Day 188, Benjamin Franklin, Statue at the Old Post Office, Washington

Day 188, Benjamin Franklin, Statue at the Old Post Office, Washington DC, by Jacques Jouvenal, originally uploaded by solostandfound.

I faced down that dilema again, color or black and white? Of course I went pansey and did both. This is the sculpture of Benjamin Franklin in front of the Old Post Office in Washington DC. There is an argument here for both. I caught it at a great time of day since the Post Office was lit up nicely and gave the statue a nice contrast. But the Black and White does the same and forces you to focus a little more.

What do you think? Color? or Black and White?

Thanks for looking.
EXIF Data,

Camera:	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure:	1/3200 sec
Aperture:	f/1.4
Focal Length:	50 mm
ISO Speed:	200
Exposure Bias:	0 EV

Day 116, Staff Sergeant Ismael R. Villegas Statue, Downtown Riverside

IMG_7159 (1).jpg, originally uploaded by solostandfound.

Well, I have a few more from the downtown area to post. I am really fascinated that there are not any statues of any of the presidents of the country downtown. There Ghandi, MLK, and Ahn Chang-Ho. At least there is this tribute to a hero. He was killed as he repeatedly attacked enemy positions in the Philippines, drawing fire away from and saving his squad. Sergeant Villegas died on March 20th, 1945 one day before his 21st birthday. He was the first person from Riverside to receive the Medal of Honor. He was awarded the Medal of Honor on October 19th, 1945. It is so great that this real hero has a statue that commemorates his bravery.

I am not saying that the others were not brave, in fact, far from it, they were all very brave men, but where is the tribute that makes us proud to be from Riverside, or California, or even the USA? MLK surly reflects that. I just find it an interesting evolution of the newer side of the country. Many times when they were putting up those statues and memorials, California was not yet a state. There were no great battles fought here to establish or preserve the country. No president was born or died here. A few were married here, but I don't know that a marriage could be merit for a statue.

I know some of the local history, but it is not a well taught subject in the schools here beyond the citrus industry. I will do some more research and get back to you on that.

Thanks for looking.

EXIF Data,

Camera:	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure:	0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture:	f/5.6
Focal Length:	45 mm
ISO Speed:	400
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Flash fired, auto mode, red-eye reduction

Day 99, Dosan Ahn Chang-Ho Statue, Riverside, CA

Day 99, Dosan Ahn Chang-Ho Statue, Riverside, CA, originally uploaded by solostandfound.

Another of the diversity statues that are placed down town Riverside.  

From Wikipedia

An Chang-ho, or Ahn Chang-ho, pen name Dosan, (November 9, 1878 - March 10, 1938) was a Korean independence activist and one of the early leaders of the Korean-American immigrant community in the United States. He established the Young Korean Academy (흥사단; 興士團) and was a key member in the founding of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in Shanghai. An is one of two men believed to have written the lyrics of the aegukga, the South Korean national anthem. He was also the father of Hollywood actor Philip Ahnand Philip was honored with a Star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame in 1984. Susan Ahn Cuddy is the oldest daughter of Ahn Chang Ho. She is the first Asian woman in the United States Navy and the first Asian woman to serve as a Gunnery Officer in all US Forces. She worked for Navy Intelligence and was the first Korean American to work for the National Security Agency. She received a Woman of the Year Award in California in 2003 and The American Courage Award from the Asian American Justice Center in Washington DC in 2006.

Ahn was born in 1878 in Kangso, Pyeongan province, in present-day South Pyongan, North Korea. In 1896, Ahn moved to Seoul where he attended Gusae Hakdang, a missionary-sponsored school and eventually converted to Christianity over a period of four years.

In 1902, Ahn came to San Francisco with his wife Helen in order to get a better education. While living in California, he witnessed two Koreans fighting in the streets over sales turf. Ahn was apparently upset by this display of incivility among his countrymen overseas, and he began to invest time into reforming the local Korean diaspora, rising to become one of the first leaders of the Korean-American community.^[1]He founded the Friendship Society in 1903, the first Korean organization in the continental United States. In 1906, he established the Mutual Assistance Society (MAS). MAS would eventually merge with the United Korean Society in Hawaii to become the Korean National Association (대한인국민회; 大韓人國民會), the official agent of Koreans in the United States until the end of World War II.^[2]

Many consider Ahn Chang-ho to be one of the key moral and philosophical leaders of Korea during the 20th century. In the turmoil immediately before and during the Japanese occupation of Korea, he called for the moral and spiritual renewal of the Korean people through education as one of the important components in their struggle for independence.

In 1938, Japanese authorities arrested Ahn, but due to severe illness, he was released on bail and transferred to the Kyungsung University hospital where he died on March 10, 1938. A memorial park (called 'Dosan Park'; Korean: 도산공원) and hall were built to honor him in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.^[3] Another memorial was built in downtown Riverside, California to honor him. Ahn's family home on 36th Place in Los Angeles has been restored by the University of Southern California, on whose campus it sits (albeit in a different location)[1]. The City of Los Angeles has also declared the nearby intersection of Jefferson Boulevard and Van Buren Place to be "Dosan Ahn Chang Ho Square" in his honor[2]. The Taekwondo pattern Do-San was named after him.

A main freeway interchange in downtown Los Angeles where the 10 Freeway and 110 Freeway meet is named after Dosan Ahn Chang Ho.

Thanks for looking.

EXIF Data,

Camera:	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure:	0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture:	f/10
Focal Length:	53 mm
ISO Speed:	400
Exposure Bias:	0/3 EV

Day 96, Gandhi Statue, Riverside, CA

Day 96, Gandhi Statue, Riverside, CA, originally uploaded by solostandfound.

So, what can Gandhi and Riverside have in common? A lot it seems, Riverside prides itself on the diversity of the people that live here. A walk down around downtown reveals statues of Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Dosan Ahn Chang-Ho, and Staff Sergeant Ismael R. Villegas. To carry it further, there are no statues to Lincoln, Washington, or even Schwarzenegger.

The Gandhi display includes some of his great quotes and was sponsored by Dr. Kali P. Chaudhuri. His Riverside based KPC group has quite a few different businesses such as Hospital Ownership and Management, Pharmaceutical CRO and is building a medical college in India. some of the Quotes include;

"There are seven sins in the world:
Wealth without work,
Pleasure without conscience,
Knowledge with character,
Commerce without morality,
Science without humanity,
Worship without sacrifice, and
Politics without principle."

"Live simply so others may simply live."

"Nonviolence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier then the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man."

Thanks for looking.
EXIF Data,

Camera:	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure:	0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture:	f/11
Focal Length:	41 mm
ISO Speed:	400
Exposure Bias:	0/3 EV

Day 26, Martin Luther King Statue, Riverside

Day 26, Martin Luther King Statue, Riverside, originally uploaded by solostandfound.

 

Today, like yesterday is a you choose posting. Which do you like better. Today is about composition. By Riverside City Hall, there is a statue of Martin Luther King. It has benches (a favorite subject for me) and lends itself to a great backdrop with the trees and walking street behind. Since it is the Christmas season, the trees are set up for a better picture. 

First off, I would like to have seen the Statue lit better. But since I was working off a tripod with no power, I could not add flashes. I am thinking that a reflector would be a nice addition to the gear. This was a 4 second exposure so flashes would have been tough to use and expose the background lights as well. I think that I will try this again with a flashlight to "paint" the statue.   By the time I took the portrait shot, I needed an 8 second exposure to get the image that I wanted.

The real question is one of perspective. Sky or no Sky. It was overcast and the sun had just set, hence a 4 second exposure. The clouds offer a contrasty bigger feel with mood. A blue sky would offer a lighter mood, but the clouds offer a more solemn mood. I have put both up for your input, landscape with no clouds, or portrait with clouds.

As always, thanks for looking and the EXIF data for both pictures is below.

_____________________________

Landscape

Camera:	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure:	4 sec (4)
Aperture:	f/8
Focal Length:	25 mm
ISO Speed:	800
Exposure Bias:	0/3 EV

Portrait

Camera:	Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
Exposure:	8 sec (8)
Aperture:	f/8
Focal Length:	18 mm
ISO Speed:	400
Exposure Bias:	0/3 EV