04/12/2024
This image has been shared thousands of times during the past couple of days, and I have received so many questions about it and so many inquiries about print orders (yes, I sell prints!--message me!), that I decided I would create a post to provide some back story and additional information (and also a few uncanny twists).
This promises to be a very long post, so sit back, settle in and grab your popcorn. . . :D
Here goes. . .
In preparation for the solar eclipse in Northeastern Ohio, I bought some new camera gear (solar filters and a heavy-duty tripod), and I also prepared mentally by thinking about what exactly I wanted to capture on the big day (if the weather cooperated, of course!)
I knew that I wanted to grab the usual up-close shots of the sun and moon--the diamond ring, Bailey's beads etc.--but I also knew I wanted to capture some photos with an object featured in the foreground and the eclipse overhead.
Since the sun would be quite high in the sky around 3 p.m. when totality would occur, I knew that this object would have to be tall and possibly at the top of a hill so that I could crouch down in front of it and look up at it (and the sun).
As I pondered what this object could be, I had a few initial ideas that didn't pan out -- a lighthouse, a windmill etc.
And then the idea to photograph a statue in a cemetery came to me.
I had a suspicion that totality was perhaps going to be a very spiritual experience--eerie and yet uplifting--and what better way to harness that feeling than to focus on an object that represented eternity?
So I started thinking about old cemeteries I have visited--cemeteries with tall, elaborate markers. (I am quite fond of old cemeteries so I've been to quite a few!)
My first wish was to find a marker in Lakeview Cemetery in Cleveland since Lakeview is packed with gorgeous old monuments as well as some hilly terrain, but since I dislike crowds and heavy traffic, I decided I would have to select a smaller cemetery in a quiet, country location.
That is when I remembered visiting an old cemetery in Windsor, Ohio where a tall angel monument sits at the crest of a knoll.
Maybe the old angel would be just what I needed to bring my vision to life?
The day before the eclipse I drove to the cemetery. It was bright and clear, and as the clock struck 3 p.m., I located the old angel grave marker and was pleased to discover that the sun was shining directly over top of its bowed head (if I crouched down and aimed my camera upward, that is).
Hot diggety! :D I was pleased. So, I headed for home and prayed the weather would cooperate Monday.
Although Monday started out overcast, the weather did, of course, cooperate (except for some milky cirrus clouds), and I was able to photograph the entire eclipse.
I arrived at the cemetery early that day and set up two tripods with two cameras near the angel monument. One camera had my 600 mm lens attached and the other camera had my 24 - 105 mm lens attached. The 600 mm lens was for the close-up shots, but the other camera was for the wider shots featuring the angel.
As totality crept closer, I was dazzled by the strange, silvery light and the shadows that slanted across the grass. The air tingled with an unexpected magic, and excitement raced up my spine.
When totality finally occurred, a sudden rush of darkness swept over the cemetery and an ethereal orange light glowed on the horizon. I couldn't help but exclaim how incredible it all was!
I may have uttered a few oaths, too, as I ripped the solar filters off my cameras and ran back and forth between them, taking as many shots as possible. :D
A few birds twittered nervously, and I could hear people who lived nearby shouting and cheering.
I was not prepared for the feeling that came over me during that moment. I felt almost as if time had stopped and all the mysteries of existence were right there, in the palm of my hand.
I felt as if the earth was about to open, and all the forgotten people buried around me were going to start climbing out of their graves. I know that sounds wild, lol, and frightening, but the energy I experienced wasn't scary or troubling. It was somehow uplifting and life-altering.
In that three-minute window of totality life seemed to somehow change, but I still cannot put my finger on exactly how.
Maybe it was, in part, because so many people came together and anticipated something with such pure excitement and joy, and the division that has become so prevalent in our country evaporated.
Or maybe it was just the sheer astonishment of feeling as if the sun--that colossal, intimidating celestial body that provides life for everything here on this earth--was right there with us, its mysterious, fiery flares exposed, its dazzling corona on display, so close to us all, whether through the dark lenses of our eclipse glasses, or through the curious lenses of our cameras.
Whatever it was, it was simply unforgettable.
Mystical.
Astounding.
I am still thinking about it and marveling over it!
Later that evening when I sat down at my computer and edited a few of the photos I had taken, I wasn't sure if the angel photo was good enough to share.
Honestly--I am quite critical of my work sometimes, so when people went crazy over the image, I was happily surprised.
As the print orders continued to pour in and folks continued to hit the share button, I decided maybe I should do some research on who exactly is buried there.
I have since learned that the angel monument pays tribute to the Grover family. Timothy Grover, 1799-1872, his wife Susan, 1803 -1872, as well as their daughter, Perlina Grover, 1829-1850, and another relative, Perlinda Grover, 1851-1855, are all listed on the stone.
Timothy was born in Connecticut and migrated west to Ohio with his parents and siblings in its frontier days. In 1820, Timothy was married to Susan in Mesopotamia, Ohio.
It is interesting to consider that both Timothy and Susan were alive when the great June 16, 1806 solar eclipse occurred, its path of totality cutting a wide swath across America. Since Timothy was a small boy living in Connecticut at the time, and since Connecticut experienced totality, it is quite possible he witnessed this event. One wonders what Timothy and his family thought that day as darkness fell around them.
As I browsed Ancestry.com I found a few family trees that listed Timothy and his wife. The first family tree I noticed belonged to a person with an Ancestry username of MOONSHADOW. Talk about strange coincidences!!! :-o I couldn't resist sending this person a brief message, but I haven't heard back from them yet.
Another strange coincidence occurred the next day when a longtime follower of this page phoned me to order a print of the graveyard angel, and after we got to talking, and our conversation turned to genealogy and old cemeteries, we discovered we are actually distant cousins!! :-o
There seems to be something magical happening in regard to this angel image, and I have a feeling maybe some more coincidences and surprises could be on the way. ;)
A few weeks ago I mentioned that I was working on a book that features my photography and poetry. I have decided to include some of my eclipse photos in the book as well as a poem inspired by totality. I still hope to have the book ready to roll by the end of April. Stay tuned to this page for updates.
Whew, if you are still reading, thanks for making it to the end. :D
And thank you for following this page and appreciating my work.
Oh, and if you also enjoy my writing, please check out my author page Rebecca S. Nieminen - Author
