MANCHESTER, NH – A funny thing happened on the way to the dedication of a War Photographer Memorial in Manchester on Friday.
Eric Bailey of Phoenix Precast Products was out on an early septic tank installation in Barrington. He built in enough time to get from Barrington to his Concord office so he could change clothes, and then drive down to Veterans Park in time for the installation of the statue.
Turns out Phoenix Precast works with cement for all sorts of projects – from septic tank installations to heavy bronze statues in need of a sturdy base.
Bailey not only made it to the ceremony in time, but so did his septic tank customer, Marshall Bishop.
“I wasn’t acquanted with Mr. Bishop before today, but as I was doing the installation at his house I noticed he had a military background so I mentioned I was heading to Manchester next for the dedication of a statue honoring military photographers. Turns out he was a military photographer, with the Marines,” said Bailey.
The odds of that are hard to calculate but Bishop knew a call to action when he heard it.
He synchronized his watch for ten-hundred-thirty hours, hopped in his car and made it from Barrington to Manchester inside of 45 minutes – right on time to see Josh Denoncourt snip the ribbon on the freshly-installed statue, its shadow already moving across the park with the Memorial Day weekend sun.
Bishop’s gut reaction to the statue?
“Oh shit – that’s me,” said Bishop, with a hearty laugh. He leaned in on one of his crutches as he reminisced about his time in the trenches. It’s not often veterans who chronicled war from behind the lens see themselves reflected in public spaces, and especially not like this.
The statue was a gift to the city from Denoncourt who attended the brief dedication and cut the ceremonial ribbon after reflecting on his own service, and the meaning behind the statue. Denoncourt, 76, volunteered for the draft in 1967.
During his remarks he told of how, before he left for the recruiting office, his father took him aside and urged him to save some of his $75 monthly paycheck. “They’ll give you everything you need; you’re not going to need all the money they give you,” said his father – who was the one who taught him photography.
Denoncourt vowed to his father that he’d save half his paycheck and so when a sergeant advised the new recruits during basic training to buy U.S. Bonds “or they’d be in a world of hurt,” Denoncourt purchased a $50 bond for $37.50. He further explained that those who enlisted usually got their pick of jobs based on what the recruiter promised them, while those who were drafted replicated their day jobs in some way, or accepted whatever was assigned.
His generous investment of half his salary in a U.S. bond so impressed the brass that the sergeant said “give him whatever he wants” for a job. Denoncourt, whose civilian job was a customs import broker, decided instead to say he was an amateur photographer.
“I guess the ‘amateur’ didn’t catch with him and that’s how I got to carry that camera,” he said, a note of pride ringing in his voice. He nodded toward the replica of the military-issue camera portrayed in the statue. “The camera looks big, but it’s 150 percent to scale and that camera is the end of an era – everything’s digital now but they continued to use some aspect of that technology up until about 10 or 15 years ago; so the time now is right to honor these individuals,” he said.
Historically Denoncourt noted that the 1st Infantry Division, aka “Big Red One” with which he served (so named for the large number 1 in their insignia), deserves credit for deploying more combat still photo specialists than any other, going back to WWI.
He praised sculptor Matt Glenn of the Utah-based Big Statues, who got it all just right, Denoncourt said, from the nuances of the uniform and helmet right down to his watchful expression based on photographs he provided.
Denoncourt credited Phoenix Precast for saving the day, as Ray Popsie and Ryan Dore offered a “concrete solution,” after the quarry said they couldn’t provide a big-enough slab for his project until 2028.
His “thank-you list” also included former Mayor Craig, who was in attendance, along with Mayor Jay Ruais and the aldermanic boards from both administrations, Phoenix installers Eric Bailey and Bill Corson, Swenson Granite, David Noonan Wrought Iron, which will provide a small protective fence, shout-outs to city Parks Director Mark Gomez and Parks Project manager Kate Waldo, and U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan.
