Humbled by their Sacrifice
On a recent trip to continental Europe, I made the point of visiting the American War Cemetery in Luxembourg. The cemetery and memorial, based just outside Luxembourg City, is where over 5,000 serving Americans have been laid to rest following the second World War. It’s all too easy to not really appreciate the loss of life suffered during World War II. Estimates put the total dead at somewhere between 60 and 85 million people. That number is quite simply beyond comprehension. To think, that every one of those dead was someone’s mother, father, brother, sister, friend. The memorial which is located almost directly beside Luxembourg Airport, is both a beautiful and humbling place. When you walk through the gates and past the large memorials, your first sighting of the thousands of white crosses is overwhelming. It takes your breath away. Walking through the cemetery itself, reading the names, ranks and places of birth of all these young men (and one woman) is almost too much at times. You can’t help but be humbled by the sacrifice of these young men and women, who went to war and never came home. Never was so much owed by so many to so few.
New York City – Part Two
It’s almost impossible to talk about New York City today and not mention September 11th – a tragedy so great that we now only need to refer to it by date. There have been much larger losses of life throughout the course of history but there is something about happened on that Tuesday morning that hit us all so deeply. I’ve wanted to visit the World Trade Centre site for quite some time to pay my respects to all of those who lost their lives. I was expecting to walk into a quiet area filled with sadness but instead I found a place full of energy, recovering from the disaster in the only way they know how – with pride, passion and dignity. Nothing else sums up the people of New York City like the World Trade Centre site. The recently opened 9/11 Memorial is a fitting tribute to those who lost their lives on 9/11 and during a separate terrorist attack on the WTC in February 1993. Part two of this story begins with the WTC site and the 9/11 Memorial before exploring the rest of what this incredible city has to offer. If you’d like to contribute to the 9/11 Memorial fund, I’ve included a link to the official website at the bottom. Read on for more images after the break …
New York City – Part One
Growing up, I’ve really only ever had one dream. It was a dream that always stayed with me when others would fade away or would be forgotten as time passed. It was a realistic dream – sure, we’d all love to win the lotto or a couple of Nobel prizes but it’s healthy to keep your feet planted firmly in reality – and one that I knew I would someday be able to make happen. Earlier this year, all the planets and stars aligned for me and I was finally presented with the ability to travel to the greatest city on earth, New York. Ever since I travelled to the USA as a child with my parents, I’ve always had a place in my heart for those United States. This was more of a holiday than a job but being a photographer is something you can never turn off. Armed with my beloved Canon 5DMKII (minus a battery grip to save weight), the Canon 35 F1.4 L and the Canon 135 F2 L, I was sure I was ready to take on the city that never sleeps. This is the first of two parts and I’ll hopefully have the second part online later this week. Enjoy …
Business as Usual …
I’ve been out of the office for the last week on a long overdue vacation to the United States. Unfortunately, the auto-responder I set-up before departing got knocked off after a power cut so I apologise for any lack of correspondence in the mean time. I’ll be back in the office from Tuesday November 1st where business will resume as usual. I’ll be sure to share some of my favorite sights from my trip with you shortly …