Another point of view



My favorite image on Little Round Top. The statue of General Warren is to the right,
 looking toward the Confederate position on July 2, 1863. For me, this image represents
 the turning point of the battle of Gettysburg.



Continuing on the same thoughts as the previous blog, here are some images of the statue of General Warren on Little Round Top at Gettysburg. During my three visits to Gettysburg, I have probably collected 300 images of the General.

          In all that time, he’s never moved.

          Since the subject doesn’t move, the photographer has to and I’ve tried to keep in mind the historical importance of Warren’s contribution to the Union cause on July 2, 1863. The historic reference directs my points of view.

          My favorite Warren image is the one above, a distant shot where he looks right to left and seems to be watching over a vast area. That shot was taken in 2010.



Almost the same image as the first, but about half the distance and I
stood slightly more to the right.



          There is another image from about the same angle but at about half the distance. This photograph is more about the surroundings than it is about Warren. Little Round Top is a rocky little hill.





Warren at sunset.

          One day in 2011, I had been around the area for about eight hours. It was a long way beyond dinner time when storm clouds drifted above the northern sky. The sun was setting as well and so, without moving an inch, I started recording images every half a minute or so and the shot kept changing. This is less an historic image than a pretty one, but I like it anyway. The reader is invited to decide: Did my point of view change or did my subject change?





Warren's front.

          There is the standard front view from below Warren’s rock, which shows details of the front of the statue. I had to jump on and off some rather large boulders to get this image and then go jumping around the other way to get back to level ground. All this while holding my Nikon. But the other shots show the history and the distant landscape without revealing details of the statue itself and I had to get this image. You can’t be an effective photographer if you allow yourself to be lazy.

          From his perch on Little Round Top, Warren could see locations which have become iconic to history students: Seminary Ridge, the Devil’s Den, the Wheatfield and Cemetery Ridge. The modern visitor can see the Pennsylvania Memorial.

I have images of all those areas from the approximate spot where Warren stood all those years ago. But the images of the Warren statue make a bigger impact on me. I hope you enjoy them and I hope evolving photographers understand the importance of multiple points of view of a subject.

Thanks for looking and reading.