After World War One Attack On The U.S., Statue Of Liberty Torch Remains Closed.
- The arm hand and torch of the Statue Of Liberty as viewed from the underside. File Photo.
Close up of the arm, hand and torch of the Statue Of Liberty as viewed from the underside. File Photo.
Click on the photograph of the underside detail of the arm, hand and torch of the Statue Of Liberty to see more information and a larger version.
Earlier this month, the crown of The Statue Of Liberty was re-opened to visitors after being closed since the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center [1] but the torch, which has been closed since an attack on the US during World War One will remain closed.
The event that closed public access to the right arm and torch of the Statue of Liberty is mostly overlooked in history classes and at the monument also. [2]
On July 30, 1916, an attack by German saboteurs blew up Europe-bound munitions at a Jersey City, N.J., dock. The explosions were so strong that they popped rivets in the raised arm of the monument across the New York Harbor. [2]
According to the librarian of the Statue of Liberty National Monument, Barry Moreno, “The Army immediately closed the torch down. With the war on in Europe and the sabotage of the Lehigh Valley Railroad munitions dock, the war seemed to be getting closer and closer. The Army was more interested in security.” [2]
Story Related Links:
[1] http://aphotographersblog.net/2009/07/02/statue-of-liberty-crown-to-reopen-to-visitors-on-july-4-2009/
[2] http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-5liberty.6939715jul04,0,1112955.story
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Statue Of Liberty Crown To Reopen To Visitors On July 4, 2009.
Close up of the Staue of Liberty photographed from the side showing the book, crown and torch.
Click on the photograph of the Statue-Of-Liberty-Close-Up-Side-View to see more information and a larger version.
I know I’m a bit late on this story, but at least I made it before the actual opening. Better late than never. From a press release issued by the National Park Service on May 8, 2009 and a pdf document on how to get tickets :“The American public will once again be able to visit the crown of the Statue of Liberty, which was closed after the 9/11 attacks for safety and security reasons. ” [1]
“On July 4th, we are giving America a special gift,” Salazar said. “We are once again inviting the public to celebrate our great nation and the hope and opportunity it symbolizes by climbing to Lady Liberty’s crown for a unique view of New York Harbor, where the forbearers of millions of American families first saw the new world.” [1]
“crown reservations may be made through the Statue Cruises Web site at www.statuecruises.com or by phone at 877- LADY-TIX (877-523-9849). Crown tickets may be reserved up to 1 year in advance.” [2]
Story Related Links:[1] http://home.nps.gov/news/release.htm?id=865
[2] http://www.nps.gov/stli/upload/STLI-FAQs_Crown%20Tickets_Final.pdf
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Australian Freshwater Crocodile Reflected In Water. Crocodylus johnstoni.
May 9, 2008. The National Aquarium. Inner Harbor area of Baltimore, Maryland. Animal Planet Australia: Wild Extremes! exhibit.
Click on the photograph of the Australian Freshwater Crocodile to see more information and a larger version. Background Information:
What If I told you that I photographed this Australian Freshwater Crocodile while I was in the Outback of Australia.
If I told you that I was in the Outback of Australia, I’d be lying; I was at the National Aquarium located in the Inner Harbor area of Baltimore, Maryland.
Fortunately for me, since I’m as much a wildlife photographer as I am a neurosurgeon, we can get some interesting wildlife photographs at some not so wild places.
This Australian Freshwater Crocodile was on display during the Animal Planet Australia: Wild Extremes! exhibit.
While researching this reptile I learned that it is also called Johnston’s crocodile, Australian freshwater crocodile, “Freshie”, Fish crocodile, Johnston’s river crocodile and Crocodylus johnstoni. [1]
“The Australian freshwater crocodile is a relatively small crocodilian which rarely exceeds 2.5 to 3 m in the wild and takes many years (at least 30) to reach this size. Females general reach a maximum size of 2.0 to 2.1 metres. The shape of the snout is unusually narrow and tapering, lined with numerous sharp teeth (unlike the blunter teeth found in larger C. porosus). The body colour is light brown with darker bands on the body and tail – these tend to be broken up near the neck. Some individuals possess distinct bands or speckling on the snout. Body scales are relatively large, with wide, closely-knit armoured plates on the back. Rounded, pebbly scales cover the flanks and outsides of the legs.” [1]
Compositional Information:The reflections of the reeds and crocodile were almost mirror like in the still water of the display.
Shooting in manual mode I spot metered off of a brighter area of the crocodile and overexposed by approximately two stops.
Composing horizontally I wanted to split the frame (horizontally) down the middle with the reflecting line of the crocodile and reeds. I think I succeeded with the reeds, not so much with the crocodile.
My exposure was f-4 at 1/30. I pressed the lens against the glass of the display to steady the camera and remove any possible reflections from the glass itself.
I assumed that the light in the display was approximately 5200 K to simulate sunlight so I set my white balance to cloudy to warm the photograph.
In Lightroom, since I capture using Raw files, I reset whit balance to cloudy and saved as a tif file in Photoshop.
Technical Information:Subfile Type: Full-resolution Image
Image Width: 3072
Image Height: 2304
Bits Per Sample: 8 8 8
Compression: Uncompressed
Photometric Interpretation: RGB
Image Description: May 9, 2008. The National Aquarium. Inner Harbor area of Baltimore, Maryland. Animal Planet Australia: Wild Extremes! exhibit
Make: SONY
Camera Model Name: DSC-V3
Strip Offsets: 25884
Samples Per Pixel: 3
Rows Per Strip: 2304
Strip Byte Counts: 21233664
X Resolution: 300
Y Resolution: 300
Planar Configuration: Chunky
Resolution Unit: inches
Modify Date: 2009-06-07 19:54:36 GMT
Artist: Sam D’Amico
Copyright: (C) Sam D’Amico
Exposure Time: 1/30
F Number: 4.0
Exposure Program: Manual
ISO: 400
Exif Version: 0221
Date/Time Original: 2008-05-09 13:52:28 GMT
Create Date: 2008-05-09 13:52:28 GMT
Shutter Speed Value: 1/30
Aperture Value: 4.0
Max Aperture Value: 2.8
Metering Mode: Spot
Light Source: Cloudy
Flash: Off
Focal Length: 28.0mm
File Source: Digital Camera
Scene Type: Directly photographed
Custom Rendered: Normal
Exposure Mode: Manual
White Balance: Manual
Scene Capture Type: Standard
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