While I was at the park today, I took a few memorial bench photos. These images are for the families who have lost loved ones. I share them in a Facebook group dedicated to memorial benches.
Originally I was headed to the 2nd bench pictured below, but a couple of high school girls got there just before me. One of them set up a tripod to photograph the other girl so I just kept walking until I arrived at this bench below.
When I was done photographing this red bench, I looked up and saw an elderly man standing in the grass out of the way. I motioned for him to go and said I was finished, but he didn't move. First he started asking me a couple of questions before we became immersed in conversation. He used to be an avid photographer who loved flying over NYC to shoot slide film. When we finished talking, he mentioned how nice it was to speak with someone who truly understood photography and who appreciated the work involved. He said when he used to show photos to his family, they'd simply say the pictures were nice. And actually it was nice to talk with him seeing as he knows how to use a camera. It was a more involved conversation than I normally have with my own friends.
By the time I headed back to the bench below, the two high school girls were gone. I really wanted to capture the bench with the blossoms in the background.
And this was the last bench I photographed to also capture some of the blossoms in the background. I know the flowers won't last once we get a wind storm.