’oeil
by carefully juxtaposing objects in the foreground with those in the distance. Or,
bury all but your face in the sand for a quirky, disembodied selfie. Visit the
fishing jetty, public pier and bay-view bluff for more picture-perfect spots.
In the Wilderness
For the wilder side of nature, the Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge offers diverse habitats from woodlands to wetlands. Have the camera set on zoom or, better yet, armed with a telephoto lens while you roam the forests or wade the waters where deer, fox and migrating fowl are prevalent. Similar sights await at the Sassafras Natural Resource Management Area and neighboring Turner’s Creek. The Millington Wildlife Management Area likewise supports a variety of flora and fauna while also protecting endangered species. And, the Chesapeake Farms Wildlife Habitat offers a self-guided tour of their 3,300-acre facility dedicated to advancing agricultural and wildlife management practices. Be patient and let the animals settle in around you.
Around Town
Pets get lots of love on social media, and parks are a great place to pose the pooch. So, bring your furry family member or visit the Chestertown Dog Park where loyal and obedient models are eager to please.
If only one could render
the pulpy scent of an old bookstore… at the Bookplate in downtown Chestertown, you can at least capture the look to conjure up the olfactory memory.
Signed first-editions and quality used books are only a sampling of the items
at this literary boutique. Whether beginning, middle or end, the Bookplate will
make a characteristic addition to your photographic story.
Established as a
port in 1706, Chestertown continues to represent early America with historic streets lined with quaint shops and colonial buildings.
Visit during Memorial Day weekend and join the revolution at the Chestertown Tea
Party Festival. Choose a side—Torie or Colonist—when you take a selfie with a
costumed re-enactor. And have the camera ready as they throw tea overboard the
SULTANA.
Step back to yet
another time at Durdings Store
in Rock
Hall and enjoy a treat at their circa-1925 soda fountain. Use a
black-and-white effect or sepia-toned filter to maintain the vintage look,
though a colorful, dripping ice-cream cone can also provoke a certain
nostalgia.
On the Farm
Change your camera settings from sepia and black-and-white because on the farm there’s a vibrancy of life that must be captured in color.
Slip
on your “wellies” at the bucolic Lockbriar
Farms
for you-pick fruits and vegetables fun. Zoom in for a close-up of plump berries
and heirloom tomatoes—unlike some subjects they won’t mind the angle. Afterward,
enjoy the fruits of your labor with their small batch, hand-made ice cream.
Few
images are more elegant than a glass of wine or more romantic than rows of
grapes on the trellised slopes of a vineyard. The family-operated Crow Vineyard & Farm cultivates a variety of grapes to
produce their award-wining wines while also raising grass-fed angus cattle,
soy, corn and other farm animals. Stay at their bed-and-breakfast and you’ll
have plenty of time to roam their 365-acres as you create your own winning
compositions.
Other
area farms offer access by appointment. Consider
the Lapp Family Farm’s 48 acres of cows, sheep and goats plus a family bakery
offering breads, pastries and cookies. Or, get up close and personal with
Percheron horses at Fellowship Farm.
Continue
the pastoral motif at area farmers markets or visit in July to enjoy the Kent County
Fair.
Pro Tips
- Know your
camera and its tricks
- Wake early and stay out late for best lighting and to avoid crowds
- Schedule photo time in the itinerary
- Have patience; wander slowly; stop, look and listen; embrace serendipity
- Engage people to elicit reactions; always ask permission
- Balance people within their environment
- Thoughtfully place people in landscapes to conjure a story
- Consider the history and purpose of monuments and building; shoot with that vibe in mind
- Click often
- Wake early and stay out late for best lighting and to avoid crowds
- Schedule photo time in the itinerary
- Have patience; wander slowly; stop, look and listen; embrace serendipity
- Engage people to elicit reactions; always ask permission
- Balance people within their environment
- Thoughtfully place people in landscapes to conjure a story
- Consider the history and purpose of monuments and building; shoot with that vibe in mind
- Click often
For selfies:
- Hold camera to the side and slightly above you
- Tuck chin and tilt head slightly
- Extend your head away from your neck
- Relax your mouth and exhale before you snap
- Spin to find the best light
- Outdoors? Position the sun directly behind your head
- It doesn’t have to be your face
- Work it, baby
- Hold camera to the side and slightly above you
- Tuck chin and tilt head slightly
- Extend your head away from your neck
- Relax your mouth and exhale before you snap
- Spin to find the best light
- Outdoors? Position the sun directly behind your head
- It doesn’t have to be your face
- Work it, baby
They say, “A picture speaks a thousand
words.” So, when you post your Kent County images on the various social media
sites, be prepared for the comments, the likes and the loves to start adding
up. Plan your journey through photogenic Kent County today!
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