A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words

What do you see when you look at this image?

The photo is quite simple: a single strand of barbed wire. A brick wall with a light fixture and a sign with a number on it. Four simple elements. The focus in on the strand of wire, which is why the background is deliberately out of focus but still discernible.

I generally photograph landscapes and wildlife, things of beauty. I seldom write a post focused on a single photograph, especially one that isn't breathtaking in its beauty. People enjoy looking at gorgeous scenery and impressive wild animals. Barbed wire? Not so much.

But I wanted to share this image taken during a recent trip to Poland. This single strand of barbed wire (there were others above and below it) is part of a fence within the original Auschwitz concentration camp. The brick wall is part of Block 23, a former Polish army barracks converted, along with many others, to become a prison. Block 23 was one of several buildings that held Soviet prisoners of war. The vast majority of these prisoners died of starvation or disease.

I like this photograph for its stark simplicity. Its four elements tell a story, of imprisonment and cruelty and death. Is there any doubt about the story the image tells nearly 80 years after the end of the war? 

"A picture is worth a thousand words" goes an old adage. I think this image is worth a lot more than 1,000 words. It speaks to torture, cruelty, imprisonment, starvation, death on a mass scale, hatred, inhumanity, sadism, and so many more of man's basest actions.

I took more than 1,500 images during my time at both the Auschwitz main camp and at the nearby, and much larger, Auschwitz-Birkenau camp. I think this photo is one of the handful that really represents the horror of the Nazi effort to exterminate those they considered to be undesirable and sub-human.

Please let me know your reaction to this image. I shared this image as my 'photo of the day' on my Facebook photography page, and it received very little attention. Apparently people aren't interested in seeing a photograph that doesn't show a cute animal or a beautiful nature scene. Frustrating.

Cameras Make Me Happy

Cameras make me happy. Humans make my head hurt.

I love this slogan that keeps appearing in online T-shirt ads. I love it because it says exactly how I feel. I love nothing more than taking my cameras and exploring new places. I love the challenge of creatively capturing a scene, whether a landscape or a wild animal. And it's amazing how looking at a photograph I took years ago brings back memories, not just of where the image was taken, but of exactly where.

I hate what much of humanity has become, and it does much more than make my head hurt. It upsets my stomach, and it hurts my soul. Our species has become greedy, cruel, hateful, self-centered, self-righteous and hostile. We have lost our humanity, our concern for others, and our compassion. Too many of us blindly follow political leaders despite their proven and multiple lies. Too many of us no longer believe in science, in modern medicine and in the mass media. 

If this sounds like a very pessimistic and negative view of our world, that's because it is. I also believe it is a very realistic picture of the world in 2019. It saddens me to see what the world in which I have lived has become.

But back to my cameras. I have four digital cameras: two DSLRs, one point-and-shoot, and one bridge camera. Sometimes it isn't practical or feasible to carry both DSLRs and lenses with me. When I'm hiking, for example, the bridge camera serves me well. So I also like this expression on a T-shirt: "Yes, I really do need all these cameras."

I also have an assortment of lenses, plus all the accessories (spare batteries and memory cards, filters, lens cleaning kits, etc.). This gear can be pretty heavy to carry in a backpack through big airports, so I ordered a camera bag with wheels that should hold all my gear. It also has straps so it can be used as a backpack, but I will most likely use it as a wheeled bag. 

I don't chase the latest and greatest camera bodies and lenses. I have what I need, and I am happy with what I have. I must confess, however, that if I could easily handle a 500mm or 600mm lens, I would buy one. But my 100-400mm lens is about all I can easily hold for long periods of time, especially after breaking my wrist 3 years ago.

I still have a lot to learn about photography, but I am learning and improving all the time. Right now I'm working on learning more about Lightroom CC and how to edit RAW images. I'm now shooting in both RAW and JPEG, but eventually I'll shoot only in RAW.

You can see some of my best images at www.annsullivan.zenfolio.com

Check Out My New Photography Site!

I am pleased to announce that I now have a new Web site featuring my best and most popular photographs.

At www.annsullivan.zenfolio.com you will find stunning images of landscapes, flowers, animals big and small, big cats, sunrises and sunsets, birds and scenes of the American West.

New photos are being added every day, so please check out this new site, and check back often to see what is new! 

www.annsullivan.zenfolio.com 

Buy a Photo, Help a Great Cause

I wrote about this endeavor last year, but it's time to remind followers of this blog about my photography site.

I have been interested in photography for decades, and I consider myself to be a better than average photographer. (The photograph of the wheel to the left was honored in a photo competition by the travel organization Backroads).  Now that I can afford to buy some additional equipment and have time to pursue my passion in retirement, I am enjoying this hobby even more. I'm a long way from being professional, but I enjoy the challenge of capturing a scene and of always trying to improve my photography skills. Wildlife and landscape photography are my favorites, although I also really enjoy photographing old buildings and wheels. And of course, nothing can compare with photographing animals in Africa.

Friends and acquaintances have told me for many years how much they enjoy seeing my photographs from trips throughout the U.S. and around the world. So late last summer I decided to make my best photographs available for sale, with 50 percent of profits being given to one of four  non-profit organizations of the purchaser's choice. All images are copyrighted and may not be reproduced or downloaded without prior consent.

Although I support a wide variety of non-profit organizations, I have chosen four to be the recipients of proceeds of my photography venture. Buyers can chose one or more of the following:

• David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which runs a nursery for orphaned elephants and rhinos in Kenya and prepares them to return to the wild; 
• Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue; 
• Memphis Area Golden Retriever Rescue; or 
• Road Runner Food Bank of New Mexico. 

My photos can be viewed, and ordered, at http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-ann-sullivan.html They are available in a variety of sizes as high-quality photographic prints, on canvas or metal, or as note cards. All products come with a 100 percent satisfaction guaranteer. If you're not happy with a purchase that you made on FineArtAmerica.com, for any reason, you can return it  within 30 days of the order date. As soon as it arrives, a full refund for the entire purchase price will be issued, excluding shipping costs.

Featured images in my galleries include animals, landscapes, architecture, cars and trucks, sunrises and sunsets, and people.

Please visit http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-ann-sullivan.html  and check out this opportunity to get a great photograph and support a non-profit organization doing life-saving work at the same time, at no extra cost to you. Check back often, as new photos are added as appropriate.