If you follow my blog, you probably know by now that my home is close to the Manassas National Battlefield, site of two vicious battles of the American Civil War.
I got up early this morning (on Memorial Day) to walk around the battlefield, think, and shoot a few images.
Rebel Cannon, by Reed A. George
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7
iso 100, f2.8, 1/1000 sec
This cannon stands in the precise location of where Thomas Jackson's rebel troops rallied at First Manassas, where Jackson earned his nickname "Stonewall." I love the band of light grass against the much darker trees in the background. Everyone shoots pictures of the cannons; I still like the way the barrel of this on stands out from the background.
Stonewall Jackson Statue, by Reed A. George
Leica M9, Leica Summaron 3.5cm f3.5 LTM Lens (May's WLL Lens)
iso 160, f9.5, 1/500 sec
I shot the image above with May's Whole Lotta Leica lens, the Summaron 3.5cm f3.5 LTM. Here I tried to blend the base of the statue in with the treeline. I aimed for a complete silhouette, with no detail in the foreground, which I achieved reasonably well.
I'll finish up with an extreme wide angle shot.
Judith Henry's Grave, by Reed A. George
Leica M9, Voigtlander 12mm f5.6 LTM Lens
iso 160, f16, 1/180 sec
Judith Henry was an old lady at the time of First Manassas (July, 1861). Too old, in fact, to leave her home, even though it was placed right in the heat of the battle. Mrs. Henry was killed by Union artillery, which ripped through her room, removing one of her feet, amongst other injuries. She is buried with two family members in the front yard of her home, Henry House, on the National Battlefield.
Memorial Day in the states usually focuses on the military. We shouldn't forget that plenty of civilians die in these wars we wage against our own kind.
DMC-365.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment