"Mathew Brady" 2011

Mathew Brady is a name that every American should know.  I would argue that everyone of reasonable age has seen his work somewhere.  Be it textbook, news broadcast, Internet or poster, the work of Brady and his crew can't be overlooked.  
 

For all intents and purposes, he is the father of photojournalism.  Any photographer who has ever been to any war zone is following in his steps.  While his crew of photographers actually took many of the images we think of as "Brady's", he set the machine in motion.  If a conflict occurred, somewhere, a man (or later on, a woman) with a camera would be there to capture it. 

This past Monday was Memorial Day.  It can, of course, be different things for different people. Some take it as a chance to be stupid, or perhaps get drunk and be stupid.  Others grill (safely), hang with friends, and relax.  

Others yet, do their part for the fallen.  I know a fellow who will make sure that the grave markers of veterans at a small local cemetary will have an American flag.  As a Vietnam vet, he simply wants to do his part.

For me, I chose to attend the Civil War Remembrance at The Henry Ford.  Hundreds of reenactors from across the country were here for this event. Tent after tent lined the grounds.  Civilians, Union soldiers, Confederate soldiers, sutlers, and the like were present.  Scheduled events and impromptu efforts were ongoing.

While my name is certainly not Mathew Brady, I decided to head on over and play the part of "photo journalist".  I was not using a giant, cube-shaped camera on a rickety, old wood tripod like Brady did.  I certainly did not travel there in an old beat-up wagon carrying glass plates and likely gallons of noxious chemicals.

No, I just used my Canon Rebel with my 100-400mm lens. While Brady and his crew were known to have moved dead bodies in the name of better journalism, I did not pose anybody except for the drummer.  

As for the colorized image, yeah, well, hey, Brady might have done it, too, if he had Photoshop.