Prior to the ribbon cutting, the Ruais recognized the timing of the installation and what it means to include those who served as combat phographers as part of the array of memorials at Veterans Park:
“Today’s dedication holds special significance as it coincides with Memorial Day weekend, a day when we pause to honor and remember the courageous men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. It is a day of reflection and gratitude and respect for those who have laid down their lives to protect the freedoms that we hold dear,” Ruais said.
“Combat photographers occupied a unique and vital role within our armed forces. With cameras as their weapons, they capture the stark realities of war – the triumphs, the tragedies, and the raw emotions found on the battlefield. Their work not only documents history but also brings the stories of our service men and women into the public eye ensuring that their bravery and sacrifice are never forgotten. The statute we dedicate today is not just a tribute to a singular individual, but a representation of all combat photographers who have risked their lives to bring their truth of war to the world. It stands as a reminder of their courage, their skill and their unwavering commitment to their mission. Through their lenses they have shown us the true cost of freedom, and the resilience of the human spirit.”
If you don’t know Thypoch, they are a rather new company, which only launched their first set of lenses last year. These lenses were the Thypoch Simera series, which looked like old Leica glass. Not only that, but the Simera lenses had great optics as well. Because of this, I’m happy that Thypoch is back with its second-ever series, the Thypoch Eureka. Currently, this series is composed of only one lens, the M-mount Eureka 50mm f/2, a lens with a look so retro to fool anyone into thinking it’s from the 1950s.
Seeing the Thypoch Eureka 50mm f/2 on an old camera makes even a vintage lens geek like myself feel like it belongs to the same era—almost like it was bundled with cameras such as the Leica M3. The lens uses a metallic finish and a collapsible design, which, as you would expect from Thypoch, looks like an old Leica Summitar. Even if you don’t care about retro designs, this design is still hard to hate with its compact and convenient nature.
The Eureka 50mm f/2 aperture is plenty fast for a lens this size. It has a 12-blade diaphragm design, which has more blades than most vintage 50mm lenses. In images, this will translate to smoother bokeh circles. The lens has a 0.9m close focus distance, which is just slightly better than the 1-meter distance of the Summitar 50mm f/2 the Eureka is based on.
The M-mount is easily adaptable, and because the Eureka can cover a full-frame sensor, it can be easily adapted to any mirrorless camera. But it would still feel a bit retro on a digital sensor, thanks to Thypoch interesting coating, which simulates the coating of old glass. This should translate to flares similar to vintage lenses. (And I hope that this series follows the same release path of the Simera line to expand to extra mounts as well)
| Name | Eureka |
| Colour | Silver |
| Focal Length | 50 mm |
| Mount | M-Bayonet |
| Aperture | f/2 – f/16 |
| Image Circle | 43.2 mm (FF) |
| Construction of Optics | 6 Elements in 4 Groups |
| Flange Distance | 27.8 mm |
| Hood | Eureka Lens Hood |
| Angle of view (diagonal, horizontal, vertical) |
46° / 39° / 27° |
| Type of focusing | Manual focus |
| Close Focus | 1m / 3.3ft |
| Front Dia. | ∮35.9mm / 1.4″ |
| Filter Size | A36 |
| Length | 41.2mm / 1.6” (Before Collapse) 27mm / 1.1” (After Collapse) |
| Iris Blade | 12 |
| Weight (Product) | ≈120g (Aluminum Alloy) ≈218g (Brass) |
| Accessories | Attached UV Filter Hood and Lens Front Ca |
Eureka 50mm f/2 comes with a front cap, a rear cap, a UV filter, and a photo book. The lens is available in aluminum and brass versions for $579 and $859, respectively.
All images © Winnie Au, designs © Marie-Yan, shared with permission
Protecting an injured paw or pesky stitches never looked so good. Winnie Au (previously) upends the humiliating nature of Elizabethan collars as she photographs hounds sporting stylish takes on the medical devices for her series Cone Of Shame.
