Fabulous Fall Photo Spots Pt. 2

Washington County is home to 23 historic covered bridges – the second most of any county in the state. These lovingly and carefully maintained bridges often reside in some of the most gorgeous areas of the county and draw thousands of visitors each year during the annual EQT Washington and Greene Counties’ Covered Bridge Festival.

Our county’s bridges are also popular photo spots throughout the year, but the most during the fall when the red bridges stand out amongst yellow and orange leaves falling onto green grass or the waters of tranquil creeks.

Try visiting each of the bridges for a cool photo series; even if they may look similar, they are all unique in some way, so keep your eye out for the little details when capturing each one.

Photo tip: Get low to the ground and angle your camera so it’s almost looking up at the bridge. Consider taking a wider angle shot and adjusting your camera settings/focus to blur the background ever so slightly to emphasize the bridge even more. You can even try walking on the bridge and taking a photo through it for a cool framing shot.

Originally completed in 1877 as the Montour Railroad, a coal railroad that supplied local steel mills, this trail began its conversion and restoration in the 1990's. Through passionate community efforts, the Montour Trail is now 46 miles of multi-use, non-motorized trail used by bikers, hikers, walkers and runners from all over.

As you walk along the trail, you can catch scenic photos of the various bridges and tunnels along the trail, as well as vibrant trees and fallen leaves that help amplify the beauty of the trail.

Photo tip: Get creative with your angles here! Try getting very close to things of interest like leaves, the ground or interesting textures, like the bolts on a bridge or a brick in one of the tunnels. Use the trail as a guideline in your shots to make the foreground either smaller or larger to further create visual interest.

Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village is an active archaeological site that contains the oldest evidence of human inhabitation ever found in North America. This rocky overhang in Avella was used 19,000 years ago as shelter for some of the region’s first ever human inhabitants and makes for fantastic photos.

Meadowcroft is also home to a 19^th-century historic village, frontier trading post, prehistoric Indian village, and one of the county’s 23 covered bridges, all of which present unique photo opportunities if you’re looking to really capture the past during the fall season. The many trees and woods surrounding Meadowcroft make for a gorgeous background when capturing the schoolhouse, Rockshelter, Pine Creek Covered Bridge and more.

Photo tip: Focus on the details here, like the sparks flying off the live blacksmith’s hammer, the worn wood on the desks in the schoolhouse, an intricate arrowhead in the Indian village, or the fur in the trading post. Try to tell the story of Meadowcroft through your lens, which is about people of the past and the land they lived on. Always make sure to ask first if you are looking to take photos of staff members, though.

Downtown Washington is a city with a lot of history on its shoulders. The city is home to the origins of the Whiskey Rebellion, a secret stop on the Underground Railroad and, in more recent history, the Printscape PONY League World Series. Many buildings, like the Bradford House, the LeMoyne House and the Courthouse were built in 1788, 1812 and 1900 respectively, laying the foundation for the rest of the city and making great photo spots that really capture the essence of this historical city.

In addition to many other historical and more modern buildings, the city also features quite a few public art displays that make both a great scavenger hunt and great photo spots, especially during the fall season.

Photo tip: Grab a friend! Take some photos of them walking down the streets or looking up at a historical monument or piece of public art. Play around with lighting and perspective for more impact and to really emphasize the vibe of the downtown area.

Speaking of history, the Historic National Road is a big historical landmark and photo spot we haven’t talked about yet. The National Road (also called Route 40) was the first multi-state highway built with federal funds and the subject of the annual National Road Pike Days Festival. Built between 1811 and 1834, this highway stretches 600 miles and goes directly through Washington County in the Scenery Hill area. While the entire road is a great drive, it’s said the most scenic areas are on the Pennsylvania section of the road.

Photo tip: If you’re not so much into shooting nature or people, this area can be a great way to shoot some cars or other vehicles driving down the road. There are also historic obelisk markers every mile on the road that could be unique subjects for photos. Always be careful when taking photos near an active road!