Lightning Strikes at Chickamauga

"This is a white man's nation... This is a white man's republic!... Do you want these northern abolitionists to take away your Constitutional right to your own property?!?"

"Long live the Constitution!"

"Long live the Constitution indeed! And long live the Union! It is your choice, good people of Georgia, who you want to represent you as the next President of the United States."

"Do not let these bickering Democrats confuse you. The platform of the Constitutional Union party is very simple; Maintain the primacy of the Constitution, uphold the sovereignty of the Union, and enforce the laws democratically passed by our people."

It was with such exhortations that visitors were greeted as they stepped off the bus for the special "timeline" program at Chickamauga during the 150th anniversary commemoration of the battle. The program was truly unique, taking visitors on a journey through north Georgia from 1860-1864. The timeline began with 1860 political stump speeches with representatives of John Breckenridge, Stephen Douglas, and John Bell making statements like the ones you just read, and then moved through recruitment into the Confederate Army in 1861, the homefront in 1862, the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863, and the aftermath of battle in 1864. It was a fascinating way to present the information that truly stood apart from anything else I have seen as part of the sesquicentennial.  I am working on a series of videos of the timeline, but had to put the project aside when the government shut down on October 1 and have been unable to pick it back up since returning. 

This program was far from the only thing that was new and unique about spending a week in north Georgia. It was a part of the country I had really only driven through before and a great chance to learn more about a crucial Civil War battle and campaign that I was far too ignorant of.

It could well be argued that the Battle of Chickamauga, despite being a Confederate victory, was actually the death knell of the Confederacy. Events leading directly out of this battle culminated in Lee's surrender to Grant nineteen months later. It is also second only to Gettysburg in regard to casualties sustained in a single battle. Yet it is largely unknown and unreferenced in the eastern theater of the war. I too was largely ignorant of much of its story before spending ten days helping to tell it.

I split my time between photography and video, successfully producing these four videos during the time that I was there.

Artillery Demonstration

Killed at Chickamauga

What the Monuments Speak to Us

Lightning Strikes at Chickamauga

Eight more videos are in process and I will hopefully be able to turn my attention back to them after finishing a promotional video for the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address.

Although most of my focus during programs and tours was on video, I did take some pictures as well. You can see some of them in this Album from the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Chickamauga. As was the case at Vicksburg and Gettysburg, my favorite images were captured when I went out at sunrise or sunset. Although trees abound at Chickamagua, making it quite difficult to capture the sun, I ended up with some pretty decent images from my various attempts to photograph the light and the clouds.




















Spending ten days in Chickamauga was not without its complications. It was no simple thing to miss an entire week of school, especially sine I am taking three classes this semester and was already feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work. Indeed, had it not been for The Government Shutdown, I don't know how I could have recovered from the trip and gotten everything done. Despite the impact it had on my schoolwork, I am very glad I got to be a part of it, especially since the event was most likely my My Last Battle of the Sesquicentennial. I have said it before, but in light of the recent abuse directed toward the Park Service, it bears saying again: I get to do some pretty meaningful things and work in some pretty special places as a National Park Ranger!

The Introduction of Video Production

A significant component of my position with the Park Service for the last year and a half has been serving a photographer at special events, particularly the 150th anniversaries of Civil War battles. If you haven't already seen them, this album of Memorable Moments and this album of Scenic and Landscape Photography contain some of my favorite results.

While at Vicksburg this past May I ventured into the realm of video for the National Park Service for the first time. I hadn't done anything with video since I left Oroville, CA in early 2009 and all the work I had done there was via Final Cut on a Mac. Now I had to learn to use Adobe Premiere Pro on a PC. It was a bit of a learning curve. My first forays into video in Vicksburg were not spectacular, but weren't bad either. They included these three:

Honoring the Fallen

 

The Inspiration of a New Day

 Portraits of Vicksburg

Although I didn't put the final video  together, all of my artillery footage was used in the final Artillery Thank you video during the event as well. 

When we returned from Vicksburg and began to plan for Gettysburg we decided that I would focus exclusively on video with the assistance of one other member of the team brought in from the regional office.

