Memorial Day Walk in Veterans Park
I heard that the "Field of Flags" at Veterans Park in Milwaukee was an impressive installation every Memorial Day, so I decided to go check it out with my camera. The rumors were true. I'm glad I went and I think I ended up with some fun photos.
I had been watching a lot of videos from British photographer James Popsys, who shoots and edits in a bright highlight, washed green type of style and while my photos from this day are not exactly like his, after uploading them here I can definitely see the influence.
For this first one, I wanted to capture the expanse of the flags, and I thought the flags in the foreground, the flags and statue of General MacArthur in the mid-ground, and the ship (even though it doesn't fit the memorial theme) in the background helped create depth that shows just how far into the scene the flags reach.
The goal for this second one was the same as the first; Show the expanse of the flags. I think it's less interesting than the first one, but you can tell that there are a lot of flags. Having actually stood in the park next to the stone monuments in the background I think they add scale to the expanse of flags, which was my intention. But, after the fact I realize that if you haven't been there, it probably doesn't work for you because you don't know how big they are. You win some, you lose some. But, it does still look like a hell of a lotta flags!
I constantly have my eyes open for interesting elements like reflections. The stone monument is one of tiny ones surrounding the tall ones in the background of the last photo and I thought the reflection of the flags along with the reflection of the building was interesting. At the time I thought that the building reflection added a sense of place, but similar to the stone monuments in the background of the previous photo, if you aren't familiar with Milwaukee's lakefront, it really doesn't help you out. In hindsight, I find the base of the monument a little distracting too, but I included it so you would understand that it was a stone monument. I probably should have darkened it a bit in post.
I am constantly searching for ways to create depth in my photos. Sub-framing is a tried and true way to help out in that department and is one of my go-to tools. I lean too heavily on using branches and leaves to frame scenes, but surprise, surprise, I used it here. It's a bit subtle in the lower left corner, but it kind of works. It probably would have worked better if I had moved to the right a bit and didn't have the top branch overlapping with the building. Proof that I need to practice slowing down and really looking around my scene before pressing the shutter.
Even though General MacArthur oversaw the Army (land based troops) in the South Pacific Theater during WWII, the placement of this statue gives a "watching over the seas" type of feel. I thought that this moment, with the statue in the foreground and the ship in the background captured that feeling pretty well. The seagulls in the mid-ground didn't hurt to create depth either. Good work, keep it up General.
Branches and leaves in the foreground creating a frame around a subject in the background. Pay attention, you'll see that trick a lot on this website.
I took this photo specifically because it felt like a James Popsys photo to me. I hope he doesn't take offense to that!
I took this one for a number of reasons.
- The sign explains the reason for the flags and highlights the fact that 12,301 people from Wisconsin alone died fighting the Civil War! You came a long time before me, but seriously, thanks for standing up for what's right.
- I think it captures the scale of the amount of flags, which represent each person who died in this conflict. A number on a sign is one thing. Seeing a flag for each of them... God Damn!
- The war memorial building in the background adds scale and depth and appropriately fits the subject of the photo. Or at least I thought so.
Overall, it was a very nice morning for a walk and ended up being fruitful as far as photos go.