in my heart

Joe,

Thank you for taking the time to make this one. It's a very unique way to honor the men who served there. They say a picture is worth a thousand words....this one is saying them. Thanks again for sharing this.

WOW! the way it all just sits there on the page!

I can't believe it was just passed on by. I guess since it was in B&W nobody really knew what it was.

This is just totally incredible. I can't hold back the tears! Thank you for sharing this!

Thank you! ~ micki

Hi Joe!

First off, thank you for being where you were when you were, and for posting this series.

As for the photo at hand, I love the timelessness of the background images; they look a lot like the digital snaps coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan. You've done a great job with the arrangement of items here, underscoring the feeling of moments scattered in time. Composition is about as close to perfect as you can get. The inclusion of the photo along the bottom really keeps the layout contained, allowing the artifacts to serve as bridges from one image to another.

I also noted the striking contrast between the Purple Heart and the rest of the image. Was this punched up? Either way, it's effective at pulling attention to that corner and pushing deeper meaning across the rest of the photo.

Technical aspects of this photo are spot-on as well, I think. The white line highlight of the cartridge at center, however, is just a little bit distracting, but not enough, in my opinion, to necessitate a retouch.

I was, at first, inclined to wonder how the photo would look with the medals and ammunition in color against the black and white images, but as I think about it more, I realize you got it right in this version.

Excellent job, Joe! Thank you again for this contribution!

Darin Heinz
Tampa, Florida USA