The result was much more impressive than our efforts at Vicksburg. Most of the work was done during the actual event or in its immediate aftermath, but the final video on the list is one that just went live this morning. Since the launch of that video officially concludes my involvement in the 150th anniversary of Gettysburg, I thought it would be worth putting all the direct links together in one place here on the blog.

The Videos of Gettysburg:

June 30 - The Eve of Battle

In this video you see timelapse of the sunrise as well as the opening program that occurred the evening of the 30th. You also see and hear footage that I filmed of various different speakers including Director Jarvis and Doris Kearns Goodwin.

July 1 - The First Day

July 1 began with a program about the last march of the Iron Brigade, as they entered into the fighting when the battle began in earnest that morning. It was one of the most impressive programs I have ever seen as living historians dressed as members of the Iron Brigade led the way as 1,300 people streamed across the fields of Gettysburg. I was sprinting through the fields trying to get one shot after another with Alison right beside me. She stayed with me despite being attired in shorts and sandals, which was most impressive. Unfortunately it also meant that she exposed herself to poison ivy, which stayed with her for the better part of a month!

July 2 - The Second Day

On July 2 I followed in the footsteps of the Confederate advance in two separate programs, both of which are featured in this video ("In the footsteps of Captain Johnston" and "The Valley of Death). I also managed to capture some memorable footage of Confederate living history demonstrations, which is likewise featured in the video.

July 3 -The Final Day

The highlight of the third day, and really of the commemoration, was Pickett's charge. More than 15,000 visitors followed in the footsteps of the 13,000 man charge, crossing the same fields along the same paths taken by the nine brigades that made the charge on July 3. It was an impressive sight, and all told roughly 40,000 people were present for the program, making it by far the largest of the sesquicentennial.

Pickett's Charge Preview

A short video highlighting the impact of Pickett's Charge on the battle and the war as a preview for the larger video to come later. 
 
July 4 -The Aftermath

Among the programs focused on the aftermath of battle was a fascinating presentation about the dead, given on the Rose Farm with 3D pictures and glasses to help visitors more fully appreciate the experience. Even I donned the glasses as I filmed the program.

150th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg

This is the big one, with footage from the entire event over the audio of interviews that I did with various NPS personnel and footage I captured of speakers at the opening ceremony. 

The Last March of the Iron Brigade

This video tells the story of the "Last March of the Iron Brigade" program on July 1. Everything in it was shot by me in the manner described for the July 1 video. 

Pickett's Charge Commemorative March

The final video is of the big commemorative march on July 3. Much of the footage appeared in the July 3 and Pickett's Charge Preview videos, but this one is really focused on that specific program and contains a fair amount of new footage as well.

I will be running the video side of things again at Chickamauga in a few weeks. It won't be the scale of Gettysburg, but I am still hoping for some fun results!

The Fruition of a TwentyYear Dream

It is appropriate that this is the 150th post on this blog, as it reflects both the zenith of the Civil War Sesquicentennial and a twenty year dream come true for me. 

In 1993 the United States commemorated the 130th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. At that time I was ten years old and living in Phoenix, Arizona, about as far away from the battlefield as you can get. Yet I was captivated by what I saw on tv and wished I could be there. Knowing that was not possible, I concluded that if they were making that big a deal out of the 130th anniversary, the time I would really want to be there would be for the 150th. That summer I determined that, no matter where I was living or what I was doing in life, I wanted to be present on the Gettysburg battlefield from July 1-3, 2013.

That same year Ron Maxwell and Ted Turner produced the film "Gettysburg," an account of the battle based on the largely unknown book "The Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara. The film propelled the book to the bestseller list and drew a great deal of attention to the battlefield, particularity to the fighting that took place on and around Little Round Top on the Second Day. In the years that followed the previously unregarded Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain became a common name associated with the story of Gettysburg. Like many others, my interest was piqued by his story and I made a point to learn more about the professor turned infantry officer.  

Any time I have been on the Gettysburg battlefield I have paid a visit to Little Round Top where a monument to the 20th Maine (Chamberlain's regiment) marks the left flank of the Union position. When I worked on the National Mall I did several first person living history programs as Chamberlain.

