Tag Archives: Marine Memorial

Happy Fourth of July

Iwo Jima Memorial
Arlington, Virginia

This Fourth of July will be different that any other. The Fourth of July has always been a special time when I’ve celebrated with family and friends. I remember growing up and having family get-togethers at Sportsman’s Park in Yakima and watching fireworks at the Selah Park. I’ve been lucky enough to spend the Fourth in Washington, DC four times. I’ve watched fireworks over the Capitol Mall … what a glorious experience. Our University of Washington college group (the Whizzies) have gotten together for the Fourth every year since the the mid 80’s. For the past 30+ years we have joined together at Sunriver Resort in Oregon. We have watched the Whizzy children grow up and have children of their own. The Covid-19 pandemic has changed all our lives but not our spirit. Though we will not physically get together, we will have a collective Zoom event to celebrate the Holiday and our friendship.

In these difficult times, let’s all take the time to reflect on what this special holiday represents. It is a time to be grateful for what others have given to insure our independence and freedom. It is a time to give back to our Country and peoples and to make our Nation stronger.

Happy Fourth of July!

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Iwo Jima Memorial

130607_IwoJima_Hands by Karl G. Graf.

From the Air Force Memorial we shot down to the Marines Memorial.  While I took several images of the overall sculpture, I felt like these two detail photos captured the feeling best for me.  The above image reflects the consolidated effort required to win the battle.  The expressions on the two soldiers faces shown below seem to project focus and determination.

130607_IwoJima_Heads by Karl G. Graf. Shadows from the high noon sun hid the details on the soldiers faces.  I used NIK Viveza and Color Efex Pro to brighten their faces while still maintaining the shadows and not blowing out the highlights in the rest of the image.  To accentuate the structure details, darken the blue sky, and keep the patina from the bronze, I first converted to black and white using NIK Silver Efex Pro.  To finish the photo, I blended the B&W version back into the color image.

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