Haunted by An Angel

Window Through the Door
It was a moment that I will never forget. I spotted her in the back of Saint Stephen's Cemetery in Hamilton,Ohio. A cement angel, standing on a pillar clutching a cross, and her head bowed as if reflecting on the passed life who lay beneath her. The air was crisp and cold and gusts of a breeze seemed to be telling secrets to the trees. I was rolling over shriveled leaves so dry they popped and crackled under the wheels of my wheelchair. I hate the cold with a passion and my body wanted hot chocolate and warm blankets, But like a siren she beckoned me to her. My fingers were so frozen my Nikon D70 felt more like a brick. The scene before me just wouldn't let me escape one more shot. She insisted. So I continued my way several yards to get into range of my 200mm lens. The seasons first flakes floated down around her and a breeze carrying a mixture of leaves and the newly fallen feathers of snow swirled around this beautiful angel. I was consumed with emotions of the moment, choking down tears, or a squeal or... I brought the camera up to my eye and steadied myself for the shot and squeezed the shutter button only to be met with heartbreak, because I knew the recipe for this shot would not come along again anytime soon. Five years later, I am reminded of this moment. The time I forgot to pack an extra battery. This is "Window Through the Door," shot at the same place on a different much warmer day.

As for you Angel! I will be back.... some day!!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Neglected but NOT Abandoned

Image
Park Bench Secrets by Etha Walters First post of the New Year and I of course have many resolutions to achieve in 2011 which included a new commitment to my blogs. 2010 was a tuff year with financial hardships that resulted in having to sell some of my photography equipment just to get by. There was also an assault on my daughter that changed her life and ours. So we were glad to see the promise of change in a new year. In November, I started working at JC Penny. I am working as a greeter. It is a far cry from my profession and I had to choke down some pride in regards to stereo-types, but I am really glad that I did. The people that I work with are amazing, it is like entering a close nit family and I was a long lost cousin. The customers are awesome too. Every day I talk to someone new and I get something out of every conversation. I get told stories, jokes and people share little pieces of their life with me. I find myself feeling very blessed and inspired, creating photographs
Read more

VR Lens for the Wheelchair Photographer

Image
I was recently asked by one of my “Twitter Mates,” if I would write a little something on what it is like to be a wheelchair photographer. I of course am very happy to oblige. I want to talk a little bit about the equipment that I have and why I chose it. I own a Nikon D50 digital SLR, and two lenses. One lens is the standard 28-80mm lens for close range shooting, like headshots, or focusing on a specific object. The other lens is a 55-200mm VR. VR stands for vibration reduction and vibration reduction is a disabled person’s friend! I don’t have cerebral palsy but I do have many of the same characteristics such as spasticity in the muscles that can cause a little bit of a tremor. I really didn’t realize how much I did it until I started taking pictures. Holding a steady shooting position can be a challenge for any photographer sometimes and the VR feature helps reduce movement. It also helps the lens shoot sharper pictures under lower light. Optical zoom is also a friend to the wheelc
Read more

Trails and Trials of a Wheelchair Photographer

Image
Of all the terrains I have been on this one looks fairly simple. I rarely challenge my scooter's mobility when I am on a solo shoot. I am comfortable with pavement and shallow gravel and trails through low cut grass. I did recently get into a situation that was a steep incline and of all of my concerns I never thought that a stall on a steep hill would happen. Especially with well charged batteries. That is exactly what happened. I almost topped a  steep incline, not much higher than the one pictured here and right before reaching the top my scooter stalled and stopped. Having a fear of heights I was determined not to look back the very long slowly rising incline. I pulled my key out and pushed it back in to try to restart it but nothing. The circuit had been thrown and the button I needed to reset it was out of reach from my position. This is typically when anger and fear ultimately kick in. I got my cellphone and called my husband. While I was waiting I cursed under my breath
Read more