Hi Pals

How many of us have got a photograph, that we have taken ourselves, to do with the great war that we are particularly proud of?
Here is mine, taken at ?????? (guess where?) on the 10th of November 2003
It would be better if the gent left midfield wasn't there, but I suppose he adds to depth and scale

This is very hard for me. Out of 991 pictures I have on file I've narrowed it down to three.

Last Post

Thiepval Wood with Teddy Colligan & Stu Mayberry.

44th Inf Div mon. Flers

Sorry I know you asked only for one but I love taking pictures and I have soo many it was to hard to select just one.

Looks to me like Langemarck German Cemetery.

I think one of my fav's is this one - sums it all up doesn't it...



Ryan

Nice perspective of Tyne Cot Ryan.

Stoner I agree the chap in the middle ground gives your shot good depth.

I noticed my pictures were a lot darker on the forum than they are on my computer screen. Can anyone tell me why and how to fix it? The picture of Teddy & Stu in Thiepval Wood lost a lot of its impact because of this as did the contrast in the sepia picture of the 44th ID monument.

Thanks,
Jon

Toss up between this one.......

or this one........website of WF photos hopefully up and running soon.

I don't know why an uploaded image should appear different unless the board resamples it on uploading it...

Here's another perspective...

Maybe this one





Or this one

I really like this one, carrying on the Vimy theme.

last one I promise......

mattpdixon, Of the two I like the poppy!

The pictures keep getting better and better. There is some real talent out there in the Regiment.

My hat is off to each of you,
Jon

Very effective pictures here!

Are you people using digital or SLR cameras? And are some of them taken with wide angle lenses; if so, how wide?

The Flers one - did you use a filter or were you fortunate to be there in an interesting light?

On the uploading point, I am very aware that the ones on my website lose because we have optimised the uploading time, so that they aren't taking forever. This is a deliberate sacrifice. Presumably the ones on this thread look different on other people's monitors / PCs. I suppose I am asking this because it may be time to buy a decent digital camera... ouch. I much prefer the creativity of SLR.

Thank you for sharing them.

Gwyn

Superior work, gentlemen. These are worthy of inclusion in a professionally-produced album. I'm pleased to be here.

The photos of mine above were all done on a Nikon F401s SLR with Sigma 28-80mm lens, so not that wide.

I have now got a Nikon F65 and Nikon F50 (spare body) as of November last year. Last month I bought a Nikon Coolpix 4500 from the US due to excellent £-$ rate... I paid £221 against £399.99 minimum in the UK. The main reason I bought this particular model was simply as it is one of the few digital cameras that has a delayed shutter over 15 seconds, in fact up to 5 minutes on 'bulb' setting.

This is very important for astrophotography which I am also interested in...

Here's an off topic pic (sorry but it is cute!) from last winter (no snow though )

Ryan

Dragon,

It was natural lighting. I took it just as the very last bits of twilight were fadding. I'm still at the office but I've got a wider color shot which I'll post when I get home that shows this quite well.

Jon

The 44th ID mon. at Fler in color.

My current favourites would be either this one:

or this one:

I love the Menin Gate one Ken - perfect!

Ryan

I second that about the Menin Gate, wonderful, but the setting sun in the cemetery is awesome.

Thanks for the kind comments.

The sunset one was almost a farce. I was at Dantzig Alley Cemetery late in the afternoon last October and decided to try and get a 'sunset over the cemetery' picture. But, I had to find a cemetery facing the right way and to be able to get into the right position to get the shot. "Easy", I thought, with so many cemeteries to choose from.

I ended up tearing round the Somme like a lunatic, pulling up outside each cemetery, looking for the sun, cursing and driving on again. I drove to Thiepval, byut the trees got in the way, Beaumont Hamel, but knew the sun was going to disappear before I got up onto the ridge and finally I got to this cemetery which is one of the ones just west of the Serre-Mailly Maillet Road, beyond the Sucrerie.

I knew that if I didn't get it at this cemetery then I would have to give up. I wasn't sure the light was right, but luck was with me.

Ken

Some wonderful pictures here gents! A real pleasure to view

Ken,

Your efforts in trying to find the right spot sure paid off. The Cem. sunset photo is wonderful!

Very moving.
I am unlikely to ever see these cemeteries & memorials.
The pictures were a revelation.
Is there room for a section on these ?
Would help those who can't travel.

Kath

Kath,
Have a look at http://www.unfortunate-region.org/
A brilliant site by Peter van den Heuvel & Marco Hoveling
Marco is a PAL on this site.
Aye
Malcolm

Thanks, Malcolm.

I found the picture of all the names one of the most chilling.

Kath

Very nice pictures, The one Ken took is striking to me, very nice indeed.