Last fall when Alison and I were traveling through New England, I insisted we stop in Brunswick so that I could see Chamberlain's house on the edge of Bowdoin College and visit his final resting place nearby. A few years ago I was given a shirt for Christmas that is emblazoned with Chamberlain's silhouette and the words "Joshua Chamberlain is my homeboy." I think it is safe to say that I am, indeed, a fan of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. 

When I was living in Oroville and started thinking about working for the Park Service, the first thing I did was to go out to Gettysburg to talk to one of the rangers there about how to go about doing it. Gettysburg is, without question, on my short list of top parks I would love to work at.

I have greatly enjoyed each of my experiences serving as a part of the Civil War Sesquicentennial Interpretive Media Team, but the one battle that I was most looking forward to was unquestionably Gettysburg. It is very difficult to get a job at Gettysburg, and the chance to work there in any capacity was a pleasure I was very much looking forward to. Last November I had the opportunity to be a part of the 149th anniversary of the dedication of the National Cemetery and meet Steven Spielberg, which was pretty special. 
But to be there for the 150th anniversary had an even deeper significance. It was, quite literally, the realization of a twenty year dream.


My primary job at Gettysburg, like at all the events I have worked, was to provide coverage of the commemorative events via social media outlets for those who could not be there in person. It is exactly the sort of thing I would have loved as a ten year old, following the 130th commemoration from across the country. In addition to its scope and scale, Gettysburg would also be different because I would be focused exclusively on video rather than on photography. This was an exciting prospect, as I greatly enjoy the creative opportunities that video provides, but it was strange to not be a part of the photography process after being at the center of it in so many other instances.

Our experience began with a Planning Visit on June 20 to gather the team together so we could both familiarize ourselves with details of the battlefield, and also strategically plan how we would attempt to capture particular elements of the commemoration. Jason and I returned on June 25 to get some initial B-roll video and to interview various park staff so that I could use clips of what they said in the production of videos during the event. All of that was merely a prelude, however, to the event itself, which officially began for us on Saturday, June 29.

That first day I checked another personal goal off the list, which was to photograph and capture timelapse of a spectacular sunset from Little Round Top. It turned out to be the most dramatic sunset of the commemoration, so I was glad I seized the opportunity. Since we were going to be out at Little Round Top for sunset anyway, and programs had not yet started in earnest, I asked the other guy that was doing video with me if he could film a short interview with me telling my story (as relayed above) by the 20th Maine Monument.

Although this footage didn't make it into one of the videos I produced, it was still very meaningful to me to have the opportunity to record it. It was quite difficult to film actually, because people kept coming up and asking questions. I was a ranger wearing a flat hat, standing by the 20th Maine Memorial on Little Round Top, so people naturally assumed I could tell them what they wanted to know. Luckily, almost without exception, I could. By the time we were finished I had given at least four informal interpretive programs about Chamberlain, the 20th Maine, Little Round Top, and the fighting on July 2 and answered countless additional questions. It was a special moment for me. Even if I never set foot in Gettysburg in uniform again, I can now say that I have interpreted the battle where it occurred as a Park Ranger.

June 30 began with a beautiful parallel of the night before, with a glorious sunrise over the battlefield. Although I went out for sunrise two more times over the next three days, the most impressive was unquestionably the morning of June 30. Gettysburg is a truly beautiful and tranquil place in the early morning.





Later that morning we had an all employee meeting which included an address by none other than Jon Jarvis, the Director of the entire National Park Service. Since this was potentially the only time our entire team would be in one place I had already planned to take a group picture following the meeting. On a whim, as we gathered for this picture, I asked Jason if it would be appropriate to ask the Director to be in the picture with us. What you see below is the result: the Gettysburg 150 social media team along with Director Jarvis, the Northeast Regional Director, and the Superintendent of Gettysburg with Little Round Top behind us.

The rest of the commemoration passed in a blur as I ran from one event to the next or sat in the office with headphones on editing video. My fellow videographer and I were able to produce a separate recap video for each of the five primary days of the commemoration even as the events were taking place. Anyone who has edited and produced video knows this is no small feat! Those five videos, along with a special video for the Pickett's Charge program can be found on the Gettysburg YouTube Page. All of the footage you see in these videos was filmed by either myself or Michael (the other videographer) and he and I worked together to edit the six videos below.

