Frankfort is located in the heart of Indiana and has more charm than you suspect at first glance. The small streets, the wide fields and a few surprisingly modern buildings offer plenty of photo possibilities. I like the city because it doesn't get too hard – that makes the photographer more relaxed. If you like to play with light, you're right here.
I want to shoot the picture you don't overlook when you scroll through photo books. For this I plan my recordings after the natural light phases.
Civil Twilight – shortly after sunset when the city lights begin to glow. Ideal for silhouettes from the park trees.
Golden Hour – the warm, soft light shortly before sunrise and shortly after sunset. Search terms like “golden hour Frankfort” help in planning.
Sunset – the dusk over the few high-rise buildings of the city centre. A short moment, but it makes the façades stand out.
Blue Hour – the deep blue dusk, perfect for long-term exposures of illuminated bridges and water surfaces.
The map tool of poi‐travel.deembedded under this text shows you the position of the sun and indicates the azimuth (horizontal angle). This allows you to exactly plan the direction of the light.
The park is located on the outskirts of the city and offers a small stream, open meadows and a historic mill bike. The water reflects the light of the twilight particularly well.
Opening hours: daily from 6 am to 22 pm, free admission. The best photos are taken in the blue hour when the mill wheel is in counterlight.
Insider tip: Take a tripod and use the wooden ridge on the brook for long-term exposures – the water becomes a silky veil.
Dorner Park is small but central. A large, old oak tree dominates the image, and in spring local wildflowers flourish there.
Opening hours: 7 am to 8 pm, free of charge. For the perfect morning light you should appear here at the golden hour early.
Insider tip: The small playground in the background provides interesting lines when you photograph with a wide aperture.
The park is known for its sculpture “The Pioneer” and a small lake. The mirror image of the sculpture in the water is a real eye-catcher.
Opening hours: 6 am to 9 pm, free admission. The sunset throws a warm light on the sculpture – ideal for silhouettes.
Insider tip: If you have a pole filter, you can reduce the reflection in the lake and capture the colors more intensively.
TPA Park is a new city park with modern art installations and a small bridge over an artificial creek. The clear lines are well suited for architectural photography.
Opening hours: 8 am to 22 pm, free of charge. The golden hour in the evening makes the metal installations shine.
Insider tip: The bridge offers an interesting foreground for photographs of the surrounding trees in counterlight.
A round green piece in the city centre, surrounded by historic buildings. The round path leads the eye to the town hall, which shines especially at night.
Opening hours: 24 hours, free admission. The blue hour is ideal for night photography because the light of the street lights gently reflects.
Insider tip: Use a powerful lens (f/1.8) for the weak light conditions and experiment with reflections in the wet asphalt after rain.
The park is located on the river and has a small bridge from which you can easily catch the river. In autumn, the trees are coloured in warm tones.
Opening hours: 6 am to 8 pm, free of charge. The golden hour in autumn provides a particularly atmospheric picture.
Insider tip: A light fog in the morning can make the picture almost fairy-tale – keep the camera ready when the air is moist.
Luther Howe Park is a small family park with a playground and an open meadow. The wide view to the south allows clear sunsets.
Opening hours: 7 am to 7 pm, free. For the best light you should be there about 30 minutes before sunset.
Insider tip: The playground has colorful climbing scaffolds that form great silhouettes in the backlight.
A historic camp with old wooden huts and a small lake. The rustic structures give every image character.
Opening hours: from May to October, 8 am to 6 pm, admission: 5 USD per person. The blue hour above the lake is a highlight for long-term exposures.
Insider tip: If you use a wide angle lens, you can combine the huts and the lake in a dramatic panoramic view.
The imposing court building in the centre is the most striking building in the city. The classicist facade with columns has a particularly impressive effect on counterlight.
Opening hours: Internal inspection only on working days 9 a.m.–16 p.m., free admission. The golden hour in the late afternoon is ideal for outdoor shooting.
Insider tip: Use a telephoto lens to emphasize the details of the columns, and pay attention to the reflections in the wet headstone plaster after rain.
Frankfort may be small, but the variety of lighting moods and photo pots makes it a rewarding destination for hobby and advanced photographers. Whether you're looking for the quiet parks, the historic town hall or the wide fields, you'll find enough motifs to expand your image collection. Pack your camera, use the map tool and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere.
With the map tool, you can plan the ideal location for a photo online in advance – taking into account the sun's path and the surroundings.
