Courtesy of Justin Barr, STL From Above
When STL From Above photographer Justin Barr was contacted by the organization Gateway Blue Star Mothers, a coordinator of the Wreaths Across America event, and asked if he wanted to take some photos of holiday wreaths after they were laid at Jefferson Barracks, he decided to record some video as well. Wreaths Across America laid a record-breaking number of wreaths at the cemetery this year, and Barr has a personal connection: His grandfather is buried there. Now you can watch dramatic footage of the sun rising at the military cemetery, as taken from Barr's drone camera.
To capture the footage, Barr arrived 10 minutes before sunrise and basically had the whole plot of land to himself. "I've been wanting to take photos there for a while," he said, "but the drone isn't very quiet, and I definitely didn't want to disrupt the solemn atmosphere of Jefferson Barracks. Since the grounds were empty, this was my chance to get the shot I'd been dreaming of." Donations can be made to sponsor the wreaths.
Barr notes that his grandfather's section of the cemetery was not one that received wreaths (some graves have exceptions due to religious differences, and some are left out due to a lack of funding). He says he hopes the footage inspires more donations next holiday season.
Two of the sections captured are completely laid with wreaths. Barr describes it here:
"In one section, the wreaths faced east. This gave me the chance to shoot looking west with the slowly fading purple sky in the background. I got several good shots before the sun peeked over the horizon and began to cascade over the rolling hills. Next, I moved closer to the entrance, where the wreaths were facing west. This put the sun at a perfect angle behind the graves and cast dramatic shadows across the field."
