Funny Farm Photography

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Have you ever been threatened to be sent to the funny farm? Hopefully not! My latest travel photography excursion in New Jersey was a visit to a Funny Farm was with the South Jersey Camera Club to take photos.

You likely already know that the phrase 'Funny Farm' refers to a psychiatric hospital or insane asylum. If anything, this remarkable destination will enable you to escape from the insane world we live in and bond with the great outdoors and many of its fascinating creatures.

Join me in a photographic gallery from my personal first trip to the Funny Farm, an animal sanctuary in Mays Landing, NJ.

The first Funny Farm photograph I took was of this goat

The Funny Farm in Mays Landing, NJ is a great place to easily get up close and personal with a variety of animals and practice your wildlife photography. Many of the animals roam freely and the ones that are contained are just as easy to photograph. It is one of the largest animal rescues in the country.

No animal rescue center is complete without a turkey. For the photograph below I positioned myself so that the turkey's head would be contrasted against the dark feathers of his body. This took a bit of patience as this guy was constantly moving.

The bizarre texture of a turkey's wattle

I like the way the strong overhead lighting from the sum gave itis image a good sense of depth and how it brought out the unusual textures of this turkey's wattle.

The blue color of the tarp in the background made for a dominant color theme with this photo of the brilliantly saturated blue peacock.

Peacock at Funny Farm Rescue

In the peacock photo above below I had to do some editing after the day of the shoot. I cropped in much tighter than the original composition to eliminate the distracting parts of the background. I also blurred the background to increase separation between the subject and the background.

Normally sleeping animals don't make the most exciting targets to photograph, but I was immediately attracted to the interesting shadow of his horns.

Steer sleeping in the sun

With a moo moo here, with an oink oink here, with a quack quack here, and a neigh neigh there..........

Wood Shavings For Breakfast?

Muscovy Duck

More farm animals that have been rescued.

"Canyon"

"Star"

Funny Farm Garden

In addition to the photo ops presented to you by the animals, the rescue has many more potential subjects to photograph. That includes subjects you can find when you walk through the garden. I visited the area early in the growing season before the plant beds became active. This area is better photographed during the warmer months when there is a large selection of interesting vegetation.

I positioned myself to frame in the distant butterfly with the butterfly in the foreground. This adds "depth" to the image and gives the viewers eye a way to travel.

I chose this spot mostly because of the direction of the sun, but also to contrast the bright colors of this rooster with the muted brown background

The fenced-in garden has a quaint waterfall (see both photos below) including a couple of water barrels that make for good subject matter to take photos of.

Muscovy Ducks In The Garden

Garden Waterfall at The Funny Farm

Now it's time for the the geeky photographer to appear. In addition to enjoying the great outdoors and the amazing diversity on our planet I also enjoy photography as an art form. Yes, that includes shooting abstract photos. Coincidentally, the Funny Farm turns out to be a great location for having fun with abstract photography.

Detail And Abstract Photography

Of course the main attractions to photograph at the Funny Farm Rescue are the farm's animals. There's also an opportunity to shoot details and close-ups. That includes the animals as well as other subjects around the farm.

I was struct by the number of colors represented in this abstract close-up photo of this turkey.

"Colorful Abstract Fowl"
I zoomed in close as I could with my zoom lens and then cropped a little bit more to only include the various shapes, patterns, and colors of this unique creature. The small shadow areas created good black tones and the sun provided shimmering highlights to give this image a snappy contrasty look.

If you're at all like me and you like to shoot a wide variety of different types of photography, abstract photography is a lot of fun. The farm also has a couple of unique-looking, antique vehicles. So, without further adieu, enjoy the following photos, too.

Sandford & Sons Abstract

Tractor Abstract

Abstract Handle

Abstract Window

Camera Gear

I shot everyone of the photos in this gallery with a full-frame digital mirrorless camera and a 24-105mm lens, handheld without a tripod. During my visit I noticed that the large majority of the NON-members of the South Jersey Camera Club were taking photos with their cellphones.

There are some limitations when using the camera on your cellphone, but this is one of those situations where you can get some nice photos. Regular cameras will focus and shoot faster which is helpful when you're photographing moving objects like some of these animals. Additionally, a camera with an optical zooming lens is useful especially with the animals in their pens. See the gear I use in my post about my travel photography equipment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Funny Farm in New Jersey located?

The Funny Farm Rescue and Sanctuary is located just a mile off U.S. Route 40, at 6908 Railroad Blvd, Mays Landing, NJ 08330.

How big is the Funny Farm Rescue?

The rescue is home to over 600 animals and growing, spread over 15 acres in the Jersey Pinelands

Who is the owner of the Funny Farm?

Laurie Zaleski is the founder and owner, president, and chairwoman of the board Rescue & Sanctuary.

Where does the Funny Farm get its funding?

There are many ways to donate to the Funny Farm Rescue. There is a donation bucket on site, you donate through the website, sponsor an animal directly, purchase a brick for the garden, or purchase supplies from the wish lists on Amazon and Chewy, as well as several other options. https://funnyfarmrescue.org/donate/ There's even a book on Amazon you can buy.

Is the story of how the Funny Farm animal sanctuary true.

Laurie Zaleski was inspired to purchase a dilapidated rental property with a barn near Mays Landing for her mother. Sadly, her mother passed away from cancer at 52 years old, just before the official beginning.

Devastated at her mother’s loss, Laurie took on the responsibility of caring for her mother's 30 animals. Overwhelming new challenges and a huge the learning curve made it very tough at first. With the help of friends and family, she fixed up the property and the Funny Farm she had once known with her mother, had a new permanent home.

Meet Laurie in one of the videos on the Funny Farm Youtube channel:

Donation

Laurie's story is an inspirational one. Visit the website at FunnyFarmrescue.org for more information. If you've been inspired to help, see the various ways you can help Laurie's cause: Help The Animals.

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Closing Thoughts

All 600+ animals at the Funny Farm Rescue & Sanctuary are rescues. Most would not be alive if it wasn’t for the Funny Farm. Nearly all of them roam free and all of the animals make great subjects for photography. Just fill out the waiver online, show up with your camera and click away!

Bruce Lovelace is the publisher of TravelingPhotographer.com. Bruce shot portraits full time for over 35 years. Now he shoots more travel photography. Read more about him on the About Page. He also publishes how to articles and camera gear reviews at the Photography Tips and Canon Geek websites.

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