Anzac

The beautiful sandstone Anzac Square Memorial is still covered with wreaths from Anzac Day on 25 April.

These two pictures are 15 second exposures in early evening. I’ve been doing quite a lot of long exposure shooting lately and I think these bring out the best of the Memorial.

I thought about showing them in b & w – they look great in b & w, but it’s not fair to lose the colour of that sandstone!

lion head fountain below memorial, Anzac Square. ISO100, 18mm, f/9, 15s

Last Anzac Day post for this year – I promise – but since I walk past this Memorial 10 times a week (it’s right above the CBD train station in Brisbane), probably not the last time I’ll photograph it :).

My other Anzac day posts are here: http://lightswimming.com/tag/anzac-day/

If you want more of a story about the history of Anzac Day, check out this blog post at Tragicomedia, which includes a quote by Kemal Ataturk which I can never read aloud without choking up, and some great Anzac Day people photos (quite a style contrast to these ones).

Move him into the sun –
Gently its touch awoke him once,
At home, whispering of fields unsown.
Always it woke him, even in France,
Until this morning and this snow.
If anything might rouse him now
The kind old sun will know.

Think how it wakes the seeds, –
Woke, once, the clays of a cold star.
Are limbs, so dear-achieved, are sides,
Full-nerved, – still warm, – too hard to stir?
Was it for this the clay grew tall?
– O what made fatuous sunbeams toil
To break earth’s sleep at all?

Wilfred Owen

For overseas visitors – 25 April is Anzac Day: http://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/anzac/

Anzac Square – click thumbnails for full size.