To Honor

Every year since September 11, 2001, Pepperdine University places hundreds of flags on their lawn in Malibu, California to honor the lives lost on that day as well as those who have fallen since. It is an awesome spectacle to see. Sprinkled throughout the American Flags are other flags from around the world.

Last year, I took over a hundred photos trying to capture the flags in the wind. I put the camera setting on “burst” or “continuous,” which allowed me to press the shutter and take several pictures in succession in seconds. This is a valuable feature when you don’t want to miss a moment or make sure you get the shot of flags waving in the wind, or waves crashing on the beach. As long as you hold down the shutter, the camera will take continuous pictures.

I chose this picture for several reasons, but mostly because there are no people in it. Many come to pay their respects or to take their own pictures. It’s difficult to include all of the rows of flags without also including other people walking through the picture which is why I took this picture sitting down looking up at the flags in the sky. Not only is it a striking angle, but I accomplished my goal of focusing solely on the flags.

It can be intimidating seeing other photographers with all of their “professional” gear – large camera bags to carry their large cameras, long lenses, and special covers and filters for their lenses. But, I don’t let that deter me from taking my own pictures with a small handheld camera, like a Canon Power Shot, that can be carried in a purse or pocket and neither should you. Remember, it’s not the camera; it’s the photographer who takes the pictures! You control the frame, the light, and the angle of your subject for the image you want to create.

(This is the complete story from, Moments in Time Captured Forever; You Don't Need a Good Camera to Take Good Pictures.)