Battlefield at Gettysburg
one of the saddest places I have every visited
one of the saddest places I have every visited
Read less
Read less
Aug, 2013Views
1215
Likes
Awards
People's Choice in The Best Our Nation Has To Offer Photo Challenge
Exceptional Contrast
Superb Composition
Peer Award
Top Ranks
Top 30 rank week 6Top 30 rank week 5Top 20 rank month 1Top 30 rank week 3Categories
PRO+
yvonnemason
January 23, 2015
Thank all of you who voted for this photo and allowed it to win the Challenge I had entered it. I am very humbled by the gesture
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
I was in Gettysburg on the Battlefield. I had been taking photos all afternoon it was about four o'clock in the afternoon. I turned and saw the view. By this point I was so filled with the sadness of the battlefield I could almost see the men fall as they were shot. I could see the men behind the cannon preparing it for battle. Instead of the cars I saw in my mind's eye horses and riders as they came down the road. I saw explosion after explosion as the cannon balls hit the ground and tore the enemy a part.Time
We had been at the battlefield since early morning taking the car tour. We had a CD going that explained every point - It was about four o'clock in the late afternoon. The sun was just beginning her westward descent. There was a stillness in the air. It was unlike anything else I have ever experienced in my entire life.Lighting
I used the natural lighting of the day, the sun could not have been anymore perfect. It was a just the right angle to show off this settingEquipment
I used my Cannon DSLR- A350 I had my long range lens and no flash. The Apature was f/90 with the ISO on 100 and my exposure was 1/250 I did not use my tripod.Inspiration
The inspiration of the photo came from being on the Battlefield at Gettysburg which is filled is sorrow and sadness so much that it wraps itself around one like a cloak and presses down almost to the point of suffocation. If one stands very still one can hear the screams of battle and the dead and dying as they lay where they fell after being hit with cannon balls and musket balls. One can smell the fear, the blood and the hopelessness of the men who fought and died at the battle. One can see the fear as each man looked his fellow American in the eye before he either shot him or stuck him with the bayonet. This one of the most haunting photos I have ever taken. It still stays with me.Editing
the only post processing I did was a bit of cropping to bring the cannon to the front of the photo and changed the color to a sepia. I wanted the cannon to be the focal point with the street in the background. I wanted the photo to look like it might have looked during the war when the photographer followed the battles and taking pictures was still in its infancy. They had this soft sepia look.In my camera bag
I carry in my bag, my Cannon a350, two tripods, fresh batteries, my 300 lens and my 75 lens, my fish eye and my 25 lens, I also carry my light filter and other odds and ends that I might need on my travels.Feedback
The best advice I can give is this. When one is on a battlefield listen to the place itself. Let your mind go and when you see a shot take it. This is a place of reverence and sadness and sorrow and heros. Be prepared to let your mind wander and let your lens do the looking. Never discount anything. Had I not followed my heart and my gut and taken this shot it would be lost forever. The Cannon is a simple thing- not something that most people would take the time to take a photo of. However, this simple piece of equipment screams history and battles and hope and loss so many other things. One should never be afraid to just take the photo
