A Hike on the Unfinished Railroad

A few weeks back, I took a hike at the Manassas National Battlefied, site of two ferocious battles in the US Civil War. The Unfinished Railroad is a trench dug for rails, but never finished. It was a center of the second battle of Manassas.

 

I shot these images with my Rolleiflex SL2000F. Man, I love this weird old camera.

 

You could smell the summer honeysuckle all along the trail.

 

 

This monument is at the end of the trail. It reads: "In Memory of the Patriots Who Fell at Groveton, August 28th, 29th, & 30th, 1862.

 

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

What Goes On Behind the Monuments

I figured I should post a little humor on April Fool's Day.

 

My friends and I frequently find ourselves photographing around the monuments at the National Mall in Washington, DC. The Lincoln Memorial is a very common stop, and my comrades have worked on their own projects there, including photographing tourists taking "selfies" there.

 

The last time we went, I put my new Nikkor Series E 100mm f2.8 lens on my Nikon Df and decided to shoot the back and sides of the Lincoln Memorial, from ground level. Here is a triptych of images that I got, all within five minutes or so of shooting.

 

Scenes Behind the Memorial, by Reed A. George

 

A little hard to see the people at this scale? Take a look at the insets below to see what was going on in each corresponding frame above.

 

What's Really Going On, by Reed A. George

 

I think in all three cases (certainly the last), my subjects knew they were being photographed. I appreciate all of their good humor!

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

My First Results of "Dreaming in Monochrom(e)" - War Memorials in the Rain

I've decided to try and emulate a Leica Monochrom in analog form, using my Leica M4-2 and TMax films.

 

(Click Here) to see what I am planning. I understand the differences and limitations in this comparison.

 

Here is my first installment of images for the project. I don't normally go in for photographing the monuments in DC, but on this particular morning, I thought being out in the driving rain and seeing the few visitors hearty enough to be out in it was worthwhile. It turned out to be a good set of conditions for photographing the Korean and Vietnam War memorials, and led me to think carefully about war.

 

One theme that kept coming up in my mind is the notion that "Freedom isn't free." I must admit that I don't fully understand that notion. It's like saying "Happiness doesn't make you happy" to me. Let me be crystal clear: I come from a family with significant veteran experience and respect that service very highly. On the other hand, I basically despise war and all that it entails. How's that for conflicted? Anyway, here are my impressions from that rainy morning walk amongst the names on the wall, and the terribly expressive faces on the statues of Korean War soldiers.

Vietnam Memorial

 

Korean War Memorial

 

All images were made with the Leica M4-2, 35mm Summicron f2 v.3, and TMax 400 film. Processed in typical excellent fashion by The Darkroom (thedarkroom.com).

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com