Veteran's Day In San Bruno

 

Photographing events like Veteran's Day can be very challenging. They are unscripted and unpredictable. Sometimes the photo I submit is a combination of what was there and what the viewer can identify with. I don't remember specifically taking this photo, but do remember it was one of a series of shots, and that I saw it for a few seconds in my viewfinder and pronounced it "acceptable" from an exposure point of view. I do remember purposely positioning myself in front of the wreath and simply waiting for something to happen.

I made some "sketch" photos while some speeches were being made, and after seeing this shot, was confident I was on the right track. The strong back lighting gave the flag a iridescent quality, one I was able to preserve in the final shot. Since the wreath would eventually be moved to the center of the stage, I knew that it would be ceremoniously moved, probably by the two Marines in the Dress Blues sitting in the front row. Sure enough, in a few moments, the three participants stepped forward and prepared to move the wreath. This shot was made quickly since the maneuver took but a few moments. I managed to crab-walk past the seated spectators and made a few shots of the wreath being placed in its final location, but all of the subjects were facing away from me. I wouldn't know this was the "winner" until I examined it in post production.

Near Miss: I have a problem with my approach to many of the assignments I've covered. Too often, I will fixate on some visual aspect of a photo and will assume that the viewer will draw the same conclusions I did when I made the exposure. When I saw this Viet Nam-era veteran saluting, I thought, for a moment, that the entirety of the day could be carried by this one photo. I worked on getting the best framing I could, and experimented with both the exposure and the composition. But in the end, it wasn't as impressive when viewed on a computer screen. It didn't take long for me to realize that this photo wasn't going to make it.

In the end, the only real choice was a variation on the photo at the top of the post. It has military uniforms, a wreath, and the American Flag. The back lighting and the translucent nature of the flag give it a luminescence that couldn't have been achieved any other way.

As it turned out, the Journal ran a piece listing the local Veteran's Day remembrances throughout the Bay Area, so the events were well covered. Since so much space had already been so committed, my photo wasn't published in the Weekend edition. The next opportunity for the photo would be Monday, thee days after the photo was made. With the timeliness lost, the image is now part of my collection of skill-sharpening images to will hopefully improve my photographic responses in the future.