San Francisco National Cemetery

SVN

Some pics from my visit to the SF Cemetery in the Presidio.A quiet and beautiful place not that you go there for photography but its pretty surreal.

Zebleys

Being a (Retired) Navy wife & Navy brat ... I think this is a beautiful line of photographs and also a great place to pull the camera out. Tastefully done.

Julie

grimace

Nice job.

SVN

mrt10x wrote:

Sorry Julie but I have to disagree... being an active duty Marine (20 years) I feel that a national cemetery should be visited, and simply observed with great reverence and humility.. keep you camera in the bag... these men/women gave all, dont exploit for a cool looking photo, no matter if your agenda is pure or not. IMHO/YMMV

i apologize if i offended anyone's sentiments.I checked other people posting threads and taking photos of cemeteries before doing so myself.Mods please feel free to delete /move the thread.
Thanks

mrt10x

Actually I should have sent a PM...

Tango

thank you for sharing these. i am not familar with this place at all and you have taken me there, #1 is very sobering

fwiw, i would find it an honor to have my stone photographed with this care and skill. to be put out there for others to remember the costs of what we all share.
i miss my friends that gave all. i served with them and wished certain things didnt happen. these photographs pulled up memories that i havent thought about in awhile and i see that as good....

Zebleys

SVN - I voiced a thought on how I felt about your photographs and a soldier disagreed with my views. I honor & respect Mrt's thoughts and find them EXTREMELY justified as he knows what it's all about but at the same time, you gave me an awareness of a beautiful place I never knew existed & through photographs I was able to pay my respects from FL. Even you stated it was not the most ideal place to pull out a camera. Do not apologize ... it was my statement that created a reaction. Right or wrong ... I still find these to be amazing photographs & still believe they were tastefully done.

I hope you understand where I'm coming from Mrt as I do you.

Respectfully,
Julie
Navy wife (16 years)

PHOTOempt

as a relative newcomer, i hope that i am not speaking out of turn here. the content of this thread made me stop and examine/clarify what we are doing when we compose a photo, as certain ethical considerations have obviously been raised. i can only speak from my point of view: when i see a scene of beauty, whether natural or man- made, a sense of awe,respect, humility will compel me to compose an image; not take an 'i-was-there' snapshot, but a real compulsion to compose an image that reflects, not just the beauty, but also the emotional content of the scene that i am witnessing. it is our skill as a photographer that should take us beyond the 'snapshot attack', and really examine our response to a scene and compose an image to reflect and share those emotions. in these photos, which have prompted responses of respect, and memory for the fallen, (the emotions that the photographer apparently felt while taking these images,) i have a strong sense of seeing a tribute to those who have passed, and i would therefore respectfully suggest that these images of quiet dignity are successful in sharing those emotions. i think that it is right to question where and when it is appropriate/inappropriate to take images, but if we remember that we are trying to capture the emotions that speak to us, i believe that that is not an exploitation, but a sign of respect for the place that we are in. sarah

BMW Kurt

Zebleys wrote:

SVN - I voiced a thought on how I felt about your photographs and a soldier disagreed with my views. I honor & respect Mrt's thoughts and find them EXTREMELY justified as he knows what it's all about but at the same time, you gave me an awareness of a beautiful place I never knew existed & through photographs I was able to pay my respects from FL. Even you stated it was not the most ideal place to pull out a camera. Do not apologize ... it was my statement that created a reaction. Right or wrong ... I still find these to be amazing photographs & still believe they were tastefully done.

I hope you understand where I'm coming from Mrt as I do you.

Respectfully,
Julie
Navy wife (16 years)

I agree. As an ex-Army officer I really appreciated this series. They were tasteful and done with respect. SVN, I would take ALL these posts as a complement! An image that does not evoke emotion is just a pretty picture. You have obviously evoked different emotions in people. Great job! Google or read about Sally Mann and I think you will see what I mean about images evoking all kinds of emotion.