Photo of the Week 2019-04-29

I conclude the series of images made chronicling my pilgrimage to the Netherlands with this collage of Holten Canadian War Cemetery and my grandfather's grave ... may he Rest In Peace.

You can view all the images I have chosen to post on the D J England Photography Facebook page.  

DJE

Photo of the Week 2019-04-22

As a photographer, I find my photogrpaher's eye always on the lookout for possible images. 

While on a recent personal journey to the Netherlands, the main purpose of which was not photography related, my photographer's eye still identified opportunities for an image. Whether passively or actively, the eye is always working ...

De Oversteek (The Crossing)

In Nijmegen, NL, there is a bridge dedicated to the memory of WWII Allied soldiers who crossed the Waal River on September 20,1944. 48 from the US 82nd Airborne gave their lives in this endeavour. The bridge stands as a tribute to their sacrifice and a Sunset March is held every day of the year in their honour.

On a cool(ish) April evening, joined approximately 40 others, of various origins, to march with Coert Langenhuijzen of Team 31 across De Oversteek. For me, quite a moving tribute.

After the solemn salute at the memorial cairn on the north side, I returned in across the bridge in now darkness. My eye caught the shapes and patterns of light and dark and I captured the image above, a reminder of my Sunset March.

DJE

Photo of the Week 2019-04-15

Last week's tribute post coincided with the 74th Anniversary of my grandfather being killed in action during WWII. On that day I was nearing the conclusion of my pilgrimage through the Netherlands to the place he was killed and his grave in Holten Canadian War Cemetery.

While on this trip, I took time to capture elements of the journey through my lens. This post, with WWII related content, may not be of interest to regular followers of my work, nor may the content be comfortable for some. But I am compelled to capture what I experience with my camera, it's what I do.

Those who cannot remember the past ...

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
- George Santayana

First stop on my trek after landing in Amsterdam at 6:30 am local was Camp Vught, a fitting beginning to a place of hardship and atrocities suffered under the Nazi regime. If you are interested in the background story to each image, click the link just before each to open learn more.

I began my time here with a hike through the woods to the Execution Site where 329 people, mostly Dutch Resistance fighters, were executed and the memorial that now marks the spot.

Execution Site

 Konzentrationslager Herzogenbusch

Children's Monument

Bunker Tragedy

Wall of Reflection

 My visit, a very sobering experience that I will never forget ...

DJE

Photo of the Week 2019-04-08

In Life Loved and Honoured.

In Death Remembered

In Remembrance

On April 8, 1945 at 18:00 hrs, my grandfather, Ernest James Garfield England, B67380 was killed in action, on a farm lane, in Holterbroek, just outside of Holten, The Netherlands.

He had completed 5-years of voluntary service and was due to return home.

In Remembrance II

Today, April 8, 2019, at the conclusion of my first ever trip to The Netherlands, I will visit the spot where he was struck down, and his grave, to honour and 'remember' him.

LEST WE FORGET

DJE

Photo of the Week 2019-04-01

streetlight

Permission to take a step back ...

Things have changed up a bit here on the blog over that past few weeks. I've stepped away from shooting, at least for the purpose of having something current to post. Instead I've been looking through the image library, going back to projects uncompleted, to experiments with B&W processing techniques as illustrated in this week's image.

There is a purpose in this. Though I love being out with a camera shooting, not allowing myself to shoot builds excitement, passion, creative anticipation ... and I'm about to embark on a long awaited trip that includes a significant amount of photography to document a personal journey. I wanted to be fresh, excited, thirsting to get out with camera in hand.

It may be another week or two, but we'll see how successful this little experiment was in stoking the creative fires  ...

DJE