June 30 - The Eve of Battle

In this video you see timelapse of the sunrise that I described above as well as of the opening program that occurred the evening of the 30th. You also see and hear footage that I filmed of various different speakers including Director Jarvis and Doris Kearns Goodwin. Alison came up to the battlefield that afternoon and attended that program as well as several the next day. It was very fun to have her be there as a part of the events along with me.

July 1 - The First Day

July 1 began with a program about the last march of the Iron Brigade, as they entered into the fighting when the battle began in earnest that morning. It was one of the most impressive programs I have ever seen as living historians dressed as members of the Iron Brigade led the way as nearly 1,000 people streamed across the fields of Gettysburg. I was sprinting through the fields trying to get one shot after another with Alison right beside me. She stayed with me despite being attired in shorts and sandals, which was most impressive. Unfortunately it also meant that she exposed herself to poison ivy, which she has been dealing with for this past week!

July 2 - The Second Day

On July 2 I followed in the footsteps of the Confederate advance in two separate programs, both of which are featured in this video ("In the footsteps of Captain Johnston" and "The Valley of Death). I also managed to capture some memorable footage of Confederate living history demonstrations, which is likewise featured in the video.

July 3 -The Final Day

The highlight of the third day, and really of the commemoration, was Pickett's charge. More than 15,000 visitors followed in the footsteps of the 12,500 man charge, crossing the same fields along the same paths taken by the nine brigades that made the charge on July 3. It was an impressive sight, and all told roughly 40,000 people were present for the program, making it by far the largest of the sesquicentennial. You can see additional footage of the program in the Pickett's Charge Program video as well.

July 4 -The Aftermath

Among the programs focused on the aftermath of battle was a fascinating presentation about the dead, given on the Rose Farm with 3D pictures and glasses to help visitors more fully appreciate the experience. Even I donned the glasses as I filmed the program.

Being a part of the 150th anniversary of Gettysburg was, without a doubt, one of the high points of my Park Service career. It was an honor and privilege to help tell the story of what happened there so many years ago. It was a dream come true and the fruition of 20 years of learning and study. It was an experience I will carry with me for the rest of my life.




For more of the pictures I took of the commemoration check out This Album of My Favorites. You can also see many of my pictures featured in This Final Album on the Gettysburg Facebook Page that I put together.

Since returning from the commemoration I have dedicated nearly every moment to producing a final video for the entire commemoration. I finished it this morning, only hours before departing for Phoenix. You can view that video on the Gettysburg YouTube Page or directly at This Link.

I can think of no better way to conclude than with the words that Joshua Chamberlain spoke at the dedication of the 20th Maine Monument on October 3, 1889:

"In great deeds something abides. On great fields something stays. Forms change and pass; bodies disappear, but spirits linger, to consecrate ground for the vision-place of souls...And reverent men and women from afar and generations that know us not and that we know not of, heart-drawn to see where and by whom great things were suffered and done for them, shall come to this deathless field to ponder and dream; and lo, the shadow of a mighty presence shall wrap them in its bosom, and the power of the vision pass into their souls." 

Defending the Mississippi: Remembering the Siege and Battle of Vicksburg

Despite the early hour I was quite comfortable in a short sleeved shirt. In fact, it was actually near-perfect weather, which only added to the serene and cathartic predawn atmosphere. It was an unusual way for most people to begin their 30th birthday, but for me, setting up cameras to film and photograph the soon to be rising sun over Vicksburg National Military Park in Mississippi really wasn't that strange. Given that I had to be away from my wife and any other family and friends and spend my 30th birthday working, I felt blessed indeed to begin my day in such a beautiful setting. I would have loved being in Vicksburg for the park's commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the famous siege no matter what, and I always enjoy watching the sun rise, but there was something special about that morning. Perhaps it was the knowledge that I was getting paid overtime for every minute I spent out in the field on my birthday (that certainly didn't hurt), but I think there was something more. National parks are all about connecting to the resource and as I watched the sun rise on May 25, 2013 Vicksburg and I experienced a significant connection.

