Jacob's Ladder
Shortly after arriving in Ireland, I rented this thatched roof cottage. That same day, the gentleman re-thatching the roof died while working on it. I captured ...
Read more
Shortly after arriving in Ireland, I rented this thatched roof cottage. That same day, the gentleman re-thatching the roof died while working on it. I captured this photo of the ladder as a memorial to his work.
Read less
Read less
Aug, 2016Views
206
Likes
Awards
Top Choice
Peer Award
Outstanding Creativity
Top Ranks
Top 20 rankCategories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in Mountmellick, Ireland. Shortly after arriving in Ireland, I rented this thatched roof cottage. That same day, the gentleman re-thatching the roof died while working on it. I captured this photo of the ladder as a memorial to his work.Time
I landed in Ireland early in the morning. I left Shannon and traveled through Ireland to reach Mountmellick by early afternoon. The sky was brilliant blue with about a 25% cloud cover when I took this photo.Lighting
The lighting for this shot was all natural. I waited until the clouds began to form above the cottage before capturing this shot, in order to eliminate any glare or harsh shadows.Equipment
At the time, I was shooting with my Minolta X-370 35mm SLR camera; however, in order to capture the lighting and the cloud cover at the right moment, I quickly grabbed my Toshiba PDR-3330 digital camera which I used for quick snap shots and candid photos. The picture was shot at 1/210 shutter with an aperture of f/6.7 at ISO 100, no flash was used.Inspiration
The real life story behind this ladder inspired me to capture this photo and pay tribute to the gentleman that died. Prior to my arrival in Ireland and subsequently the thatched roof cottage in Mountmellick, a gentleman had been working for days re-thatching the roof of the cottage. On the day I arrived shortly before I entered the town of Mountmellick, the gentleman felt ill and climbed down off the ladder. After he had both feet back on solid ground the unthinkable happened, he had a massive heart attack and died in the front yard. When I arrived at the cottage, the scene was clear and the ladder was still leaning on the cottage as a memorial to the gentleman's work and his life.Editing
Post processing for this shot consisted of me loading the image in Photoshop and converting it to black and white and then adjusting the contrast.In my camera bag
At the time this image was captured my camera bag contained my Minolta X-370, Minolta X-7A, flash, 135mm and 50mm lenses. Currently I carry my Canon 60D with 10-18mm wide angle, 18-55mm and 70-300mm lenses and extension tubes for macro work. I strap my tripod to my bag and head out for my next shot. I always pack headlamp, paracord and a knife just in case things get interesting.Feedback
When setting up an image similar to the Jacob's Ladder, composition must be the main focus. Study the lines of the scene, use perspective and contrast to create interest, drama, and control what the viewer sees in your photo.
