Over this weekend the history group in our village but on an exhibition and events to commemorate the outbreak of WW1. There was a board dedicated to the story of each of the ten men in the village who lost their lives in the war. Many of the people who live here are descendants of those men and there were many exhibits that had belonged to them on display. Some of the members of the group built a replica trench indoors which was complete with smoke, sounds and smells that would have been experienced in those times. the choir sang wartime songs interspersed with some very moving poetry, the art group had work on display and there was a replica field kitchen selling trench food (pea soup, corned beef stew and doughnuts.)
I am not a member of the history group but was asked to take some photos so the event can be remembered. I also sang in the choir and had some WW1-related art on display.
For a village of 300 people it was an incredible event and following some local TV and press coverage people came from miles away to see it.
I really wanted to get a photo of the trench that did it justice - not easy given that when it was lit up (the only time I could get anything in focus) the atmosphere was lost. I knew the kind of effect I wanted to get, and this HDR photo from three exposures which I did in Photomatix Pro was not too far from what I was looking for.
Must have been an amazing experience to be apart of this exhibit. Sound like it was well thought out and executed with the heart. Thank you for sharing this wonderful photo in memory of the lost in your village.
None of us have experienced the harsh reality of being in the trenches. We've all seen images in books and on TV though. If I closed my eyes and tried to picture a trench in my minds eye your photograph is very close to what I'd see. Good shot Jan, Bless them all.
