Tuesday was Lincoln's Birthday, a date no longer celebrated as a holiday in the US. To mark the occasion, though, the Arnold House, built in 1693, held a birthday celebration for the ex-President. Members of the Civil War era Battery C Rhode Island Light Artillery were present. Today's photo shows a member of the regiment guarding the entrance to the historic home.
Post processing started with a classic filter in Topaz B&W FX. I adjusted color sensitivity sliders followed by adaptive exposure, regions, boost black, boost white, contrast, and protect highlights. I added a brightness / contrast adjustment and a levels adjustment in PSE followed by a sepia photo filter.
This photograph satisfies because it has balance. A window either side. A solid rustic door balanced by a solid 'rustic' man. There are parallel lines, horizontal lines and diagonal lines (windows). And this symmetry is broken only by the casual placement of the man's right leg which breaks the symmetry. It's modern and it's timeless. The 'soldier' is totally into his role - why else would he sport those glorious moustachios? A very satisfying picture.
