This sculpture in Kiev is part of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War. This photo doesn’t do the sculpture justice….it is very big, very big. This stainless steel statue is over 203 feet tall and weighs 560 tons. The sword is 52 feet long and the shield is 43 feet long/26 feet wide. The Soviets build this to impress.
To view a larger version, click HERE
This massive statue sits on top of the National Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945)…we know it as World War II. This stainless-steel statue is 203 feet tall. Counting the museum building it sit on, the entire structure is 335 feet tall and it weighs 560 tons. The sword in her right hand is 52 feet long by itself and weighs 9 tons. That’s a huge statue by any comparison!! The State Emblem of the Soviet Union is on the shield. Even though this war ended in 1945, they didn’t start the construction of this statue until 1979 and it was completed in 1981.
In Kiev, Ukraine where this is located, the statue is controversial due to Ukraine’s complicated and currently rough relationship with Russia. Blair and I spent a few hours walking around this national park photographing the war monuments, tanks, etc…. If you’re wondering, the blue and yellow tank in the foreground is painted the Ukrainian colors.
To view a larger version, click HERE
I hope you and your families have a great holiday season. Be safe, have fun and enjoy the weekend.
My holiday gift to you for your viewing pleasure is this photo I took at the entrance of the Bradley Elementary School. I loved the 2% Milk graffiti. Not the best graffiti I’ve seen, but it called to me.
To view a larger version, click HERE
Tonight’s photo is an exclusive table for two on the beach in Tulum Mexico. The thatch roof above it looks like it could fall in at any moment, but it didn’t collapse while I was standing there. This was such a great trip, I wish I was back there again.
Here are links to some other pictures from this trip: Lagoon, Beach Sunrise, & Cave Diving
Of course, I made it to this spot before the privileged couple showed up for their reservation. I used my Nikon D800 with the 14-24mm wide-angle lens setup on a tripod. This was taken in Aperture mode at f11 with a 5-bracket set (+2, +1, 0, -1, -2). The exposure times ranged from 1 second to 15 seconds. I created the HDR picture in Photomatix Pro and completed some minor edits in Photoshop CS6.
To purchase a print, please click the picture above.
