All Gave Some, Some Gave All | New Bern, North Carolina
I spent the Memorial Day evening inside the U.S. National Cemetery in New Bern. First off, the place looked amazing. Not sure who took the time to raise all the flags, but thank you. Each headstone was adorned with its own flag and the main road down the middle was lined with American flags, as well as flags for each state in the Union. It truly was a sight to see. Just slowly wandering around in there, I really got a sense of what Memorial Day is all about. It’s not a day to mourn the men and women who gave so much so that we could live free, but it’s about celebrating them. They deserve so much more than we could ever give. There is no more valiant an act than to lay down your life for another. These individuals need to be remembered 365 days a year, not just on one special day- however, on that one special day, we need to treat each one like they are the hero that they were.
Thank you to the men and women who sacrificed themselves so that we could be free. And thank you to the active duty and retired, in all branches of the armed forces, past, present and future, who give us all that we have today. It’s because of you that I am free to do the photography that I love. Thank you.
In This Temple… | Washington, DC
Abraham Lincoln has long been one of my favorite historical figures. Ever since first learning of the 16th President in a classroom at Elderton Elementary School, I have been captivated by him. I think the first thing I learned about him was that he was on the front of a penny and that he ‘freed the slaves.’ Imagine being in first or second grade and hearing that…I didn’t even know what slavery was. I was hooked. As I’ve grown older and learned more about just what kind of man Lincoln was, my fondness has done nothing but grow. I’ve seen countless History Channel documentaries and read many articles on the man. You can read and learn as much as you can, but until you stand in the chamber of the Lincoln Memorial and look up at the 19 foot tall statue, you don’t really put it all together. I’ve been here twice before this trip. Both times I was on a field trip with other kids my age and therefore had almost no memory of the monuments of the city. This past visit was different. I made sure to spend as much time as possible soaking in the writing on the walls, the fine details in the crown molding and symbolism tucked away in the corners of the ceiling and walls. The Lincoln Memorial, as well as all the other monuments in Washington DC, truly are National treasures. I feel very fortunate to live so close to our capital city.
A night time shot inside the Lincoln Memorial is a shot that I played over in my mind many times over in the days leading up to my visit to DC. I wanted to use my fisheye lens to show as much of the chambers of the memorial as possible and a night time long exposure was key to what I wanted to do. Even at 10 PM, the memorial was still very crowded, so I kept my tripod only shoulder width and made sure I got out of the way after three or four frames. I had planned for these time constraints by having my settings all ready to go before I walked into the memorial. All I had to to was wait for the frames to expose. In and out.
The epitaph behind Lincoln’s head reads:
“In this temple
as in the hearts of the people
for whom he saved the union
the memory of Abraham Lincoln
is enshrined forever.”
I read that just before leaving the Memorial. A great thing to have engrained in my mind now whenever I look at the man or hear his name.
Entry | Atlantic Beach, NC
It’s been a great while since I’ve shared a beach sunset, in fact, it’s been a while since I’ve shot one. But, I’ve had this one in my pocket for a few weeks and felt now was a good time to share.
This was shot on Atlantic Beach, near the Oceanana Pier early this spring. As the sun was setting, I could tell by the streaking low clouds that it was going to be a colorful one. Using a wide angle lens, I was able to get the entire span of the cloud’s arch in the shot. I love how it feels like it’s creating an entry way, a path down the beach. Come on in!
The Shot: Nikon D90, Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 lens. Tripod held, remote fired. f/16, 2”, ISO-200.
Steps to History | Washington DC
On my last night in Washington DC, I was lucky enough to finally have a nice semi-cloudy sky for sunset. As I was making my way around the Tidal Basin toward the Jefferson Memorial, I noticed just how wide the steps were to the memorial. Thinking back, they are that way on all the monuments. They could be so wide so that they could accomidate visitors, but I have a feeling the designers of the monuments had some other, deeper meaning to it. I figured I should work them into one of my sunset shots and make them the focal point of the shot.
I shot this with my 8mm lens so that I could capture that long sweeping curve of the first set of steps.
High Noon | Williamsburg, Virginia
Few weather conditions can be tougher on a photographer than a cloudless sky at midday. That’s exactly what I got on a recent visit to Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, VA. Where the other lenses in my kit fall short in these conditions, my 8mm Rokinon f/3.5 does a phenominal job with direct sunlight. I don’t know what it is, but colors come out well exposed and the sunflare rocks when shooting at f/16-22 on the lens. For this shot, the trees lining the walkway to the Governor’s Mansion provided just enough cover to diffuse the sunlight a bit and were able to cast really nice shadows reaching toward me.
The shot: Nikon D90, Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 lens. Two bracketed exposures, hand held. Manually masked together in Photoshop and finished with a Glamour Glow using Nik Color Efex Pro.
