Eternal Flame Honours The Bravest Of The Brave
Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON
This is the Eternal Flame at the Shrine of Remembrance on St Kilda Road here in Melbourne. With this week's theme being "Hot", I figured there aren't many things that emit more heat than this - and that I would be able to photograph up close. This flame has burned continuously since 1954.
I'm not sure how hot the flame is, but I could feel the intense heat even as I stood beside the metal railings. Have a look at the image (above) and you'll see the temperature is so high that the metal railings in the background have been endowed with a heat shimmer, like a desert mirage.
It was a hot, windy afternoon when I took these photographs. The breeze was really gusting and the flame was blowing wildly, first one side and then the other. It was impossible to take a pre-meditated shot of it, no matter how hard I tried. This was the first photograph I took and I was really pleased with how intense the orange is and how the flame was concentrated in one area.
But I wanted at least one frame with the flame filling the entire screen from left to right. It took a lot of patience and the photograph below was sheer luck. But I guess reverence and silent contemplation are natural in these surroundings.
85 comments:
wonderful hot choice for today's theme. great shots too!
VERY cool! I love the way you captured the flames!
http://radula.wordpress.com/2007/11/23/photohunt-hot/
Eternal flame...
very nice.
Those are beautiful shots and perfect for the theme. I hope you have a pleasant weekend.
Nice choice. There's going to be lots of flames today.
Your patience paid off. That's an great hot. I also like the flaming tornado below.
You certainly know just how to capture a perfect photo David.
Love the flames and the 2nd one is
MAGNIFICO
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Awesome shot of those flames!! I picked your site for my pick of the hunt this week.
Very nice David. I chose fire as well. :)
happy weekend!
gorgeous photos!
I am always in a trance when there is a fire. I love to stare at it!
great capture and oh so hot!! Happy Saturday to you!
that's a fab picture - beautiful.
Another great photo and a wonderful one for the theme. Happy hunting to you...
This is terrific. And congrats on being Photo Hunt's site of the week.
Beauuuuutiful captures! Excellent idea for today's theme!
wow! that's really hot...nice choice!!!
here is mine:
PhotoHunt1...
PhotoHunt2...
Happy weekend c",)
Great picture. Was it taken in Melbourne?
Mine is up too. Happy photo hunting.
I was going to say that is so cool, but then I realized it's supposed to be hot.
Either way it's a great picture.
Great photos -- inspired choice of subject matter and beautiful shots.
(On another note though: David, sorry but... how could your best movies of 2007 poll be limited to only English language ones? If so, shouldn't there be a qualifier there? And no, I'm not just being pc -- rather, I've seen quite a few non-English language movies that I reckon are far better than the best English language ones I've seen thus far (though "Zodiac" is a movie I'd rate pretty highly as well).)
Now here I'll go and ruin it with a tech-question! I wonder what they use for fuel? It almost has to be a gel of some sort, and there isn't any smoke, so that rules out the old "smudge-pot" gunk. Probably the same thing as is used in the eternal flame on our President Kennedys' tomb, which I'm uncertain of, as well.
The maintenance of such an icon of honor would have to be rated right up there with guarding the Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier. A responsibility, not just "a job"...
I think it must be hard to photograph flames like that.
An eternal flame always makes me feel a reverence and appreciation for the brave who fought for their country. Both my father and my nephew fought for theirs and mine (The US of A). :)
Loved Australia when I visited.
Beautiful David. I really like the second one best with the entire frame in flames.
Two fabulous photos. Well done for the theme.
Wonderful photo
You've done it again. I love your photography and look forward to it every week!! I should really come by more often. :D
those are excellent photos
your photos are brilliant - great choice for site of the week.
Definitely HOT!! Excellent photos.
Awesome shots... very well done!
Great shots... very intense. Don't you just love it when serendipity favors your difficult shots?
Mine's up... come visit!
http://lorivillarreal.typepad.com/do_you_realize/
Never mind the heat produced by the fire...what power from the emotion it provokes. Thanks for sharing.
Very nice shot. I can imagine it being really hot. There is one similar to this in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. I dont know if I can hunt that photo somewhere in my old albums. It is quite nice esp at night.
Wow! The fire's been burning for more than 50 years!!? I was in St Kilda in year 2003 but I didn't visit this Shrine.
Great choice for the theme and congrats on being site of the day/week!!
I love (controlled!) fire, your pics are an excellent composition, I admire your patience to get what you want !*wink*
For a minute there I thought you put a little too much lighter fluid on the barbi.
Nice post.