Regards

Mick

Langemarcj again I am afraid.. but as I went to go through the entrance I saw the statues at the back and they threw me completely...

Slaidburn Yorkshire... last week it just struck me that this was in a village...looked great...

John

Here is one I thought Matt Dixon would like.

Inspired by Ken's earlier piccy in this thread I took these on Good Friday,

Ryan

and this one.


These were with Digital, I am waiting for 35mm SLR ones to come back to compare similar shots.

Ryan

Artillery Wood Cemetery, Boezinge - Ypres
5 Oct 2003
Seventeen and a half seconds before I reached my car soaking wet.

Aurel

Award winner - what a sky - cross perfect - graves superb. No nonsense. This is a MAGNIFICENTLY framed/captured picture. I am totally envious. Nuf said.
Des awed.
Do you get these all the time or is this one a 'major sucess' for yourself? Love to know how you felt when you saw it in print format.

Desmond,

Thanks for the compliments. But of course the credit should go the the sky in the first place, and to the sun, which appeared to be exceptionally co-operative for not more than 5 seconds.
Photography has always been a hobby, though now more practical (photos for the Diggers and the archives and the website.) Actually it was this hobby that brought me to my Great War interest. (Too difficult to explain how.)

But I just was lucky that morning. Even twice. I often take photos of headstones for people who ask me. The position of the sun is always a problem, if one wants the letters on the headstone very readable. (Ideal position of the sun : "8 o'clock" or "4 o'clock" position, the slanting shadows making the letters very readable then.)
So that Sunday morning there was a bright blue sky, and I knew that at Artillery Wood Cem. the sun would be in the 8 o'clock position. So I rushed to the cemetery (in my village, less than 1 mile from where I live)) to take that headstone photo I had promised. And just when I arrived dark clouds arrived too, but I had the time to take that headstone photo. Seconds later the sky began to look like a nightmare. But looking up I saw a tiny hole in the clouds and reckoned that at a given moment the sun would peep through. And indeed, I saw a spot of sunshine in the fields gliding towards Artillery Wood Cem. And there it was ! I did not have more than 3 to 5 seconds to take that photo, and only one. And then I rsuhed home to see the result. And I must say I was quite pleased with it. And then could dry my clothes, for right after taking the photo there was a serious shower pouring down !

However, from a photographic point of view, Caesar's Nose Cem. (Welsh Cem.) is my 'favourite'. Just one of them. At the time (many years ago) it still had that cherry tree...

Aurel

These are my favorites of my collection of living history pics

and the second one:

WOW.... These are some really GREAT photos here , love the one with the leaded skys !!

This a wonderful thread , I love every picture in it . Mine dosen't compare , but I do like it .
Phil.

Phil - don't do yourself down. I don't know if you've ever thought about it but ...
look at the background skyline with the dark trees - remind you of anything?
I'll tell you what I think ... if you can't guess.
Like the rows of crosses idea, has the wonderful effect of drawing someone INTO the picture. And the splash of blood red on the front is very symbolic.
But it's the background trees which get me!!
Des
PS Is that the Irish Tower in the piper pic above? The trench is tres bon.

To me it looks like shells exploding but only in green instead of the old sepia brown! The picture is also taken near ground level, just like a soldier looking over the parapet of his trench. See Phil, lots going on in your shot.

Jon

it is the irish tower, we were there 2 years ago in a trench in december.
very cold...

I regularly take pic's of sunset's in the Salient. the one beneath is one of my favourites:
Huts Cemetery Dikkebus
Jacky

bkristoph,
sorry for being not knowledgeable with Irish matters in the Great War: where is that tower and adjacent trench located?

My favourite:

Sanctuary Wood Zillebeke

Jacky

Jon's hit the spot on the shells exploding.
The Irish Tower at Messines.
Jacky - Love the sunburst on the cross and the 'barbed wire' effect of the bare wintry trees. Don't want to be 'spooky' but the Western Front has a 'weirdness' to it which the majority of locals who live there year after year don't notice. But when the weather conditions are right and the right person is behind the camera, boy can it be gothic!!
Des

Thanks Jon and Des
I haven't ever noticed that before in the picture . My mind has always been drawn down the corridor of crosses , sometime the words " between the crosses , row on row " comes to mind . It also reminds me of such an amazing day . After going to all these places that I had read about since I was a boy and actually standing in the sacred ground I thought nothing else could happen that day to amaze me . That was until I was sitting in the foyer of the mecure hotel near Perrone with it's huge glass frontage drinking a beer and thinking , when a tourist bus came crashing through the glass into the front of the hotel ! . I never realised before that you can actually flip yourself backwards out of an armchair using only your bum muscles !!.
All the pictures here are worthy of a book , it's a lovely thread .
Phil.