Day Three Hundred Forty Nine. December 14. Countdown 17 Days. Picture # 349. "Korczack's Children". I drove away from work today in a good mood. I had no idea what would be my picture of the day. I drove to the deserted end of a road near my house seeing if anything caught my eye. The weather was beautiful and I had my windows open. Nearing the end of the road I turned on the radio. As I adjusted the volume, I saw a shot up road sign that looked interesting. I stopped the truck and grabbed the camera and started shooting the pattern of the bullet holes. Something about the radio announcer's voice distracted me from shooting. I stopped and listened. Words with horrific meaning were being relayed by an emotional announcer. Connecticut, the news was about a school in Connecticut . . . The bullet holes in the sign were no longer interesting patterns. They now took on horrible new meaning. Each hole in the sign became a grotesque symbol of innocent lives stolen and grim reminders of shattered lives left behind. I was finished shooting. I just went home without any more pictures. Later that evening I had plans on seeing my friend's daughter Jill Jackson in an high school production of "Korczac's Children" by the playwright Jeffrey Hatcher. It is a dark play about an Jewish orphanage during the Nazi occupation of Poland run by Doctor Janusz Korczac. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janusz_Korczak . Part of the play is about man's inhumanity and immeasurable capacity for cruelty towards each other. This picture was taken prior to the play being performed, but the empty stage powerfully represents the play's conclusion. The theater teacher had discussed the day's events with the cast and crew. It had affected them all deeply. Watching these young actors channel the raw emotions of the day into their characters made this a very moving and powerful production. There were many glistening eyes in the audience. Instead of bullet holes this picture of an empty set will be today's choice. The play is about love, hope and faith even at life's darkest moments. Today an evil wind caused the candle's light to flicker and grow dim. but the light did not go out. It never will. These young actors are proof of it. Canon Rebel T3i, handheld. Canon 18-55mm lens, Focal length 18mm. f/3.5. ISO 800. Exposure 1/320 second.
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