Urn and Column

Taken during a visit to Staatsburgh State Historic Site in September, 2016.

Although I didn’t do it consciously, looking at these pictures now I realize that I was, once again, trying to emulate the beautiful pictures of my photographic hero: Eugène Atget. Somehow, however, I can’t get it. His photographs are for the most part quite simple. It seems as though anyone should be able to emulate them – but you can’t (or at least I can’t) and I can’t quite figure our why. It’s certainly not his gear, which was obsolete at the time he was using it (although any large format camera will produce a ‘look’, which is completely different from the one I get using a much smaller format). I think it must be an innate understanding of composition that I lack.

Take with a Sony NEX 5N and Sigma, 30mm f2.8.

2017 Favorites – Color

And now 10 favorites from 2017 in color. Above Christmas tree in two bridges park near Childrens Beach on Roaring Brook Lake.

Got pork? Taken at the Hudson Valley Ribfest, August 2017.

Building on Chemin Vert, Pinchat, Geneva, Switzerland.

Iris in my daughter’s garden, Geneva, Switzerland.

Blue Angels, NY Airshow, Stewart Airport, July 2017.

Your repetitive View by Olafur Eliasson on the Peekskill Riverwalk Park.

Corvette. Film photograph taken in Brewster, NY.

Fall landscape. Roaring Brook Lake.

Lights on Broadway, March 2017.

Shadow of a cross. Croton-on-Hudson, July 2017.

Lasdon Park and Arboretum – Trail of Honor, Female Nurses Monument

According to lasdontrailofhonor.com:

The last bust on the trail is dedicated to the hundreds of women who have dutifully attended our nation’s wounded soldiers for over 200 years. Without the aid and services of these brave women, many more lives would have been lost to infection, disease, and unattended injuries. The bust stands as a testament to their continued service and dedication to our troops at large.

There’s also a monument (not shown here) to eight nurses killed in Vietnam:

As you follow the path leading to the Vietnam Veterans memorial, this humble monument will present itself. This piece of black granite commemorates the sacrifice of the eight nurses who were killed during their service in Vietnam. The monument is placed next to the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial, showing the significance of their sacrifice during the war to the servicemen they treated. Even though none were from Westchester County, the significance of their story has earned them a place on this beautiful trail.

Lasdon Park and Arboretum – Trail of Honor, Desert Storm Bust

According to lasdontrailofhonor.com:

This next bust features a tank trooper dedicated to those who served in Desert Storm, also known as the Persian Gulf War and the shortest conflict in American history, lasting only 100 hours of combat time. In August 1990 Kuwait was invaded by Iraqi troops, an action that was immediately met with economic sanctions by the U.N. Six months later the United States decided to respond to the Iraqi presence in Kuwait with military force, launching Operation Desert Storm, which was made up of troops from the United States, The United Kingdom, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The coalition first launched a bombing run, and then followed with a ground assault to expel the Iraqi troops from Kuwait. Once the Iraqi troops had been pushed back, a cease-fire was called, after only 100 hours of combat involved during the campaign.

Lasdon Park and Arboretum – Trail of Honor, Vietnam War Bust

According to lasdontrailofhonor.com:

The Vietnam War was fought from 1959 to 1975, during a time of major social revolution and chaos on the home front. The war was another attempt to prevent Russia’s influence from spreading into Asia. North Vietnam was attempting to claim South Vietnam, similar to what happened in Korea, and Americans felt that the war would be a swift victory.
However, the North Vietnamese used guerilla warfare to strike at American troops patrolling through their native jungles. After years of fighting on the war front and rallies and protests on the home front, President Nixon pulled out U.S. troops in 1975. The monument shows a machine gunner in a worn uniform, reflecting the exhaustion of the servicemen who fought in Vietnam.