Antiquity Project // The Hall of Springs
Spa State Park, Saratoga Springs, New York
Large Format Image
This is the latest image in my Antiquity Project series—a large format photograph of the Hall of Springs in Saratoga Springs, New York. This ongoing series documents historic and iconic locations throughout the Capital Region using traditional photographic techniques and compositional aesthetics that reflect the craftsmanship of the past.
Photographers of the late 1800s approached their work with a methodical eye, carefully composing each frame with an understanding of light, shadow, and spatial depth. They embraced long exposures, allowing time itself to etch details into their glass plates and film. Every photograph was an act of patience, requiring deliberate framing and an understanding of how architecture interacts with its environment. These techniques shaped how we remember the past—through grand, atmospheric images that conveyed a sense of permanence and place.
That same philosophy guided my capture of the Hall of Springs, a structure built in 1935 as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s vision for Saratoga Spa State Park. Designed to reflect the neoclassical elegance of the Roosevelt and Lincoln Bathhouses, the Hall of Springs was once the grand entrance to the park’s legendary mineral baths, where visitors came to “take the waters” for their reputed healing properties. With its sweeping colonnade and soaring windows, the Hall has since evolved into a premier event space, but its grandeur remains unchanged. A reminder of Saratoga Springs's storied past.
Shot on large format film with a long exposure, this image captures the Hall of Springs in the way photographers of the past might have seen it—not just as a building, but as a living piece of history, where light and time converge.
You can view the entire Antiquity Project here.
© 2025 John Bulmer Photography, John Bulmer Media, and Nor'easter Films
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www.bulmerphotography.com
www.johnbulmermedia.com
www.noreasterfilms.com
All Rights Reserved
