(peaceful music) - [Howard] I came upon the President's Park that I built about 15 years ago, and they were closing up the park and asked me to come destroy the heads here.

So, I decided I'd move 'em to the farm, and that took several days and a little bit of experimentation, and we got 'em up here and lined 'em all up, cleaned a few of 'em up, all of a sudden, they become a photographer's dream.

They love to just come out here at night, in the snow, and rain, sleet, hail and shoot pictures of 'em.

They've gotten very popular all over the world.

- I wanted to photograph this, these sculptures under the nighttime sky.

There was actually some shooting stars that were, a meteor shower that was forecasted.

So, I approached him about it and Howard allowed me to do it.

So, that's how I found out about it.

And soon thereafter, I convinced him that, you know, why don't we not keep it privatized and see if we can't open the property up for tours for the general public, albeit only a few times a year.

And he allowed us to do so.

- [Howard] We've done probably three or four band shoots out here.

Ozzy Osborne came out here once, he was unusual.

We've done some plays out here with some like 14-foot-tall people walking around from New York, dressed up, like, I mean, there'd be 60 of 'em, it was a crazy shoot.

We've done fashion shows, had some engagements, had some requests to have weddings out here.

I mean, I'm getting calls from literally all over the world.

Somebody would call me from Russia and they'll be here in a few days.

Sweden, Canada, Mexico, I mean, it goes on and on, all the requests.

- People love places that are abandoned and bizarre and unique, particularly when they're local and historical.

Our demographic is very diverse.

It's anyone between 8 and 88.

- For me, it's every time I come out here, I have a whole new group of photographers, and they've never been out here, they're seeing it for the first time, and they're trying to figure out how are we gonna shoot these statues in the dark?

And then I start doing my magic and they're all like, "Wow, that's amazing, that's crazy."

And they just never can imagine they're gonna get these shots of these statues in the dark.

So, that's what keeps me coming back here.

It's weird, it's like I've been out here so many times, it's just like it's coming back to old friends.

- I've actually got the plans drawn up now for a walking park and museum music festival park.

And I've been designing this place for walking trails and different activities for years.

- I, like Andrew, I know I say this, there's a lot of people that don't care for Andrew Jackson, but to me, his epilates are epic, I love Andrew Jackson.

Abe Lincoln's probably my second as it pertains to the actual sculptures themselves.

- When I first saw them, I was speechless.

It's so, it's really hard to kind of put into words, because either just the scope of the size of what they are, the condition them what they are, you know, they're obviously the presidents, you don't see the presidents in that type of condition.

It's a unique setting.

I mean, I think the first time anybody sees it, you really don't know what to to think.

You know, it has an apocalyptic feel to it.

And of course from a photography standpoint, they're outstanding.

You know, we always had sort of a bucket list of items.

Snow, you know, we wanted to go down there and capture them in the snow.

They look completely different there.

Lighting 'em at night, doing the light painting type of stuff.

It's just a different way to see them.

We've caught them at sunrises, as interesting skies.

If it's cloudy, if it's not, if it's wet out there, if there's rain, now you get reflections.

They just tend to look different.

If it's a sunny day, they kind of look one way, if it's a moody day, kind of brings out a little different character with them.

So it is something that, it's really a four-seasons kind of place to go shoot.

That just the conditions change, make all the difference.

I've never really had somebody that said, this isn't as cool as what I thought it was gonna be.

(peaceful music) - [Photographer] This place has become iconic.

It's Americana, it's bizarre.

My opinion is they look better, they deserve, based on their derelict state, they deserve to be seen in weather that is less than optimal.

(peaceful music) - [Howard] If they're a work of art, I couldn't see crushing 'em.

They'd spent a lot of money transporting 'em and buildin' the first park.

Put 'em here in hopes of opening a new park or some sort of walking path or attraction for 'em.

Maybe a museum with 'em.

(inspirational music) (inspirational music continues) (inspirational music continues)