My father was a great man, and a true American hero. He was the recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor. He died last March and the funeral was so huge, it had to be held in the High School auditorium. There was pressure from many sides to have him buried in Arlington National cemetery.
My father was also a very private, family man. He hated the fuss and ceremony that surrounded him whenever he traveled with the medal.
Because of that, the family choose to scatter his ashes on the top of a mountain in Idaho. I know this photo lacks many things technically (its hard to compose with tears in your eyes). I miss you Dad.
Barbara, you posted a great tribute to your Dad - I gave pause to think about his service and what he meant to you. It's so hard to say goodbye to a parent.
Very emotional shot, Barbara. I think the composition hurt your score, though it was clear even during voting there was a story to be learned here. Putting the man and the box in opposite corners might have helped, along with getting the box a little away from the edge. That would make the space work as a separation, showing that the ashes have left the box and are now flying free in the world. As it is, the image feels unbalanced, with a whole lot of space on the left not really contributing to the story.
Edited to thank you for sharing your father's story. This is good example of an image that's much more powerful for knowing the background. DPC's competition format doesn't provide the opportunity for appreciating the moment as much as the photo all by itself.
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