Walnford House

Historic Walnford House

New Jersey Photography Hot Spot

HISTORIC WALNFORD HOUSE, FREEHOLD N.J.

Ranger Station: 609-259-5794 – Walnford House: 609-859-6275

Escape to the remote countryside and discover a vibrant piece of history. This hidden gem is both fascinating and eerie, as locals believe it may be haunted. Our friend Helen took us on a journey to this little-known location, which we fondly called “Helen’s Mill” for quite some time.

The mill’s striking blue color makes for stunning photographs, especially with fall foliage as a backdrop. The surrounding buildings also provide great photo opportunities. You can tour inside when they are open or take a guided tour to learn about the mill and its wetlands.

Be sure to position yourself for captivating reflections on the water’s surface and use a polarizing filter for added depth in your photos. If you venture inside, don’t forget your tripod for architectural shots. This spot doesn’t attract many visitors, but checking their event calendar is always a good idea.

There isn’t much else around here, but you can explore the back roads in search of old barns or horses to complement this location. Alternatively, you can make a pit stop here on your way to another popular photography destination in Monmouth County.

IS THE WALFORD HOUSE HAUNTED?

Our previous visit to this location was far from perfect. Our camera lens was limited, and the autumn leaves had already fallen from the trees, leaving them barren and unphotogenic.

Despite our initial disappointment, we couldn’t help but feel a sense of eerie anticipation as we approached the blue building in front of us. Legend has it that a ghost named Helen resides within its walls. It’s been quite some time since we last saw our spectral friend. As we take in the surroundings, we notice the first hints of autumn beginning to creep in. The air is crisp and cool, with a faint scent of decaying leaves. (We are kidding… our dear friend Helen took us here.) She can be seen in the window picture.

We can only imagine how beautiful this place will look when the leaves are bursting with vibrant colors in a few weeks. Perhaps then, Helen will invite us back for a redo of our photoshoot over a leisurely lunch. In the meantime, we can’t help but feel a shiver run down our spine at the thought of what other surprises this hauntingly beautiful place may hold.

Announcing our PhotographyContest

All of the winners will have their photo featured in our Magazine Lots of Prizes

See all of the Details on our Photography Contest Page.

WALNFORD HOUSE PHOTOGRAPHY INFORMATION

WHEN TO GO:

This location is good all day, although the lighting seemed just right in the afternoon to get the sun on the side of the mill you see in the photo. If you want to do the interior work of the buildings, you must go when they are open. It’s great for fall foliage, but spring and summer are good. You can do it in winter also. This can be great in fresh snow. It’s only one small spot and not near much else. You can only spend a little time here, so you must pair it up with something else. Maybe stop here if it’s on your way to Batso Village.

CAMERA LENS:

A wide-angle lens is a must for this location. There is a lot to shoot in this area, but wildlife is minimal and may pop out of nowhere, so having a zoom with you cannot hurt. However, I would not recommend lugging it around just in case.

GEAR:

If there is not a lot of light to work with, bring your tripod and circular polarizing filter to achieve your desired depth of field. Don’t forget your neutral density filter; there is moving water here.

HOW LONG TO PHOTOGRAPH

Probably about an hour to two hours. You can go inside and photograph too.

HOW TO GET THERE

Be right back, working on it.

OTHER PHOTOGRAPHY NEARBY

Check out Allaire Village, Batsto Village. See the other photography locations at the bottom of the page.

HOW BUSY DOES IT GET?

It doesn’t get very busy.

RESTAURANTS, CAMPING & WEATHER – SEE BELOW

Think Tank Camera Bags

PRIVATE JET PHOTO TOURS

PHOTOGRAPHY BASICS

SHUTTER PRIORITY:

You have moving subjects, you will want to shoot in shutter priority to ensure your shutter speed is high enough to have your subject in sharp focus. Approximately 1/250th of a second is appropriate for people walking by, and adjust your ISO accordingly. If they are moving fast, increase your shutter speed to about 1/500th of a second. A fast bird flying by would be shot at about 1/1000th of a second. If it’s a bright sunny day, go as high as 1/1200th of a second. Remember, the higher your shutter speed, the less light comes into the camera. For More Details, see our Shutter Priority Page.

MANUAL MODE:

You can do your long-exposure running and milky water shots if you have moving waters at the location. You will have to use a tripod for this effect. Your settings will vary depending on the lighting and your neutral density filter. You will shoot in manual mode for the milky waters. ISO is always 100 or as low as your camera will allow. The aperture is f22, or the highest f-stop your camera will allow. Your shutter speed will be the only variable depending on the light. Roll your shutter speed until your meter reads zero. (In the center) Use your shutter release or 2-second timer to prevent camera movement when exposing. You will want at least a 2-second exposure for milky water. If you don’t have a neutral density filter, you may not get more than 1/15th of a second in the sun.

You can buy an ND filter here. We highly suggest you do not go anywhere without one. Long exposure to moving waters makes all the difference between lifeless images and outstanding, dynamic images.

APERTURE PRIORITY:

Aperture Priority is often used to blur the background of your images and control your depth of field (how much from the subject to the background is in focus). For more information on this – see our Aperture page

ISO:

The higher you set it, the more light is when exposing an image. The higher the number, the more digital noise, so stay below 800. If you need to go higher to get the shot, you can use Topaz Denoise to filter out the digital noise later. See the ISO page here.

WHITE BALANCE:

Be sure to set your white balance each time the lighting changes. Auto mode is not always accurate on many cameras, and we prefer to set it manually. It’s one of the more straightforward basics of photography to master. If you need more help, you can get some more details here. See the white balance page here.

WATERFALL PHOTOGRAPHY:

If you’re going to do the milky water photography shots here along the water, you must have a tripod and a neutral-density filter. Preparing before embarking on a waterfall photography excursion is always best. You can also explore long-exposure waterfall techniques by visiting our waterfall photography page for tips.

FOOD & DINING

There is no food at this location. There isn’t too much near by unless you go into town so bring some water and some snacks just in case.

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HOTELS

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Do you want us to send our photography and ghost hunting friends to your hotel for their photography or ghost hunting trip? Put your hotel information here. We will put pictures of your hotel, the website link, the phone number and your information on your hotel.

Would you like to be a featured hotel like this article or this one? Please send us an email. You will be surprised at how affordable our prices can be.

PARK

INFORMATION

Hours: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Food: Better bring your own—no food or drinks are offered.

Professional Photography Permit: $50 to $180 per hour for weddings and professional shoots.

Park Brochure & Map

You can go into town for some food. You will enjoy this small town in New Jersey, but there is not much to choose from. We like pretty over the busy areas with a lot of options. We will take this little town over the bigger ones any day of the week.