Au began the project back in 2017 in collaboration with designer Marie-Yan Morvan as a way to showcase dogs’ unique personalities and turn otherwise torturous ruffs into spectacular accessories. Using materials like paper and tulle, and more unconventional finds like dissolvable insulation foam and candy buttons, the pair fashioned a wide array of designs much more glamorous and charming than their veterinarian-issued counterparts. “Each dog, cone, and backdrop has been conceived as a mash-up of abstract shapes, tones, and textures. No longer turning dogs into laughing stocks, these collars become works of art,” Au says.
A new book published by Union Square & Co. collects photos of 60 dogs donning the fashionable ruffs, 48 of which haven’t been shared before. While the core concept is the same as when the series began, the pair incorporated newer technologies into recent images, including the inflatable rings that have grown in popularity. They also worked with new breeds and materials in what Au describes as “my love letter to all the good dogs out there.”
Cone Of Shame will be released on July 9 and is available for pre-order in the Colossal Shop. Find more from Au on Instagram.
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All images © Winnie Au, designs © Marie-Yan, shared with permission
Protecting an injured paw or pesky stitches never looked so good. Winnie Au (previously) upends the humiliating nature of Elizabethan collars as she photographs hounds sporting stylish takes on the medical devices for her series Cone Of Shame.
Au began the project back in 2017 in collaboration with designer Marie-Yan Morvan as a way to showcase dogs’ unique personalities and turn otherwise torturous ruffs into spectacular accessories. Using materials like paper and tulle, and more unconventional finds like dissolvable insulation foam and candy buttons, the pair fashioned a wide array of designs much more glamorous and charming than their veterinarian-issued counterparts. “Each dog, cone, and backdrop has been conceived as a mash-up of abstract shapes, tones, and textures. No longer turning dogs into laughing stocks, these collars become works of art,” Au says.
A new book published by Union Square & Co. collects photos of 60 dogs donning the fashionable ruffs, 48 of which haven’t been shared before. While the core concept is the same as when the series began, the pair incorporated newer technologies into recent images, including the inflatable rings that have grown in popularity. They also worked with new breeds and materials in what Au describes as “my love letter to all the good dogs out there.”
Cone Of Shame will be released on July 9 and is available for pre-order in the Colossal Shop. Find more from Au on Instagram.
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Winnie Au Photographs 60 Pups with Pizzazz in Her New Book ‘Cone of Shame’ appeared first on Colossal.
Tokyo shares similarities with London and New York, among them being one of the most photographed cities in the world, yet it maintains an unexpected tranquility.
Both Yokohama and Tokyo are bustling cities, with people either rushing about or catching a quick nap, but there is an undeniable order to the chaos. Walking through a busy train station, one side can be completely empty while the other is packed, as everyone adheres to the designated walking lanes without deviation.
I recently travelled there for the first time and endeavoured to capture the sights, colours, smells and everything that makes Japan such an enchanting country.
The advertising boards are unlike anything I have ever seen, adorned with charming anime characters at every turn. As you stroll through Yokohama, street vendors offer an array of items, including personalised art. Despite the language barrier, everyone is patient and kind, always eager to assist.
Food is a cornerstone of Japanese culture. Tiny restaurants with queues stretching out the door are commonplace, with waiters taking orders right on the street. Both tourists and locals search for the best sushi, ramen or tempura, eager to savour the authentic flavours.
Japan is one of the most extraordinary countries, home to the most remarkable people. As you wander through its streets, you will never run out of captivating moments to photograph.
Updated: May 24, 2024, 6:01 PM
MANCHESTER — If a picture is worth a thousand words, what about a statue honoring the brave men and women charged with capturing combat images as the chaos of war rages around them?
For Specialist 4 George “Josh” Denoncourt II, a U.S. Army combat photographer, and his family the answer is simple:
