Category Archives: Infrared

There She Stands

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weeping-angel-hdr

Today marks the Thirteenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on our country on september eleventh of 2001. For me, like countless others, this day is permanently etched into my mind and like most I remember the exact moment it unfolded. For me it was a crystal clear fall day out in the country photographing blue morning glories on a farm, when the radio began to crackle with hints of something unspeakable. I recall driving as fast as I could to get to a television and being glued to it for days. Take a moment today to think of and pray for those who were lost that day, and especially their families who were left to cope with such heartbreak.

Every anniversary of this event, I find myself watching the documentaries on television and each and every time I am instantly taken back to that moment and overcome with a sense of deep despair, and I can’t begin to imagine the heartache for those who never got the chance to hold their loved ones again. I have never been to the twin towers memorial, but I have been to the Shanksville crash site in Pennsylvania and while it is not an over the top memorial, I can definitely say it is a place of quiet reflection that really hits you. I felt this Angel statue from a cemetery in New York was a fitting image for today. It is among my favorite infrared images that I have shot. If you have a moment and care to hear Michael W. Smiths tribute song  to 9-11 called ”There she stands”, I posted a link here.

Michael W. Smith – There She Stands – YouTube

Scots’ Charitable Society

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mount-auburn-cemetery7The Scots’ Charitable Society is the oldest charitable organization still existing in the Western Hemisphere.  Founded in 1657 and incorporated in 1786 the organization exists to help people of Scottish heritage. The society is devoted to the cultivation of personal and social relations of the members, cherishing the associations of the land from which they originated, and instilling in their fellow-countrymen a zeal for carrying on their time-honored traditions. This gate and fence at Mount Auburn cemetery is stunning and pays tribute to this organization. I shot it in both infrared and color.

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Feeling Lucky?

Posted by reesephoto on

infrared-victorian-home

This was just a quick grab shot on my new england trip,and the owner came out while I was snapping the shot. He proceeded to tell me it was an Irish Victorian home and had hundreds of four-leaf clovers everywhere in the construction. From door panels to fireplace inlays and everywhere you could imagine,there were four-leaf clovers. Done in infrared,it takes on a bit of a spooky appearance to me.

 

Milmore Sphynx

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mount-auburn-cemetery4This sphinx is a bit out-of-place in a cemetery but it still is quite impressive and I shot this image in infrared. This is Martin Milmore’s Sphinx commissioned by Jacob Bigelow in commemoration of the preservation of the Union and the end of slavery. It sits facing the Bigelow chapel in mount auburn cemetery and was carved at this site from a single block of granite from Maine, it was completed in July 1872.

The inscription on the monument:
American Union preserved
African slavery destroyed
by the uprising of a great people
by the blood of fallen heroes

There She Stands

Posted by reesephoto on

weeping-angel-hdr

Today marks the twelfth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on our country on september eleventh of 2001. For me, like countless others, this day is permanently etched into my mind and like most I remember the exact moment it unfolded. For me it was a crystal clear fall day out in the country photographing blue morning glories on a farm, when the radio began to crackle with hints of something unspeakable. I recall driving as fast as I could to get to a television and being glued to it for days. Take a moment today to think of and pray for those who were lost that day, and especially their families who were left to cope with such heartbreak.

Every anniversary of this event, I find myself watching the documentaries on television and each and every time I am instantly taken back to that moment and overcome with a sense of deep despair, and I can’t begin to imagine the heartache for those who never got the chance to hold their loved ones again. I have never been to the twin towers memorial, but I have been to the Shanksville crash site in Pennsylvania and while it is not an over the top memorial, I can definitely say it is a place of quiet reflection that really hits you. I felt this Angel statue from a cemetery in New York was a fitting image for today. It is among my favorite infrared images that I have shot. If you have a moment and care to hear Michael W. Smiths tribute song  to 9-11 called ”There she stands”, I posted a link here.

Michael W. Smith – There She Stands – YouTube

The Last Airbender

Posted by reesephoto on

airbender-movieprop

Well I found out a tiny bit more about this machine since yesterdays post. It supposedly is built around a real Tucker SnoCat from years ago,actually moves and was a prop in the movie The Last Airbender. I never saw the movie but my wife claims to have seen it,and yet most of what I find on the net shows an animated movie and she claims it was a regular movie. Anyway it is supposedly a part of the fire nation military in that movie, and if you want to buy it, I can hook you up with the owner who is currently asking $13,000. This image was shot in infrared to add a little extra drama. It would make a cool lawn decoration if you had a huge estate. The owner told me he has more neat stuff of a similar nature if I want to check them out sometime,which I hope will happen.

The Kings Palace?

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sight&sound-infrared

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Is this the palace of an Arabian king, a temple along the Nile river, or the final resting place of some middle eastern ruler? Well none of the above,it is actually the home of Sight and Sound Theatres,which is the largest faith-based theatre in the country and it is in Lancaster county. Their live recreations of Biblical stories are unparalleled,and years ago I saw their production of Noah,which included countless live animals and a huge ark. Google it to see the stage. Shot both images in infrared and the sky in the top one is awesome in my opinion.

Grace in Granite

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This figure kneels at the grave of someone named Pidgeon,who is buried in this magnificent Victorian era cemetery that is full of highly detailed statuary.The only info I could find was that the monument cost $2,350 dollars and shipped in october of 1898. It mentions eight stone cutters,a polisher,a statue cutter,and letter cutter. I shot this in infrared on a sunny day,which turns the foliage a dreamy white. I lit the statue shadow areas to show a bit more detail.

The Peterson Path

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I like to give a little story or background on my photos,but I cant seem to nail down any specifics about who is buried in this mausoleum? I did find out it was built in 1912 at a cost of $9337 dollars,and is blue westerly granite.Shot in infrared with a Nikon D200 and 17-35 wide-angle,which is not so wide on that camera body.

A Friend of Lincoln

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This is the mausoleum where Methodist bishop Matthew Simpson is buried.Though based in Philadelphia during the Civil War, Methodist Bishop Matthew Simpson (1811-1884) traveled the country during that time giving speeches in support of the Union, emancipation and President Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was thankful for the Bishop’s support.After Lincoln was assassinated he delivered the eulogy at his burial in Springfield, Illinois. At that time few people traveled as widely as Bishop Simpson did and his reports on public opinion were a valuable resource to the President. The mausoleum reminds me a little bit of a miniature church to some degree.

Best Friends

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They asked for so little,but gave so much.More than just friends.This is the epitaph that one pet owner had etched in stone in memory of a beloved cat and dog.I assume the pets are buried here just feet from magnificent mausoleums housing their owners. I was not particularly dazzled by the carving work on the cat,but it may be a hundred years old and simply be weathered. You never know what you might come across in these acres of granite.

The Tree of Life

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This image of the three crosses caught my eye because they were under the canopy of this beautiful tree. This cemetery has numerous grand old trees,many of which I do not know their type.For those looking for photo tips,take note how I framed the tree without overlapping the branches and stones.Picking the right lens for any given situation allows you to visually pull off the shot you envision,and little details like that can be a huge advantage.Here are a few quotes relative to my image. From the Bible,

“Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.”

“And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:9).”

and Albert Einstein-“Our death is not an end if we can live on in our children and the younger generation. For they are us, our bodies are only wilted leaves on the tree of life.”

Fog Shrouded Dawn

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This is one of the first images from a recent photo excursion to the cemetery with a friend,and initially  this area caught my eye as the rays of sun spread across the grounds. We parked along a lane and I decided to walk about 30 yards in,which put me in the right spot to see the rays and various light and dark tones. We had an hour drive to get there,and we had no idea the morning was going to be enveloped in fog,so we wish we had left earlier.

Art in Stone

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It has been a while since I have done any cemetery infrared shooting,so both myself and a good friend went out yesterday to explore a new destination. Lovely weather in the low sixties provided the perfect opportunity to look for compositions amongst the grandeur of this Victorian era cemetery.This image was captured with a converted Nikon D200,which only captures infrared now. I spotted these ornately detailed urns which were sidelit by the sun,and the mausoleum in the distance rounded out my composition. I am always amazed by the sights you see in these old cemeteries. I will share more from this trip in the month ahead.

Oak Hill Chapel

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This is another infrared image featuring the chapel at the oak hill cemetery in Washington,D.C.. It was very peaceful in the place, but the trip to get there was a real anxiety laced ordeal for me. I have a real problem with being in traffic jams that just sit there, and this trip included just that.

Infrared tree reflection

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This was taken recently at a local park. I Shot the top image using a Nikon D70 with an infrared filter supplied from lifepixel. The camera can only shoot infrared,but it does a good job with infrared.The bottom image was taken with a Nikon D200 and a color infrared filter from the same company. It is called false color infrared and to be honest I am not sure why the color reproduces as it does.

Opposing viewpoints

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This is an infrared image taken when there was absolutely no sunlight around. Admittedly, I still am not sure what produces great infrared conditions, but sometimes overcast seems to have infrared to work with. I still struggle processing these shots, because I usually shoot raw, and adobe camera raw cannot handle the infrared data because Nikon wont share the decryption info needed, so it’s either shoot jpg or shoot raw and desaturate everything,or use Nikon software,which I despise.

War of 1776

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I shot this infrared image this past weekend at a local chapel and cemetery.The flag was caught on the stone,and I assume it had blown there. Wish I could have seen the mans name, but when it comes to cemeteries, I never touch anything out of respect for those interred there. The marker on which the flag is attached says war of 1776,and the date he died read 1778 on the stone.

