I Can Explain by bmac62
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Description
I can imagine your reaction. Having taken this photo at the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, I still had to dope out just what we are looking at here.
I am standing on a polished marble floor a few feet from a bridge of acrylic, see-through flooring. The see-through bridge spans a poppy field one level below made to look like a slice of a WWI field in Flanders. The see-through floor also is reflecting a glass ceiling above, through which you can observe the 217' tower with eternal flame...backed by a blue sky with some puffy white clouds.
Now, can you see all that???
There are 9,000 artificial poppies. Each poppy represents 1,000 combat deaths in WWI (or the Great War as it was called prior to WWII). Doing the math that is 9,000,000! Lest we forget.
This museum was dedicated in 1921 but completely redone and reopened in 2004. Well worth a visit if you ever get to Kansas City.
Thanks so very much for all your comments and favorites.
Bill:)
Comments (39)
auntietk
You were right ... I love this! What a fabulous thing. I'm so happy you saw this and thought to photograph it. My brain is in a twist, even knowing what I'm looking at! Awesome image, my friend.
Doriutz
Fantastic shot, Bill. I can see all those thinks in your shot. First I wanted to see if I can understand. The poppy are too small, and first the eye can see only red spots, but when you look at full size everything is clear. So many artificial poppies… Amazing! :)
PSDuck
Wow, what an eye-tease!
bimm3d
gorgeous!!!
drace68
What an effect! Great capture, Bill.
wonderworld
Very cool image!!!!!
blinkings
Wonderful Bill. Our War Memorial has a similar concept where the walls are made to symbolize the sides of trenches.
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durleybeachbum
Stunning, Bill! A favourite!
GBCalls
Pretty interesting. Excellent photo with your explanation.
lyron
Amazing. Excellent shot!!
bugatti
good shot ... grandfather was a career officer (italian army) and died in 1924 as a distant consequence of war wounds, so I imagine he's not counted in the poppies ... Father was wounded and given for dead in 1917, but he survived almost to his 90th birthday (I wouldn't be writing this otherwise) so maybe he was counted, and settles the balance ...
morningglory
Turned out great. Cool shot.
skipper62
Great shot. I still am not sure what I'm looking at but I like what I see. Still have problems so will comment of the Italian Fighters here also.. Excellent. There was one at the Warbird's fly in a couple years back. Nice bird. Cheers, skipper
CavalierLady
Like an optical illusion! Great find and capture, Bill.... very unique... well done!!
PD154
Well seen and captured Bill, great info too!!
Rainastorm
Incredibly cool image...:-)
beachzz
OMG, it's way too early for this, the coffee hasn't even begun to kick in--but what an incredible shot. More incredible is the concept and the idea--thanks for sharing!!
Autumn_Rains
The loss of so many, translated in to such beauty.. every thankful for those that gave so we can have Great shot. and love the pov you got with this!!!!
MrsRatbag
Such a fantastic image! Well done you!
KarmaSong
Superb capture: the light seems to be playing with every single detail of what's inside and outside the building. Excellent photography!
flavia49
Fantastic shot!!! Really the numbers are impressive! Some years ago Sandra and I, we went to the Somme Battlefield. There you can see hills after hills dotted by white crosses or marble tombstones all over around till the horizon line! There are million soldiers buried there! Such a moving view and a memento for all of us!
jendellas
Wow, must be fabulous to see that. Great shot, loveing the pics & history.
MagikUnicorn
Multi-reflectional Light ;-) Superb POV
kansas
Thanks for the explanation. Now I can understand what this photo is. Amazing.
Richardphotos
well seen and outstanding shot Bill
sandra46
sublime photo, Bill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Unfortunately it was called Great War because of the massacres. I can say that I live in a region were WW1 was left more stories than WW2 even when I was a child!
goodoleboy
A stunning exercise in lighting effects, geometry and textures, Bill! Without your explanation I would have been lost at sea trying to figure out this composition.
anahata.c
well I at least caught up to the last image, and this is a beautiful 'abstract' made out of real images layered in glass, floor, etc. Yep, it's a mind-bender, but it can be seen as a pure abstract too, what photographers look for; so with all your explanations, we get two photos: the actual things we're seeing & the luminous abstract you wrested out of it. It's beautiful. And oddly—and I can't explain why—both your shot & the museum itself seems fitting for the war it commemorates...this won't be easy to verbalize...because while the imagery isn't early 20th C (it's late 20th C.), it feels like quiet poetry; and the juxtaposition of flowers with delicate light & glass, etc, creates a sense of the first "world" war—emphasis on 'world', many communities & cultures, a merging of all Europe in one (horrible) place. The museum & this capture poeticizes that horrible war with a fragile poem of light, reflection & grace. (It was an astonishingly bad war, considering it started for such petty reasons, w/ no huge despot to overthrow, no massive state threatening all of Europe); with staggering numbers, yes, just astonishingly bad; and hard to fathom that Europe could've allowed another war so soon after.) Beautiful shot; and thanks for the explanations too.
Sea_Dog
Absolutely stunning! An amazing capture. Well done.
npauling
How magical, and what a great memorial, but oh what a lot of lost lives.