The 33rd “Big Shot” community photo project will focus on a historical site next month.
The subject of Rochester Institute of Technology’s photographic project this year is Old Fort Niagara in Youngstown, Niagara County.
The Sept. 29 event will capture a nighttime image of the fort, which has a past that spans more than 300 years.
Old Fort Niagara, on the eastern bank of the Niagara River at its mouth on Lake Ontario, was originally built in 1726. The fort is the oldest continuously occupied military site in North America. In 1934, Old Fort Niagara opened as a historic site and public museum.
RIT officials said the “Big Shot” engages student and community volunteers to provide the primary light source for the image while RIT photographers shoot an extended exposure.
Michael Riordan, a lecturer in RIT’s School of Media Sciences who grew up in Youngstown, proposed the venue to the Big Shot team, according to RIT officials.
“Old Fort Niagara was chosen because it’s a dramatic and historic landmark that will be photographed in a way it has never been before,” Riordan said in a statement.
The photograph is scheduled to be taken soon after sunset, around 8:30 p.m., regardless of weather conditions. Volunteers are asked to arrive by 8 p.m., bring either a flashlight or a camera flash unit, and wear dark clothing. Volunteer registration is scheduled to open Sept. 1 at oldfortniagara.org.
To learn more about the project and view photographs of past Big Shot images, go to facebook.com/RITBigShot or bigshot.cad.rit.edu. The project also can be followed on Twitter at @RITBigShot.