I had ended the previous evening by photographing the full moon as it rose over the battlefield, and despite the few hours of sleep in between, I had decided it was worth getting up early the next morning to try and catch the moon as it set and the sun as it rose. It turned out that it was too overcast where the moon was setting, but as I drove toward Fort Garrott (a favorite spot in the park, if for no other reason than the noteworthy similarity in name), I knew the sunrise was going to be something special. I had been out two days earlier with a similar purpose and captured some beautiful pictures and video and it was easy to tell that I would be able to do so again.

This Photo Album on the Vicksburg facebook page was the last one I posted. It is made up entirely of shots that I captured of the moon rise on May 24 and the sunrise the morning of May 25.

I also filmed and edited this Video of the Sunrise that same morning. In it you see 45 minutes of video sped up x 4500. It was the first time I had ever tried anything of this nature, and I thought it turned out pretty well.

The trip to Vicksburg was a unique one in many ways. to begin with, we flew instead of driving, which brought with it a whole host of new concerns and complications. We did manage to arrive in one piece with all of our luggage despite having to fly to Orlando in order to switch planes to fly to Jackson, Mississippi. I really wasn't sure what to expect when we got to Vicksburg. I knew very little about the park and did not have especially high expectations for what it would have to offer.

Thus I was genuinely amazed when we arrived and discovered that Vicksburg is truly an unknown gem of the National Park System. It is a stunningly beautiful park that encompasses much more land than I expected. To give you some perspective, the tour road through the park is sixteen miles long. The park has more than 1500 monuments and markers, more than any other battlefield, including Gettysburg. There are, quite literally, photographic opportunities around every corner.

Vicksburg also had a much more low-key schedule than many of the events I have covered and we were there for nine days, which gave us ample opportunity to take advantage of unique photographic and video opportunities much more so than we have at other events. 

I did a lot more video work at Vicksburg, and consequently took far fewer pictures. It was a lot of fun to get to do video again though, something I haven't done since living in Oroville. I am continuing to work on several more videos concerning different elements of the event, but here are four of the videos that one of the other member of our team and I put together so far:

Placement of Flags in the National Cemetery


In Honor of Memorial Day


Artillery Thank You


Portraits of Vicksburg


It was a fun and interesting week filled with memorable scenes and moments. Those moments began even before we set foot in the park itself. I knew we were staying in a hotel, and I figured that would mean sharing a room with one of the other rangers. I was quite surprised upon checking in to discover that I had, not only my own room, but a suite all to myself for the duration of our stay. It was, without question, the nicest accommodation I have experienced thus far!

Another gem of Vicksburg is the U.S.S. Cairo, an old Union ironclad that was pulled from where it had sank in the Yazoo River and put on display in the park. We had a lot of fun photographing and videoing the ship and came away with some special images, including these two, in which I appear in the pilot house of the ship.

We also had a chance to see the mighty Mississippi River in all its glory, which immediately made it clear why Vicksburg was so important to the Confederacy.

Special guests for the weekend included Doug and camels Richard and Abraham of the Texas Camel Corps to represent Douglas the Camel, the famous Mascot of the 43rd Mississippi at Vicksburg.

Among the interesting people I met and photographed were the Governor of Iowa and former Governor (Haley Barbour) of Mississippi. We additionally convinced country music star Trace Adkins to pose by the Louisiana State Memorial for us (you may have noticed him in the Portraits of Vicksburg video), since his ancestor was a member of the 22nd Louisiana Infantry.

It was a memorable week and stands out as a highlight of my Park Service career thus far. Now we are only a few weeks away from Gettysburg!

For more images of the commemoration take a look at this album of Vicksburg Pictures.

The 2013 Civil War Sesquicentennial Begins!

The month of May, 2013 has been marked by memorable events. As described in my Previous Post, it began with me finishing a major research paper in order to complete my third semester of graduate school. I turned that paper in the night before departing for the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Chancellorsville. The weekend after Chancellorsville, Alison and I escaped for a brief retreat in Cape May, NJ, which you can read about in the Previous Post mentioned above. That adventure was followed by a white water rafting trip on the Potomac River on May 18 (which you can read about in the Next Post), before I left for a ten day trip to Vicksburg, MS to help commemorate the 150th anniversary of the siege of that city (which you can read about in the Post After That).

But first, a bit more about the first sesquicentennial anniversary of 2013, on the fields of Chancellorsville...

