Civil War Soldiers at Rest
Memorial Day 2016 visiting a cemetery in honor of service members that gave their lives for our freedom.
Memorial Day 2016 visiting a cemetery in honor of service members that gave their lives for our freedom.
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Jun, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at the cemetery by my home in Emporia, KS. I refer to myself as a "photographer in training" because I'm still learning as I go and I've never had any formal training. I keep my camera with me because you never know when a photo opportunity will present itself.Time
I really love this image because it's a wonderful expression of my family's military lineage. This picture was taken mid-morning Veteran's Day 2016 as my daughters and I were visiting all the local cemeteries to make sure new flags had been placed on the Veterans' headstones. I remember the grass still being wet from the morning dew as we approached the area where the Civil War Veterans are buried.Lighting
I used all natural lighting when taking this shot. It helped that it was a cloudy morning and still early so I didn't have to worry about how bright it was outside because the lighting was already perfect.Equipment
This was shot on the only camera I have at the moment, my Canon EOS 600D with an 18-135mm lens. The lighting was already flawless so there was no need for a flash or tripod.Inspiration
It was Veteran's Day and that combined with the fact that I really enjoy the quiet of cemeteries gave me the perfect reason to take some photos. I'm new to Kansas and still exploring the area so when Veteran's Day rolled around I was more than excited to wander through the local cemeteries, esp. since Emporia is considered the birthplace of this holiday. Of course, my family's own military heritage spurred me to want to capture an image that is as sincere as it is inspiring.Editing
I had to do very minimal post-processing on this photo. My camera has some built in creative filters so I played around with them until I found the one I liked most. In this case, the "miniature -effect" or more commonly known tilt feature is what I settled on because it helped make the colors pop and left me with an "oh, wow" reaction. The feeling I came away with was both satisfying and slightly disappointed. Satisfied, because I didn't have to do much - but, also disappointed because I didn't have to do much!In my camera bag
I always carry two lenses with me, the first being my Canon EF-S 18-135mm. This lens works great for portraits and close ups and I like it because it's not heavy. My second lens is a Tamron SP70-300mm. This is a great lens for the money and is not only an amazing telephoto lens but has a pretty decent macro mode (1:2). I also keep a set of three ND filters for those days that are too sunny or when I'm practicing long-exposure shots as well as a wireless remote for those moments I decide to use my tripod.Feedback
As a novice, I can tell you that it can get so overwhelming and when I first started taking photos someone would say something about ISO or saturation or a number of any other photographic terms and I could feel the deer in the headlights look cross my face. If you have ever felt this way, I'm telling you that you are definitely not the only one to experience a little self-doubt. Watch the YouTube videos, read the blogs, join a camera club, find a mentor and learn from him or her, but most of all DO NOT give up! There are so many beautiful photos out there waiting to be captured!
