American Cemetery and Memorial Margraten

[JK6065]

Today I visited American Cemetery and Memorial Margraten. I find it difficult to come op with a good shots, so what do you think of these:

#1




The harsh sun broke through the gray snowy sky, so I went for a different approach with higher contrast with the next two.

#2



#3

[Wirefox]

Jeroen

No 2 is beautifully composed and a very moving image. You say you have boosted the contrast. Did you over do it slightly on the brightness slider as well. With this image I would have processed the sky and trees separately from the foreground. There is some blowing out of the whites to the right and you may have been able to recover by processing a RAW file for the sky and a copy for the foreground. You can then dump them on top of each other as layers and paint out the sky or foreground.Whichever is on top.

Hope that makes sense. Still an excellent shot though

[Donald]

Jeroen

No 2 is beautifully composed and a very moving image. .... Hope that makes sense. Still an excellent shot though

I totally agree.

Your composition is wonderful.

[Peter Ryan]

I agree with Steve and Donald. I quiet like #1 but feel it is too bright with some blown highlights. I like being able to read just one name. The perspective in #2 is excellent.

[carregwen]

Brilliant, Jeroen, Really, a wonderful composition. The symmetry, the skeletal trees - menacing in the background, the unknown footsteps, the snow.

A couple of things on the processing. I thought the snow a little blown, especially in the top-right. I edited in CS5/ACR and reduced the blown-out areas using recovery. I also pushed the clarity slider across which defined the blacks a little more. And I thought that far right tree needs cropping out.

Minor things really, and they don't detract from a shot that I wish I had taken. Well done.

[MiniChris]

I think a combination of yours and his would be just right..I like how the blown out effect lets your eye exit into an unknown place, but it is a tad too blown out and yours a tad too clear. The blown out area contrast so nicely with the footsteps also going to some unknown place.

[Dave Humphries]

Like many others above; #2 is my favourite, although (sorry Rob), I prefer something closer to the original with a more high look to it and less darkened distant trees and first row of crosses - it lends more to the depth of the shot.

#1 is also very good though.

#3; I just can't reconcile the huge block with the rest of the scene

Nice work Jeroen, well done,

[Clactonian]

Very impressive Jeroen, particularly No: 2.

[BongoBob]

#2 is absolutely stunning - I agree with Dave that it looks best as the original; As it is it feels so surreal, and the adjustments to the brightness take the life out of the image for me.

[mythlady]

Beautiful -- #2 is a really arresting image. Very moving, as others have said.

[JK6065]

Thank you for the replies.

About the blown highlights: I'll think it over later today, but I think I'll stay (quite close) to the original.

Dave, the block is quite a distinctive part of the cemetery, but I agree it looks a bit like an outsider in this photo.

[speedneeder]

I think the pictures are very good, though they conjure sadness within me.
People that have given their lives for others is overwhelmingly moving to me.

[JK6065]

I went through the bunch I shot back than again today and picked some more photographs I found worthy.



#4 The statue at the entrance of the cemetery. (The wall with the letters is the 'block' visible in #3 from my first post)




#5 Similar in approach as #2



I'm amazed by how much these photographs do to me. It was really a magical moment when I visited the cemetery. I've been there before and it's so impressive to enter the cemetery at the beautiful entrance. Then there is a little stairs to climb and when you approach the top you suddenly see all these thousands and thousands of white crosses in beautiful symmetry. The day day that I shot these series the whole cemetery was covered in snow. So nothing but white ground, white crosses and skeleton like trees.
After shooting for about an hour suddenly the cloudy sky broke open and the sunlight defined every single cross. It was truly overwhelming.

Especially now I have the #2 printed 90*60cm after winning a photo competition in the Netherlands. The result is stunning.

[ilovelucydog]

The composition of number 2 is great. I personally like how the upper right gives the feeling of it going on and on and on. The snow-covered crosses, the barren trees, the snow-filled footprints, the sun peeking through... they all are part of a story that you read in the picture.

[speedneeder]

I really like #4. Thanks for posting it.