I was down at Fredericksburg in December for the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Fredericksburg, so I thought I had a pretty good idea what to expect for Chancellorsville. It turned out that the commemorative events at Chancellorsville, though similar in some respects, had their own unique character and flavor. One big difference was that my two coworkers and I stayed onsite in park housing rather than driving down to the park and back each day as we had done in December. This was much less tiring and also allowed us to be much more productive and make the most of the time that we had available. The events included everything from ranger led hikes, to a fife and drum concert, to a special program at the final bivouac site of "Stonewall" Jackson and Robert E. Lee the night before the former made his famous flank march around the Union forces.

The highlight of the event was a real time program on May 3 that began just before sunrise. That program included the firing of a cannon at dawn to mark the opening of the fighting that day. Because of the early morning air the smoke hung over the battlefield much more than normal. This is the shot I captured of that cannon firing.

Another fun aspect of the event was meeting a father who had pulled his son out of school and brought him out to the commemorative events. The boy's Maternal Great Great Great Grandfather was a Union soldier captured at Chancellorsville during Jackson's flank attack on May 2 and his Paternal Great Great Great Grandfather was killed during the fighting on the morning of May 3. Talk about tangible connections to the battlefield!

It was a great way to begin the month of May and another memorable aspect of my job. I continue to be amazed that the government is paying me to go out and photograph these events. I am, indeed, blessed! It is moments like these that make living on a temporary GS-05 salary worth it!

For more pictures that I took at Chancellorsville check out this album highlighting many of my favorites!

Commemorating a Year of the Civil War

This last year has brought many changes and adjustments in my life, most significantly being the first I lived as a married man!

As a result of being married I was able to get legitimate health insurance (through Alison's job) for the first time since I graduated from college. I have consequently had a physical exam (for the first time since I was 13), dental appointments, an eye exam, had the inside of my nose cauterized to stop it from bleeding, and, most recently, had a dermatologist exam and subsequent surgery to remove potential cancerous tissue.


It has also provided me with some wonderful opportunities to be, not only present at special NPS events, but also an integral part of telling the story they represent.

Exactly one year ago I arrived at Manassas National Battlefield to start my new National Park Service position as a member of the Civil War Sesquicentennial interpretive media team. 

It is through this position that I have been blessed with these opportunities. Most of the events I worked at have been part of the sesquicentennial commemoration of the Civil War, but I also did work for and at several other special events and had the chance to meet and work with staff at parks around the region.

My first big commemorative event was at Richmond at the end of June and early July.
 

A few weeks later I photographed the 151st anniversary of First Manassas.
 

In many ways this served as a trial run for the 150th anniversary of Second Manassas at the end of August.

 Following Second Manassas, we had little respite before heading out to Harpers Ferry and Antietam.

While there were many special moments at these events, the most memorable and moving experience I have been a part of at any Civil War battlefield took place in the Cornfield at Antietam.

On November 19 and December 1 I photographed the 149th anniversary of the delivery of the Gettysburg Address and the Antietam Illumination.

A week later I headed out to the sesquicentennial of the Battle of Fredericksburg.

After Christmas I was thrown right into preparation for the 57th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, DC.

It has certainly been a memorable year of working for the Park Service!

It has also been a tremendous blessing for me to have this position. If I was in a normal seasonal position with the Park Service, there is a good chance I would lose my job due to the sequestration. As it is, I know that I will be able to keep this position until at least April, 2015. It doesn't provide us with enough money to live on, but it is a huge blessing to know that I will still be employed, even with the current climate in Washington politics.

Plus I greatly enjoy being a part of each of these special events. :)

Now, we are already in the midst of preparation for three major events in 2013: Chancellorsville--May 1-5, Vicksburg--May 20-29, and Gettysburg--July 1-5

We will likely end up going to Chickamauga in September as well.

A few weeks ago this position officially became the longest job I have had with the Park Service (passing the National Mall). It has been a good year. Here's hoping this next one is equally as eventful and interesting!

Inaugurating a President

On Monday, January 21 Barack Obama was re-inauagurated as the 44th President of the United States. As a result of the work that we have done for the Civil War Sesquicentennial commemorative events my team was asked to come to Washington to serve the same purpose for the 57th Presidential Inauguration. I worked on a few projects ahead of time in the weeks leading up the main event including designing a commemorative button. It was fun to see all the people wearing that button out on the Mall on Monday!

