Rangefinder Magazine
April 2005

Rf Cookbook by Scott Mansfield
“1634”

I’m sure I looked a little strange walking around this little coastal New England cemetery at midnight with a large backpack and equally large tripod tucked under my arm. Not a soul seemed to be wandering about as I was, except for the four seemingly innocent skunks that decided to make their evening rounds in the one place that looked utterly amazing in an apparently deserted town.

The sign at the entrance was a dilapidated ceremonial plaque dedicated in 1934 for the 300th anniversary of the cemetery. That alone made me pause, but as I stood there, I started to see an image that had been in my mind for years. This small plot of land sitting by the ocean had several small hills with headstones jutting out at all angles. Some were crumbling and unreadable, others newer with textured wear. As I wandered into the cemetery the uniqueness of the light instantly became apparent. Surrounding this colonial cemetery were groves of hardwood trees. Behind these trees, streetlamps of all color temperatures poured light into the place, creating mysterious shadows and mischievous highlights. Some of the headstones were completely lost in shadow, while others lit up in wonderful greens and blues. The sky overhead was a mixed bag of subtly illuminated drifting white clouds, and the starry blackness of night.

I had my camera in my hand and had already set up my tripod without thinking. I set up slowly, methodically searching the angles and placing the shadows where I wanted them. I knew it was going to be a long exposure, so hurrying was not an issue. With my eye pressed against the viewfinder I saw it, the subject of the image, the thing that this whole scene was supporting: a simple colonial house lit by an unseen light. The house stood out quietly, and it was, in my West Coast eye, the New England I had envisioned all my life.

With my shutter open and locked, I figured I had about an hour or so to kill. There was nobody around, and I was tucked in a dark corner of the cemetery, so I figured the camera was safe. I turned to leave and walk a little more around town, and that’s when I saw the skunks, all four of them. Staring at me with beady little eyes illuminated by the magical streetlamps was the one small creature that makes any grown man stop dead in his tracks. They all stared directly at me. Not really sure what to do, I simply didn’t move. We stared at each other a few moments until they got bored and resumed their midnight feeding. Intrigued, I decided to stay in the cemetery for the length of the exposure, I mean, why not.
Photography is, for me, a solitary endeavor. With my camera in hand, I feel at home anyplace in this world. In New England my scene was being lit by dozens of mixed, modern streetlamps, but I felt as if I was transported back in time.

To see more, visit www.scottmansfield.com/.

INGREDIENTS
• Camera: Hasselblad 501
• Film: Kodak 160NC EI: 160
• Exposure: f/11 @ 1 hour, 15 min.
• Lens: 50mm
• Light: Streetlamps, moonlight