Paul Glover, Photographer

Spooky Season in New England

Kelli and I are kind of nuts about Halloween and all things spooky, so naturally, a visit to Salem Massachusetts was on our bucket list.

Salem has an interesting and very dark history centered around the infamous Salem Witch Trials of 1692, in which over 200 townsfolk were accused of witchcraft, 30 found guilty based on hearsay and “spectral evidence”, 19 of whom were hanged with another pressed to death for refusing to enter a plea. At least 5 more died in the deplorable conditions in jail, and even after convictions were thrown out many found themselves stuck in jail anyway, unable to pay the debts they had racked up while imprisoned for crimes they did not commit.

This history was, perhaps understandably, buried for centuries. Salem became a prosperous port city in its own right for many years, as well as having some well-known residents (such as Nathaniel Hawthorne). It is also recognized as the official birthplace of the US National Guard.

Eventually, as Halloween became more popular in the US, some enterprising locals realized that particular, long-buried part of their history could be a way to draw in tourism.

Given the crowds typical in October, and the plethora of spooky/gothic/witchy stores and attractions along Essex Street and the surrounding area, it would seem they succeeded.

Throw in the original Hocus Pocus movie being set in (and largely filmed in/around) Salem, not to mention a story arc in the 1960s sitcom Bewitched which was also set and shot in the area, and it’s fair to say that kitschy witchy stuff is everywhere.

Interestingly, while we went there looking for the dark and spooky, we ultimately focused more on the actual history. It’s a little sad, if I’m being honest, that such a horrible and tragic series of events has been reduced to a cute Halloween sideshow. But the real history is plenty dark and twisted all by itself, and I believe that history should be given more respect than it sometimes gets.

Photo-Gear-Nerd Stuff

Photographically-speaking, I traveled light¹, bringing only the Lumix G9 (with battery grip) and 12-35/2.8 mk II zoom. The grip holds an extra battery but in the end I don’t think I ever needed a second; I find the camera startup from off to be fast enough to not be an issue so I tend to power down when the camera is hanging from my shoulder. If I can flick the switch to “on” as I pull the camera up and it’s ready to go by the time I’m framing a shot, that’s usually plenty fast for me. The grip is nice for handling on vertical shots, though.

I didn’t really feel like dealing with the logistics and cost of film for a trip which was not primarily about photography. Besides, using the G9 and working up its RAW files, I’m reminded that it does an excellent job of being a camera that just does it’s thing. I know the quirks of its DFD autofocus system and exposure latitude, have a good feel for where my limits are on higher ISOs, and am constantly amazed at just how much clean detail can be pulled back out of the shadows. It’s just a plain ol’ good camera, end of story.

If I had to change anything, I might have brought the 12-60/3.5-5.6 instead. It’s more or less the same size as the faster 12-35, trading off the constant f/2.8 for some extra reach which I could have used a couple of times instead of having to crop in post.

The Peabody Essex Museum

We started day 1 with a visit to the Peabody Essex Museum, which is almost the least spooky place you could visit. It is very much worth the time though. They did have a seasonal exhibit dedicated to the witch trials, which was easily the busiest part of the museum. They also had some very interesting art installations and artifacts.

The Hawthorne Hotel

We decided to stay at the Hawthorne Hotel, which dates to the 1920s and is reputedly haunted. Our overhead light occasionally dimming for a few seconds without our intervention hinted at something abnormal going on.

Breaking news: Bridget Bishop arrested on suspicion of WITCHERY!

The Old Town Hall hosts a regular interactive play, Cry Innocent, which dramatizes the arrest and initial hearings which led to Bridget Bishop’s trial and ultimate execution for witchcraft. Here we see Bridget being placed under arrest before being hauled into the hearing.

Street Performers

Essex Street has many buskers who voluntarily entertain the crowds and will pose for photos and selfies, of course. It’s good karma to tip these fine folks for their effort, so even if I was just grabbing a quick shot, I made sure I could throw a little into their tip jars.

Sadly we did not encounter the most famed of all, Borah Brewington Snaggletooth XIII, who usually is found near Count Orlocks on weekends. Since we weren’t there on the weekend, no dice.

I am not a street photographer, but…

…Salem definitely presents opportunities. Here’s just a selection of the things I saw, spooky and otherwise.

This well-dressed fellow was actually facing away from me as I raised the camera to my eye. As I composed the frame, his wife (who was somewhere behind me) called out to him and he turned. Probably a little surprised to be staring down the lens of a battery-gripped professional-looking camera rig. The inadvertent pose was just about perfect. Thank you, whoever you are!

My Usual Fare

I even found a few subjects which are more in my typical lane.