As a new photoblogger on WordPress, I’m learning that the art of photoblogging can be so much more than posting “pretty pictures,” especially since my definition of ‘’pretty” may be very different from yours.  So while I have old pictures I would like to share and am looking forward to sharing new pictures, I realize I need to offer more than just my interpretation of pretty. But what?

WordPress came to the rescue last week. Its contributors offer an impressive array of posts dedicated to helping bloggers, new and seasoned, successfully and effectively navigate the blogosphere. One such post discussed the concept of three-picture stories and challenged bloggers to put the idea into practice. It was my ah-hah moment.

At the entrance to the Tomb, a reminder to visitors.

Fast forward a few days to the first warmish, sun-filled day Washington, D.C. has had since … well, since sometime in 2013, that’s for sure. Armed with the exuberance of finally having my photoblog up and running, I took a trip to Arlington National Cemetery, with my Nikon D90 on my BlackRapid strap, my Hoodman (so important on sunny days), my LowePro backpack (boy, did I look the part or what?), and my obliging hubby.

We spent a few hours walking the roads of the cemetery, visiting the Kennedy grave sites, the memorials for the USS Maine, the Space Shuttle Challenger, and the Space Shuttle Columbia. We saw headstones for those who served in WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, the Civil War; for wives; for infants (one who died on the day of his birth); and for countless other brave men and women who gave their lives in service to the United States.

Of course, what most tourists want to visit at the cemetery is the Tomb of the Unknowns to watch the Changing of the Guard ceremony. Though my husband and I have witnessed this impressive ceremony before, it had been many years and we were eager to see it again.

And see it we did. Twice. From two different perspectives: one, seated directly in front of the Tomb; the other, seated at the far right, where the presentation of arms and the inspection of the incoming guard take place. (Good visitor tip!)  And the second time, we were also fortunate to see the wreath laying ceremony. Again, twice. I was in photography heaven.

And that is how I ended up with over 250 photographs on my memory card. Could I possibly distill down to three pictures all that I had seen during the afternoon? Impossible, until I realized I actually had four different stories I could tell: visiting Arlington Cemetery, guarding the Tomb, the Changing of the Guard ceremony, and the wreath laying ceremony. While I still needed to get down to 12 photos, the task became much less daunting. In fact, I viewed my pictures with a much more critical eye and found it rather liberating to embrace the simplicity of the end result.

So, drumroll, please. I give you story #1:

Guarding the Tomb

The Tomb rests atop the grave of the Unknown Soldier from World War I. The crypts of the Unknowns from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War lay to the west of the Tomb under white marble slabs set flush with the plaza.

On the plaza, a guard walks the mat in measured steps, 21 paces down, 21 paces back, alluding to the highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary: the twenty-one gun salute.

The iconic click of a guard’s heels is made possible by the steel “clickers” on the inner edges of both shoes.

How do you think I did? Is less truly more? And what about using the captions – do you think they add to or detract from a three-picture story? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

(For those interested in more information about the guards: FAQs. For my post on a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb, see Honor and Remembrance on Memorial Day.)