Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Holocaust Memorial


This is the Holocaust Memorial, a 1981 sculpture by Elbert Weinberg.  It depicts two strong arms holding a shofar (horn) aloft.  It stands outside the Jewish Community Center on the West Hartford-Bloomfield line.

I have taken more photos of this sculpture than I care to admit.  In the morning, in the afternoon.  In the summer, in the fall.  Cloudy days and sunny days.  From one side, from the other.  I have never got an image that I like enough to put on this blog.


Do you have something that just won't let you get a decent photograph?


28 comments:

  1. Strong and symbolic. Yes, there are some monument or statues that I wasn't able to photograph with satisfaction. I'll try again and again...

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  2. Many times Jack, but I don't see how you can be unhappy with these images. Both show a very powerful and strong sculpture depicting an unforgettably horrendous period in history. Excellent work indeed!

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  3. Very strong image! I love this memorial, Jack! It's not easy to find such a powerful one and take so good photos of it.
    As for your comment on Rasnow - I took this photo from the Castle situated high above the town. Great Medieval Structure! By the way, still there are so many places to visit, and I've never left Europe so far:(
    Have a great day:)
    J.

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  4. Jack It's happened to me with so many subjects that I just keep on trying. I like how strong these images of the monument look.

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  5. Yes, I do! I can be frustrating. This is a powerful sculpture but, I can see that it is not and easy one to photograph.

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  6. what a powerful statue, it must have great meaning to you to want that perfect photo. the joy is in the journey. I really like that top photo. I wonder what strong morning sun would look like with light and dark?

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  7. I forgot to day, I think yo did a pretty good job here!

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  8. I'm often not happy with my pictures, but sometimes what you HAVE to show is more important than the WAY you show it..
    This is a powerful monument, maybe too powerful to be perfectly pictured..

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  9. Boston has a very moving holocaust memorial, with the names of victims etched on glass walls.

    Adjacent to the main synagogue in Budapest, a spectacular building, there is a museum about the Hungarian holocaust. There is a courtyard in the back with a sculpture of a willow tree, with each metallic leaf containing an engraving of the name of a victim.

    Much of the funds for the memorial were contributed by Tony Curtis, whose family lived through the Hungarian holocaust.

    What hit me in the gut the hardest was looking at the dates of the worst time of the Hungarian holocaust. It was at the very end of the war. The perpetrators certainly knew that the Nazis were losing the war when they intensified the holocaust.

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  10. The artist did a magnificent job of symbolically representing this sad part of human history. Perhaps the difficulty is trying to get it "just right" as a photograph to demonstrate your own artistic rendering of the horrible period. I appreciate your very fine efforts in presenting this to us.

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  11. I totally agree with Grace, Jack! A very moving, symbolic sculpture of a horrific time in our history and your great captures make for a wonderful post for the day.

    Sylvia

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  12. Well, you must have liked this one enough to put on this blog for here it is!

    Quite a dramatic piece and I like it greatly! The photo ain't bad, either.

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  13. I have tons of things like that. But I like today's shot. It's straightforward. Maybe now that we've seen it once you can go for a more artistic approach. :)

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  14. A very powerful sculpture and the photos convey that. I try to step back from photos that won't come into my camera and recognize that perhaps the image is meant to be a meditation and a reflection, at that moment and sometimes beyond. One such image in my mind's eye has stayed with me over 20 years.

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  15. I love the power in the top shot!
    There is a local sculpture that I have shot many times (including 2 days ago) and I still don't like the results!

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  16. I have to agree about that powerful first shot. Hopefully this striking sculpture helps not to forget, ever.

    Yes, plenty. And I've given up on some (partly due to the fact that all I have is a point and shoot. Yes, still...)

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  17. I think your perseverance has paid off Jack... you have captured the strong hand beautifully.

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  18. This is a moving sculpture.
    You caught it well...thanks for showing it to us.
    And yes....there are a few things I can think of that won't let me stop taking its picture....

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  19. Nice sculpture. Have you ever seen any over in Europe? That would be powerful too.

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  20. I like having something that you obsess about getting the perfect picture of.

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  21. yes... actually the holocaust memorial in boston, next to haymarket. never got a decent picture of that.
    i must say, before coming to the us i did not know there were so many holocaust memorials here, and i was quite surprised to find out that there are.

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  22. It's a powerful subject that is worthwhile getting right. I think the top shot is superb.

    Elusive subjects... oh, so many of them but the hardest now is my teenage son. :)

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  23. Nice captures. I can see how you would struggle with this piece. It appears large and placed in a challenging location. My elusive capture is a church steeple in downtown Sarasota. It's just too white and too close to telephone lines. One day, though....

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