Arlington, Virginia.

This week I started experimenting with a new (to me) photo processing technique. OK, so it’s kinda gimmicky, but these are fun to do. I first saw one of these images on Facebook. The 3D Pop Out photos I saw were done in Photoshop, a tool I don’t happen to have. Searching on YouTube eventually rewarded me with a tutorial on creating these shots in Photoshop Elements, a tool that I do happen to have and use on occasion.

I’m not going to go into detail about how these are created. Searching “3D Pop Out Photoshop” will bring up a collection of samples and tutorials if you’d like to try these yourself. The one above took about an hour, but now that I know the steps, subsequent ones have gotten progressively quicker. I discovered that not many images lend themselves to this treatment, but those that do can create an interesting composition. So, I’ve decided to add another irregular feature to this photo and travel blog.

Since I have Travel Tuesday and Cellpic Sunday, I’ve decided to add 3D Thursday to my schedule. Don’t expect one of these every Thursday. As I discover pictures that lend themselves to the process, I will share them with you, and relate a story that goes with the photo. In this week’s episode, we revisit Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. In an earlier post here you can catch up with that visit if you missed it. The story relating to the photo above begins now.

Ira Hayes was a Pima (Akimel O’odham) Native American from the Gila River Reservation near Phoenix in Arizona. Those who have studied World War II have probably seen the iconic photo of the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima. The 22-year-old Ira Hayes is one of the flag raisers on Mount Suribachi. A USMC Airborne Warrior, participated in several battles in the South Pacific and was truly a war hero. Of the six flag raisers, three would die before leaving the island.

Continuing his military service, he was transferred to Washington DC where he and a combat correspondent were assigned to a tour selling war bonds. Promoted to Corporal and given several awards for his service, he was soon discharged and returned to civilian life where his fame hounded him and a battle with alcohol abuse ended his life prematurely. A more detailed account of his military career can be found here.

Folk singer Peter La Farge wrote a song called “The Ballad of Ira Hayes” that was performed by several artists in the 1960s and ’70s. Probably the most popular version of the song was released by Johnny Cash in 1963 in the album “Bitter Tears”. You can listen via YouTube here.

I am looking forward to sharing more 3D Pop Out images with you on upcoming Thursdays and hope you like the short story that accompanies them.

John Steiner