Tips for Photographing at the WWII Memorial
I have taken several hundred group photos of Honor Flights at the WWII Memorial. Every Honor Flight “hub” is unique so I thought I’d share my experience of camera technique and locations at the Memorial to aid you in your photography. My collection of 30,000 plus images of Honor Flights has been used for fund raising, public relations, books, blogs, national magazines and yes….even RV Coverings–to publicize Honor Flight. My standard camera is a Canon S100 which is a 12 megapixel large sensor camera which only costs about $250.00, has a zoom starting at a nice wide 24mm and fits right int the back pocket of your jeans! They’ve even worked out a little straps that makes it easy to access it from the pocket. Get an extra battery and a 16 gig card and you are cooking!
I use an online service known as Zenfolio for online storage and distribution. You will find that if you take good photographs of your hubs in action, you can use the images for distribution to news agencies and fund raising events. Sponsors are always grateful as they can advertise their community involvement. Images are extraordinarily valuable fund raising tools and I like to think I’ve earned my keep as a participant in Honor Flight by making those images available. Additionally, I believe that Honor Flight will have a long historical life as the care shown for our elderly through this program transcends any political belief.
You need to plan your photograph and ask the guardians to get the veterans to the restroom and on site at a specific time. This photo and the one above only took fifteen minutes from setup to completion. It was successful because I had a week to plan and worked with Jeff Miller, Dave Smith, and eight guardians to POLITELY move the pedestrians and onlookers all the way back to 17th Street so that EVERYONE got the photo. I had a brief 30 seconds to move in and take this photograph. I think there are three hundred and fifty people in the overall photograph and the principals in this tighter frame. Fortune favors the prepared!
Forced Flash
Honor Flight local “hubs” visit the Memorial when conditions are difficult for photography. The sun is high and casts a shadow in the eye sockets making everyone look a bit like a panda. To remedy this “panda syndrome,” I adjust my camera so the small flash always fires. While that tiny flash on your camera won’t light up the mall, it will fill in the shadows caused by a baseball cap. Read the camera manual and learn how to set your flash so it fires each time. It’s called “forced flash.” Practice standing about six feet away from your subjects so the flash fills in the facial area but doesn’t look unnatural or overpower the scene. “Forcing the flash” requires an extra battery and a bit of patience as the flash has to recycle between photos. You should expect the delay and keep your subjects distracted while the flash is recycling. In the photograph below, even though Colin Powell and I were throwing shadows on the veterans he’s shaking hands with, the small flash filled in the areas and opened up the shadows caused by their baseball caps. It’s such a small burst of light that it’s not noticeable…. unless it isn’t there!
Location….Location…Location….!
These sample images might help you decide in advance where you want to take your group photographs. The location is often decided by the size of your group. Some groups try to form up by their state column but the group has to be small. Most of the state column areas are narrow and you need some room for group photos. The state columns are best left I think for photos of individuals. The more room you have, the faster you can get it done.
My favorite location for group photography is in the center of the Memorial just in front of the Memorial. It gives you a great choice of the Lincoln, the Atlantic or Pacific arches for background and room to spread out. Honor Flight Chicago travels with one hundred veterans and guardians at a time. Professional photographer John Bonk does all their individual and group photographs and edits some 5000 images per trip. I made some images which shows the many elements (buglers, singers, honor guard, floral arrangements, etc…) which go into Chicago’s ceremonies. As you can see in the picture below, Chicago is not short on cameras! The morning of departure, John also takes portrait photographs of the veterans for identification while on the road and as a gift to the elderly veterans who usually don’t have a good professional photograph.
Panoramas…You don’t need a specialized camera
To accomplish the photo below, I took six frames by walking in front of the veterans and photographing at equidistant points. I then stripped the images together in a panorama program called Arcsoft Panorama. The result is an enormously big image which can be blown up to show each veteran clearly. I then went back to my studio and uploaded it to Costco in the Chicago area where it was brought to the airport and distributed to the veterans when they arrived. Neat trick! This is standard practice for Chicago’s flights. As I understand it, one of Honor Flight Chicago’s volunteers runs a taxi service which dispatches a cab to Costco and to the airport where it is dropped into the Veterans “goody bags.”
In the contact sheet (below), you can see that I separate the sequences of pan images by photographing my hand just before I take each sequence. This allows me to see where the pans start when I am putting them together in Photoshop or Arcsoft software programs. Arcsoft is inexpensive and very capable. Adobe is also very capable but “expensive”! These software programs turn any camera into an incredibly versatile machine capable of competing with the most expensive DSLR cameras.
The photographs below of Canton Akron’s 2011 flight were used by Smuckers Corporation (their corporate sponsor) for an annual report. I had originally planned on making the image with the Lincoln in the background but because of an unplanned marching band, had to quickly relocate to the Atlantic side of the Plaza. From the side of the Memorial, it took a few minutes to pose the hundred veterans and get them all in the picture but it worked. Using the Atlantic ramp for height gave me a better view of the veterans. I managed (just barely) to get everyone in one frame. Obviously, the composition isn’t everything I hope for but it went to press! As it was all going on, I also took a series of panoramic frames that were ready to be stripped together in a panorama if we couldn’t squeeze everyone in.
When I make these group photographs, I always take one photograph of the veterans alone and then another with all of the volunteers. While we are assembling the group photo, I ask the volunteers to take close up pictures of the vets with their cameras and then ask everyone to step back. This is where everyone has to cooperate. It is a critical time as the veterans are out in the sun (or rain) so make sure that the guardians are ready to get behind the principal photographer. As wonderful as capturing these moments are, they are not worth discomfiting the veterans.
The Wall of Stars is another particularly good place for small groups as is illustrated by this photo of Rhode Island’s first trip. As always, I used the small flash on my camera to throw some light into the shadows caused by the visors of the Vets ball caps. If the group is too big, you will end up backing into the fountains to accomodate them. And if this occurs, go for the panoramic mode. My Canon camera even has a “stitch assist” mode. Some of the Sony cameras only need to swept across the scene and they put the pans together. Go Digital!!!
Homeland Drive is the most difficult place to make group images. If you have more than twenty vets, they won’t comfortably fit into the area with the Pacific Arch as a background. When the Senators Dole are there, you’ll be hard pressed to find any room. I use the benches right along Homeland Drive to photograph but it’s always proves difficult to get a clear photograph. If you get caught having to make a group shot in this area, you might want to consider making a three shot panorama. Again, I start left to right and photograph my hand before I begin the sequence. You should overlap by 40 percent in each panoramic frame. You will be amazed as you watch the software make a seamless image out of several single files!
****I use a Canon S100 which is a sophisticated “point and shoot” camera with very wide angle capabilities (24mm to 120mm). Any camera similar to this with 10 or more megapixels is sufficient for any photography you need to accomplish.
Conclusion
If you like panoramas and you have some spare time, you’ll find the WWII Memorial is wonderful place to practice your photography. Notice that the curves of the Memorial mimic the distortion of the panorama so it’s particularly appropriate for the subject matter. Here are some more samples! See you on the Mall!
