Rab-Eye Loc: Indiana

In a park near where I live, Senator Robert Kennedy was due to give a campaign speech the night the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated. Kennedy did not give his prepared speech. He spoke to the crowd from his heart, pointing out that his own brother was shot by a white man. That night, there was rioting all over the country, but there was none in Indianapolis.

A monument to the two men was erected in that park. I want to photograph it and went to scout the site. Because I was unsure how safe the neighborhood would be, I brought only a small body, one lens, and no external flash, although I did have a built-in flash. I discovered there were several challenges to shooting this monument. The following are SOOC JPEGs, not even cropped. I think the raw files might yield better results, but I really want to go back with more gear and shoot it again.

The challenges:
The monument faces east-west, so you have to shoot it facing north or south. Therefore, with the sun low in the sky, one side or the other is illuminated but the other side is dark. Would you shoot it before or after noon, with the sun higher in the sky?

MLK faces west, but RFK faces east. I guess the bottom line is there is no way to capture both faces in the same image. Right?

All constructive advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Ben

This is shot facing north, with the sun low in the west.

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MLK faces west. This is a shot with ambient light

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MLK with some fill flash; a bit too much, I think.

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RFK with fill flash; again probably a bit overdone.

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An attempt to capture both faces.

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Here you cannot even tell what the monument is.

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Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Bad timing, but if faceing true East/West, how about next time from where you stood for the first image (as a start), at high noon near Dec 21.
The sun will be lowest in the sky illuminating both of them from a lower declination.
I don't know the exact declination for that location, but you get the idea.

Rab-Eye Loc: Indiana

That’s a really interesting idea. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post and responding.

Ben

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Depending on the sun's declination now, it still might work somewhat.

Boris77

Separate shots at different times to put each man in the best (sun)light. A composite photograph or two pictures framed to be displayed together.
Anything else seems a compromise.
It is much more of a mental monument (your explanation is very important) than a successful visual construction.
Boris

Chopper Bill Loc: East Tennessee

I would suggest that you shoot the first composition when equal light falls on both sides. That would be at high noon, although that would create difficulties with high contrast on the faces should the sunlight be full. Better still, shoot on an overcast day, which by virtue of the "soft" light, gives you a bigger time window in which to shoot. Further I would crop much tighter to force attention on the subjects. I fine tuned your image to demonstrate changes that I would recommend within the confines of your original image. My refinement of your capture says that the Kennedy's couldn't bring MLK's dream to fruitions because they too were assassinated. Is that what you want to say?

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Rab-Eye Loc: Indiana

Worth a try.

Rab-Eye Loc: Indiana

Thanks, Boris. I don’t really have any experience doing composites, but the idea of two images framed together is a good one.

Rab-Eye Loc: Indiana

Good suggestion on the lighting, Bill. I can’t really say that I’m trying to make a political statement, though.

Chopper Bill Loc: East Tennessee

Can we possibly escape it?

Rab-Eye Loc: Indiana

Could you explain what you mean in greater detail?

Dalek Loc: Detroit, Miami, Goffstown

nice shot. Our history must be saved.

JRD3 Loc: Richmond, VA

The shot “attempt to capture both” seems to be the essence of the memorial…the attempt of the men/races to reach out. Those efforts stopped by time and death. What’s best lens for that? Try different times of day/conditions. Polish in post. You’re on to a good concept.

Chopper Bill Loc: East Tennessee

I don't think you can present images of either man, much less with both of them interacting without the audience drawing political conclusions. The artist chose to depict them reaching out to each other. That in itself is a political statement. Your lighting depicts MLK in detail while Bobby is a mere shadow of a man. You can't depict politicians without making a political statement whether you want to or not.

Rab-Eye Loc: Indiana

Thanks, Daley!

Ben