Creative Flower and Insect Photography at Bondsville Mill Historic Park
In the early 1800s, Abraham Bond established Bondsville as a factory village. During the Civil War, the mill produced uniforms for Union soldiers. By 1927, the Collins & Aikman Corporation purchased the property and produced automobile upholstery cloth. During its heyday around World War II, the mill employed three shifts, largely producing canvas military ware for stretchers, tank and jeep covers, tents, haversacks, and water-pail buckets.
The township acquired the mill in 2005 using its own open-space funds and began cleaning up the property and securing collapsed buildings.
Future plans include the conversion of an old quarry and coal dump into an outdoor amphitheater for meetings and nature programs like ornitherapy (relaxing with birds).
A pollinator garden provides an opportunity to see or photograph butterflies. There’s also a certified monarch butterfly waystation where over 200 have been tagged and released annually for the past three years. Usually the first stop for new visitors, Bondsville’s Memorial Garden is dedicated to the WWII-era mill workers. The park also has a quarter-mile gravel nature trail that loops around the mill buildings and along Beaver Creek. A trail also leads to the water tower and a loop to the north of the property through old spruce, maple and oak forest. (info from their website)
This is such a fun place to visit and spend time photographing a huge variety of subjects. You can spend hours photographing the historic buildings from a variety of angles, while including the beautiful garden in the frames. There are a ton of pollinators that also kept you occupied for hours. Those interested in capturing unique images of historic buildings, beautiful gardens and the pollinators that visit them will love this workshop!
Instruction will be given on how to create depth in your images, by including great foreground, mid-ground and then background subjects. Instruction will also be given on creative flower portraits, macro flower and insect photography, dealing with harsh lighting, and more. We will cover everything you need to know on a pre-trek zoom session about a week before the event. Registration fee also covers a post-trek image review along with editing tips to help improve your images.
Join us for this new and unique workshop in Downingtown, PA.
Pre-registration required.
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Updated Terms & Conditions – Valerie A Hoffman Photography (March 2023)
As we live in our new ‘normal’, the following updated policies are being put in place to protect the health and wellbeing of all workshop attendees, as well as those who we will come in contact with during events.
That being said, here is what you need to know and comply with:
- Anyone who is sick with COVID like symptoms or has a fever over 100 degrees must not attend the event. Amount paid may be put towards a future workshop, or can be refunded in full if notice is given in advance. Suggest checking your temperature BEFORE leaving home. By registering for an event, you also agree to a touchless temperature check at the initial gathering for any workshop or trek.
- Face Masks are optional unless otherwise specified.
Cancellation Policy:
Two (2) weeks notice is required to receive a full refund. 75% refund of the Trek fee with only one (1) week notice. NO refund will be given if less than one (1) week notice is given for cancellation. Must call to cancel. We reserve the right to cancel the Trek at our discretion. Minimum number of participants is necessary to run event.