California Photo Scout

Chapel at Fort Ross

Discover one of California’s first State Parks.

Fort Ross State Historic Park is a reconstruction of the 1812 Russian Fort, erected to facilitate fur hunting and trade. The small fort is a reminder of early settlement and the hard life nearly two centuries ago. Also interesting is the clear separation between people of rank and status and people of lower decent who lived outside the fortified walls. The palisades, original cannons and reconstructed houses are fantastic subjects for an afternoon of photography along the pleasant California Coastal Highway 1.

The Fort itself is small, but the park encompasses some of the finest coastal landscape. You can even find an underwater park complete with a shipwreck to delight divers and underwater photographers. I will only speak for things you can see above the surface, since I do not possess the right underwater equipment. There are many things to see above the waterline at Fort Ross that will make your visit worthwhile, your stay pleasant and your portfolio burst with new images.

Come see the park now, you never know when State funds run out again.

How to get there

The park is located about 11 miles north of Jenner on Highway 1. If you plan to make the visit to the Fort a part of a drive along scenic Highway 1, you should consider the time it takes to drive here and the time the Fort closes to visitors (4pm).

GPS position

• N38 30.842 W123 14.616

How to photograph Fort Ross State Historic Park

Cannons at Fort Ross

Fort Ross requires patience. Most people have not much regard for photographers waiting and tend to tiptoe into your composition. If you shoot wide-angle compositions the problem gets aggravated by the fact that most people don’t even realize they are in your shot when trying to give you some room. For some compositions this can be beneficial, for others it’s not. I like to include people in some pictures, but they rarely assume a pose or position that helps the look of an image.

Most photographs of Fort Ross place one or two cannons in front of the church. It is clearly one of the strongest but also most familiar compositions. The shot at the beginning of the article uses the fence to lead to the church and then the bird. Both guard towers also provide a great perspective, giving you an elevated position above the fence. You can take some excellent photographs including the fence and the church. From inside the southwest guard tower you can also take a few framed shots of the cannons outside, looking through the east-side windows of the tower.

Another highlight is the Kuskov House near the west side of the fort. It is filled with an armory and a collection of items that were of value to the traders. Some excellent photographs are waiting for you to free them from the mess of the surrounding clutter.

Fort Ross SHP: Sandy Cove

As small as the Fort is, it offers innumerable compositions and who knows, you may even stumble upon a new one.

Sandy Cove outside the Fort gives you even more options to shoot new angles and round off your Fort Ross photography portfolio. I took this shot from the service road leading down to the beach. Follow this road and the path back up on the other side to get to the Russian cemetery on the other side. One final walk around the outside of the Fort will round off your visit.

Best Time of the Day and Best Season

During spring, you will find green grass and flowers outside the Fort. I also recommend to check the calendar for events such as the Cultural Heritage Day (last Saturday in July), when actors re-enact life at the Fort. This is a great opportunity for photographers.

Time required

It takes about 90 minutes and about 2 hours if you hike to the cemetery.

Equipment

• A superzoom lens is best. I ended up changing my lenses all the time and still missed the two eagles soaring right above my head (you can see one of them in the wide-angle shot at the top of the page).
• A wide-angle lens or fisheye lens can yield some great shots here
• A CP filter

Fees

The entrance fee is $8/car, which also includes all other state parks in the region for the day. You need to be careful to distinguish between state parks like Salt Point State Park (included) and regional parks like nearby Stillwater Cove County Park (not included).

Close Locations

• Salt Point State Park
• Jenner and Russian River
• Shell Beach and Goat Rock
• Cliffs North of Bodega Bay (Sonoma Coast)
• Bodega Dunes
• Bodega Bay and Bodega Head
• Bourns Landing and Collins Landing
• Bowling Ball Beach
• Point Arena Lighthouse
• Point Reyes Coastal Trail
• Tule Elk Reserve and Pierce Point Ranch
• Pt. Reyes Lighthouse and Chimney Rock

Useful Resources

• State Park Website
• Informative Site with Calendar of Events

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