In today's reenactments nothing is more ubiquitous than the precise beat of a unit's fife and drum corps. It's always a crowd favorite, spreads an aura of patriotism across the field and, of course, helps reenactors stay in step on the march. But staying in step, while important, was only part of the music's role in the 18th century.

In the early morning light before the June Putnam Heroes event in Carmel, New York, two reenactors walked quietly through the dew-covered grass, discussing how they expected the day to unfold. In that quiet moment, the 250th anniversary felt less like commemoration and more like continuation. This is the essence of my Rev 250 project: capturing the moments that connect 1776 to 2026 through candid observational photography.

In the space of eighteen days in August–September 1778, Sarah (13), Eunice (12), Abijah (11), Abigail (7), Benjamin (4), and Moses (3) all died—most likely from smallpox or a similar epidemic that ravaged even rear-area towns during the Revolutionary War.

Discover the story of Isaac Hastings, a 19-year-old Lexington farmer who stood with his father and brother on the Battle Green on April 19, 1775. Candid street photography from Patriots’ Day 2026 connects his citizen-soldier legacy to today’s reenactors for the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.

When I first started shaping this Rev 250 Street Photography Project while watching Ken Burns’ The American Revolution on PBS, I was struck by how meticulously every scene had been planned and researched. That level of preparation translated directly into the power of the final production.