Here's how it works:
Advantage:
You can assess light, perspective and location before visiting the site – ideal for photography, sunrises and sunsets.
To find the exact point where the sun disappears behind the skyline, use the azimuth display on poi-travel.de. In Frankfort, the sun travels further northwest below the horizon in summer, while in winter it takes a more southwesterly angle. With the embedded line on the map, you can determine your tripod position down to the metre.
| Phase | Characteristics | Top Attractions in Frankfort |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Hour | Warm, soft light shortly before sunrise and after sunset | Dorner Park, TPA Park, Lawrence Ferrell Park, Frankfort Historic Courthouse |
| Sunset | Dawning, intense color play | John Redmon Park, Luther Howe Park |
| Civil Twilight | Short after sunset, city lights glow, silhouettes | Prairie Creek Park, Circle Park, Dorner Park |
| Blue Hour | Deep blue dusk, ideal for long-term exposures | Prairie Creek Park, Camp Walter S. Fowler, Circle Park |
| Photos | Settings (ISO/Blende/Zeit) | Professional tip |
|---|---|---|
| Prairie Creek Park | ISO 100 / f/11 / 1/30 s | Use tripods, wooden ridge as the foreground for long-term exposure of water. |
| Dorner Park | ISO 200 / f/4 / 1/250 s | Wide panel for soft background blur, slot lines capture. |
| John Redmon Park | ISO 100 / f/8 / 1/125 s | Use pole filters to control reflections in the lake. |
| Lawrence Ferrell Park | ISO 100 / f/9 / 1/60 s | Use the golden hour, use the sun stand for warm light. |
| Circle Park | ISO 400 / f/5.6 / 1/60 s | After rain, photograph wet stone plasters for reflections. |
| TPA Park | ISO 200 / f/5.6 / 1/200 s | Evening golden hour, focus on architectural details. |
| Camp Walter S. Fowler | ISO 100 / f/16 / 30 s | Tripod, ND filter for soft water surface at blue dusk. |
| Lawrence Ferrell Park | ISO 100 / f/9 / 1/60 s | Golden hour in autumn, capture warm light for wide fields. |
| Luther Howe Park | ISO 200 / f/5.6 / 1/200 s | Use clear silhouettes of the tree, sunset color course. |
| Frankfort Historic Courthouse | ISO 100 / f/8 / 1/100 s | Collecting reflections in the wet headstone plaster after rain. |
| Lawrence Ferrell Park | ISO 100 / f/9 / 1/60 s | Golden hour in autumn, soft light mood for wide fields. |
| Luther Howe Park | ISO 200 / f/5.6 / 1/200 s | Clear view of the sunset, focus on tree silhouettes. |
| Camp Walter S. Fowler | ISO 100 / f/16 / 30 s | Long-term exposure of the lake during the blue hour, tripod and remote tripod. |
| Frankfort Historic Courthouse | ISO 100 / f/8 / 1/125 s | Use reflections in wet headstone plaster after rain. |
However, a trip to Lebanon is worth a half hour away. The old Main Street looks almost like a film set from the 40s, and the old brick buildings throw interesting shadows when the light is deep. The nearby Covered Bridge Park offers a piece of wood that spans the water – perfect for silhouettes.
But you shouldn't overlook Crawfordsville. There is an old court building that reminds a bit of a castle with its stone facade and the high windows. The campus of Wabash College has a few abandoned halls that almost seem scary in fog.
In short, Lafayette is a bit bigger, but the mix of industry and uni atmosphere provides contrasts. The Purdue campus has old brick buildings next to modern laboratories, and on the Wabash River there are places where the water flows calmly and mirrors are created.
Delphi works sometimes overflowing, but the old city center still has a few well preserved façades from the founding period. The small alleys there are narrow, the light breaks through the trees and creates a nice game of light and shadow.
Kokomo is more of an industrial place, but that's what makes the appeal. Old factory choir stones, rusted machines and graffiti on the walls give a rough feeling that can be easily implemented in black and white.
Peru is a bit further, but the river banks on the Wabash offer quiet scenes. When the water glitters, you can catch the reflections of old bridges – a bit like a painting, only with more water.
If you have a little more time, it's worth a trip to Greencastle. There is an old college campus building surrounded by oaks. The autumn then brings a colourful play that makes the old walls even more interesting.
Villages, towns, districts, places and Vacation destinations you should visit.
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