~Oswegan
thats really hot like hell.. Good choice for this theme.
http://happymomiam.blogspot.com/2007/11/photo-hunters-hot.html
That's an awesome choice!
My photo hunt picture is up. Come check it out if you get a chance. :)
Great choice for The Hunt this week. Terrific photos too. Congrats on being Site-of-the-Day
Wow, your photos are perfect! The flame is so alive.
Great shots both, David. Show amazing feat of patience, too.
Cheers.
Beautiful photos of the eternal flame. Nice choice
Wonderful photos of a very meaningful flame. Congratulations on being the site of the week!
My hot photo.
Perseverance, patience, determination and luck are the source for a good photograph and you have just that born in you. Great job here David :)
This is such an interesting post and the shots are amazing too. Sara from farmingfriends
Hi Giles,
Thank you so much. The Shrine is always a special place.
Keep smiling
David
Hi Dorid,
Thank you very much. It was a bit of a challenge in such windy conditions!
Keep smiling
David
Hi ladybanana,
It was definitely the hottest thing in Melbourne that I could think of.
Keep smiling
David
HI Little Polaris,
Thank you. It was great to get a decent picture in a place of such reverence and contemplation.
Keep smiling
David
Hi Carver,
Thank you so much. Thanks for visiting and I'm so glad you liked the shots.
Keep smiling
David
Thank you, Mike,
I wanted to think of a shot that had a special significance.
Keep smiling
David
Hi Tammie,
Thank you very much. I was very fortunate that the wind favoured me.
I'm so glad you liked the flaming tornado picture as well. Another lucky shot - right place, right time.
Keep smiling
David
Hi Stuart,
Thank you very much. I liked the intense orange in the first shot, but yes, the second shot is my favourite.
Once again, my thanks
Keep smiling
David
Hi TNChick,
Wow - that is fantastic news, absolutely mind-boggling.
Thank you for picking my site and thank you for giving us a great Photo Hunt each week.
Once again, my very humble thanks.
Keep smiling
David
You've captured the dance of the flames nicely.
Impressive.
The Rocky Mountain Retreat
wow..this is really beautiful!!!
here's my not-so-fiery version....hee hee
Hi Corey,
And as you know by my comment on your blog, I think you did an amazing job.
You are very gifted.
Keep smiling
David
Hi Sabine,
Thank you. The Shrine is an amazing place. It's hard NOT to get a good photograph there!
Keep smiling
David
Hi TopChamp,
Thank you very much. It was a pleasure to visit your blog too.
Do keep in touch.
Keep smiling
David
Hi Tegdirb,
It sure was hot. I could feel the heat even though I was outside the barrier.
Thank ou for your comment.
Keep smiling
David
Great example of Hot David.
Your photo is beautiful. Great pic for the theme.
Congrats on having the Site of the Day! You deserve it, too!!
Congratulations! AWesome shots! :)
Wonderful post for today!
eodpdhey, I've also been "alight" since 1954! Cool 'hot' pix.
Hi, just to let you know canal post 2 is now up.
Nice picture....makes me want to toast some marshmallows...:)
I forget it's summer down under. Portland is a cold wind and frosty temps. There's even snow on the mountain!
Nice blog, by the way...nice photography.
WOW - the flames are so amazing in the photos. Great job!
Happy Weekend.
Awesome! I could definitely get lost in meditation staring at that flame.
Great choice for the hot theme! Thanks for sharing and congrats for being featured :)
I like the idea of an eternal flame. Thanks for the history lesson.
How interesting-great photos too!
Nice choice for today's theme :)
Mine's up too!
Your take on this weeks theme definately earned you site of the week! Great entry! My photo hunt is up please come and visit
Great photos. Love your work.
Awesome "HOT" photo! You truly are a talented photographer. I love taking photos however mine are just snapshots. My youngest son just spent 2 weeks on holiday in Australia. He loved it and had an incredible time.
Nice!!
Amazing that the flame has been burning for the last 53 years. What a great tribute to all those who have passed through our world. Have a good weekend, and congrats on the site of the day.
This post is stellar in every way - loved it
wonderful choice for this week's theme!
Ohhh cool shot of the flames! that sure hot!
Beautiful shots. I'm guessing they pump in gas to keep it lit. Nice sentiment.
Your pictures are amazing!
Wow... amazing shots.
great shot david...i keep thinking how lucky you all are that live in the city...for such opportunistic shots are certainly not the norm out here in the boondocks...although...with -23c temperatures..i thank goodness for the eternal flame in my furnace..
;)
k
heh..the verification word this moment is pokehebu...rings a bell...;)
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