#30SIXpics Small Town Edition - Film Photography

I can’t say that I grew up in Medford, but coming from an even smaller small town near Medford, we went there for everything we needed.  Stewarts - not the root beer, the original Acme on the south side of 70, Lucky 7 for a special occasion treat, Binkley’s Five and Dime (which is somehow still there), Casabooms, Spotts Hardware.  My very first photography job was on Main Street, and then years later when I broke out on my own, I rented a space just five doors down.  Yep - Medford and I go way back.

I closed my office in 2015, and pretty much hadn’t headed over that way for quite some time.  And then suddenly, the world came to a grinding halt in the midst of a pandemic.  I stayed pretty close to home for a few weeks, but when that began to get monotonous, I thought about heading over to Medford Village for a walk through the park and the town.  My little dog and I had racked up TONS of walks through Medford town back when we spent time at my office.  It was definitely worth a re-explore.

Medford was a farming community created around 1847.  A neat little downtown Main Street was built to support the surrounding farmers and rural residents.  At one time, Main Street was lined with banks with massive vaults, grocery stores, butcher shops, a huge feed and grain store, colonial taverns, even a little train station.  If you take your time and look hard enough, you can find the remainders and reminders of all these things.  Off of Main Street, narrow side streets were laid out in tiny grids.  Walking around these back lanes you’ll find old wooden carriage sheds, colonial-style homes, and graveyards with amazingly old dates to remind you of the past.   Even a Sears House on Branch Street!

You will also find neatly groomed little yards, a quiet park following along a slow winding creek, a Main Street filling up with businesses and eateries, bright homes with beautiful porches, and lots of small town charm.

In short, Medford Village has loads of character for a #30SIXpics evening.  One camera, one lens, one roll of film.  No fire-at-will shooting.  Find your photos, take your time, enjoy the process of film photography.  I found all of these photos one spring evening walking around Medford, NJ with my Nikon F100.