On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial 

For the week immediately preceding the Inauguration we worked out of the headquarters of the National Capitol Region in DC so that we could more easily access the Mall. It was the first time that I had been back on the Mall in an official capacity since I concluded my time there in December of 2010. It was fun to be back, especially as a photographer. I got to wonder around and talk to people while taking pictures of the preparation for the Inauguration. Not a bad gig! We also made a series of quick informative videos to help people know what to expect when they got to the Mall. They were done with an I-phone and are not good quality, but it was still fun. These four featured me as the voice of the Park Service.  

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

Video 4

I also made a cameo in two additional videos.
The first was a Video on Recycling and the second discussed Remaining on the Mall after the Inauguration.

Me with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar 

By far the most exciting part of my job in the days leading up to the Inauguration came on Saturday, January 19. The President had declared a National Day of Service on that day in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Projects were done around the country including on the National Mall. One of those projects was to lay out new mulch at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. Since it was happening in DC and had such clear connections to the reason for the event, the Superintendent of the National Mall came out to make an appearance. He was joined by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. If you don't know, he is second only to the President himself as my ultimate  boss, which made having the chance to photograph him especially exciting. When he arrived at the memorial I happened to see him getting out of the SUV and was closer than anyone else so took it upon myself to approach and welcome him. I shook his hand and spoke to him briefly just before one of my colleagues  snapped the picture above.

On Inauguration Day I arrived on the Mall before sunrise and captured several pictures of the Capitol as the sun was rising. 

It was unclear exactly where I would be able to get to during the event since it was actually being run by the White House and controlled by the Secret Service. But between my uniform and my special credential I managed to get all the way up to third street, which marks the official transition between the National Mall and the grounds of the Capitol. There were a lot of special moments that I observed throughout the day, but my favorites all involved the American flag. Here are a few of them.  

A 2013 Flag is raised as Jimmy Carter arrives 

I also got several shots of rangers out on the Mall including these two. The first depicts the head of communications for the Inauguration (my direct boss for the event) with the Director of the National Capitol Region of the Park Service (fourth down in my personal chain of command-- from the President to the Secretary of the Interior to the Director of the National Park Service to the Director of the National Capitol Region). The second depicts the Regional Director and the Superintendent of the National Mall as they watched the swearing in ceremony.  

In the early morning hours I had scouted out a route to allow me to get from the National Mall to the Inaugural Parade on Pennsylvania Avenue and was successful in making the transition between the two despite the crowds. It is amazing what you can get away with if you act like you are supposed to be doing it!  I was the only one on our team to make it into the parade, which gave me a unique opportunity to get some fun pictures.

It was a parade unlike any I have ever seen. Law Enforcement Officers from around the country lined both sides of the street along the entire parade route to ensure security.

Flags hung from every lamp post and from many of the buildings.

People were out on the rooftops of many of the surrounding buildings. These viewers were not alone. They were joined by Secret Service agents with huge binoculars and sniper rifles on the roofs of nearly every building on both sides of Pennsylvania Avenue.

Without question the most exciting photographic opportunity of my Park Service career came during the parade. I happened to have positioned myself along the three block section in which the President got out of his limo and walked down the street. There were vehicles and Secret Service agents all around him, I had to shoot between the law enforcement officers in front of me, and he kept looking the wrong way, so it was quite challenging to get pictures. Even so I ended up with a few decent ones.

My Mom actually saw me taking pictures of the POTUS during the CBS coverage of the parade.

It was easier to get the Vice President as the security was much less oppressive.

It was a very special day, which will rank amongst the most memorable in my Park Service career. It was especially fun because it happened on Martin Luther King Day, exactly three years after I so memorably ended up giving a special program on Dr. King to More than 500 People at the Lincoln Memorial.

For more of images from the Inauguration take a look at this album of My Inauguration Pictures.

You can also find many of my pictures featured on the National Mall Facebook Page.

My images are featured most prominently in the album of the Inaugural Parade (since I was the only one on the parade route), but you will also find them in the albums of People Arriving on the Mall and of the Swearing-In Ceremony itself.

The Inauguration Web and Social Media Team