The Prince and The Pauper

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As spring advances and trees and grass begin to green up, I start thinking about shooting infrared images.The green foliage turns white in infrared, creating a very unique look. I have found that some of the Victorian era cemeteries can look quite stunning when shot in infrared, and todays post is one such example. This is Calvary cemetery outside New York City, and features very impressive statuary, monuments and carved stones. I have a black backpack and often set it down while I am shooting, and more than once I have gone into panic mode as I wander a bit and realize I forgot where I set my bag. Try finding a bag amongst thousands of dark stones and you quickly remember to wear your bag when you move around. I always go with a friend, and we usually shoot different subjects, so at least once a trip I wait till he is in deep concentration looking through the camera, and I sneak up and suddenly grab his arm or talk in his ear, and of course he returns the favor. This particular cemetery goes on for acres and includes 3 million burials.The large mausoleum on the left is that of the Johnston family. the following is from the internet about this family and where my title came from.

John Johnston died May 17, 1887, seven years after brother Charles and seventeen years before his other brother Robert A. Johnston.

John Johnston led the J. & C. Johnston company, and the J. & C. Johnston department store at Broadway and Twenty-Second Street was a popular source for dress silks and other fabrics. The store was among the most successful of its time, prospering during an era when similar companies frequently went bankrupt.The fortunes of J. & C. Johnston took a drastic turn for the worse after John Johnston’s passing. Responsibility for the company passed to Robert A. Johnston, at whose helm the business failed.

Mr. Johnston possessed millions when the business came to him through the death of his brothers, but he lost all in a few years, and in 1888 the house went out of existence. He retired to his palatial home at Mount St. Vincent, on the Hudson. Later the place was sold at foreclosure and the house burned, the owner having a narrow escape. Since then he had lived alone in a barn on the property, refusing charity. He was found sick with pneumonia and insane ten days ago.”

This obituary makes tantalizing reference to the mighty structure that has fascinated folks for years: “[Robert Johnston’s] body … will be immured in the magnificent family mausoleum built many years ago at a cost of $300,000 in Calvary Cemetery.”The dismal circumstances of Robert Johnston’s death did not cost him a space in the family mausoleum. The mausoleum’s presence today echoes the success and personal fortunes of the Johnston name while housing the man who wasted it.The story is indeed interesting, as the tomb is occupied by prince and pauper alike.


The Guardian Angel

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Sometimes I must just pause and contemplate things that may be coincidence or may be something more. Most of my posts are pretty light-hearted in nature, but today I was asked to photograph a guest speaker at a local school. That speaker was a survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp, and the stories he relayed to the students were simply heart wrenching. He spoke more candidly to the adults afterward and the ordeal this man went through and survived is nothing short of miraculous. The coincidence part I mentioned is because I post a shot last night about a guardian angel, and today this man told numerous stories of his days at Auschwitz, and how he was saved many times by a guardian angel. It just struck me that I could have posted that image a month from now, but I chose last night.

I will share two stories he offered for anyone brave enough to read. The first Story involves him finding a tunnel that the German Shepherds had dug,which went right under the electrified fence. He had made up his mind that he was going to try to escape and either die trying or live upon his escape, and the day before he was planning his attempt, eleven men had done the same thing and were caught outside the perimeter. He said every man was made to parade with a sign saying they were glad to be back inside,and then they were lined up to be shot. Before they were shot, the commander asked for eleven volunteers to join them, and if no one volunteered, he would be selecting 50 men himself. He said in less than three minutes, eleven men had volunteered, and then all 22 men were shot in front of them. He still made his attempt the next day,and upon exiting found a boot on his neck, but after making some conversation in german with the man about his family and children, he was given the chance to get away by this man, and once again the guardian angel was there.

The last story I will share of his experiences is one where he was in italy after his escape, and one day he was stopped by german soldiers and questioned. He spoke perfect italian, but the men refused to believe he was a native of the town, and immediately took him to the wall for execution. He said the commander gave the order to prepare to shoot him, and out of nowhere comes a Priest yelling at him and giving the performance of a lifetime. He said this man was so dramatic,saying he had been looking for him and he was supposed to get to the church to do his work. He had no idea who this man was, and as the soldiers stood there in a puzzled way, the priest led him away by his ear no less, and at a safe distance told him to run for all he was worth. Again the guardian angel was there.

He sat 15 feet from Hitler at the 1936 olympics, and watched him turn his back on Jesse Owens, and he also watched Joseph Mengele decide who would live and die on numerous occasions. Hopefully I did not upset anyone with my post today,but to hear this man tell of his journey was something that just left me with a sense of utter sorrow for all those who suffered.