This is major Bob White, the last POW to be released from captivity from the Vietnamese war.
The whole story is too long to tell here, so this is a link to which you can go to get the details:
http://www.pownetwork.org/bios/w/w089.htmThe short story is that he was the ONLY captive in his prison camp and when the peace accords were signed and the date for the release of all POWs was set, his captors did not "get the memo." Bob lives here in the Denver area and he came to one of my Veteran portrait sessions. After he returned to the States, he was stationed at Ft. Carson, just outside Colorado Springs. He now lives in one of the Denver suburbs.
Beautiful portrait of one of our super heroes, Capt. ;-)
CaptainC wrote:
This is major Bob White, the last POW to be released from captivity from the Vietnamese war.
The whole story is too long to tell here, so this is a link to which you can go to get the details:
http://www.pownetwork.org/bios/w/w089.htmThe short story is that he was the ONLY captive in his prison camp and when the peace accords were signed and the date for the release of all POWs was set, his captors did not "get the memo." Bob lives here in the Denver area and he came to one of my Veteran portrait sessions. After he returned to the States, he was stationed at Ft. Carson, just outside Colorado Springs. He now lives in one of the Denver suburbs.
This is major Bob White, the last POW to be releas... (
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Incredible story, welcome home, sir !!! As always Cliff, outstanding images.
Nice portraits--the first one is my favorite.
Some accounts say that Robert Garwood was the last verified American POW from the Vietnam War.
Accounts of his time in Vietnam are very controversial.
CaptainC the first rendering of Major White is absolutely superb!
Stellar use of soft defused split lighting... And you've bounced a perfect touch of fill in on camera right...
Yielding a truly majestic aura to this iconic illumination scenario...
And kudos for controlling (virtually eliminating) reflections off Major White's eyeglasses...
Totally love the hands here... perfectly done and the closed fist is indeed synonymous with masculinity...
This image speaks volumes of you creative direction on set...
The catch lights in Major White's eyes add an intriguing sparkle of vibrancy bringing life and drama to the mix...
And thankfully allows reverse engineering your lighting setup :)
As for the mild sepia toning... it's both elegant on germane... lends itself to a timeless ambiance of antiquity...
And works rather effectively with the tone and tenor of your stately sitter here...
I'm certain Major White is thrilled with your artistry here...
In the final image you've skillfully crafted a Rembrandt illumination pattern albeit as you've discovered here working with millinery is possibly one of the greatest challenges of all in portraiture... the brim has cast those all important eyes (the windows of the sole) into deep shadow...
That said the nose shadow and left cheek highlight is a study in perfect Rembrandt... adding a compelling aura of trustworthiness to Major White's steadfast gaze... and his decorations effectively and elegantly validate this narrative...
Perfect control of background illumination with dark opposing light side of face and light opposing shadow side of face...
Textbook all the way... in spades...
Thank you for share here CaptainC
I always grow professionally from viewing your creative artistry...
Incredible story and beautiful portraits!
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