There is a wealth of beauty to photograph in our country. Some of the beauty is presented to us by nature such as the spectacular fall colors on a Pennsylvania country hillside. And, some of the beauty is provided to us through the skills of talented men and women who produce incredible statues and monuments, some of which have taken years to complete.

What's the difference between a statue and a monument? A statue is a sculpture in the round that normally represents a person, animal, or event. A monument is a structure that's created to commemorate a particular person or event. We have many photo-worthy examples of both statues and monuments. There are also structures that combine both a statue and a monument in one, such as the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. This example is of the statue of a seated President Lincoln, in the round, inside a 99 foot marble building. Thousands of people visit this famous landmark, camera bag over their shoulder, to get a picture of this impressive sculpture.

One of the most famous statues in the world is located in New York Harbor. The Statue Of Liberty sits on Ellis Island overlooking the harbor. She stands 151 feet tall, including her torch which is extended from her 42 foot right arm. The base is 65 feet high and the pedestal she stands on is 89 feet tall. People from all over the world used to climb her 354 steps, camera bag in hand, to her crown, to take some of the most beautiful pictures imaginable of New York's skyline. Now those pictures are taken from the pedestal, since there is no longer public access beyond that level.

Another example of a statue is further west in Chester, Illinois. This is a bronze statue which stands six feet tall and is recognized by young and old alike. It's Olive Oil's boyfriend and Bluto's arch enemy, Popeye. Popeye came to rest on a stone pedestal in Chester in 1977. He was dedicated to honor the person who created him, Elzie Segar who was born there in 1894.

And then we have a work art like Mt Rushmore. A huge, 60-foot sculpture that was originally designed as a way to attract sightseers to the Black Hills area of South Dakota. The sculpture was started in 1927 under the direction of 60 year old Gutzon Borglum. They kept photographic records of the progress as the mountain gave way to the artist's plan. 400 workers and 7 years later the first face was completed. George Washington was dedicated on July 4, 1934, Thomas Jefferson was dedicated in 1936, Abraham Lincoln was dedicated on September 17, 1937, and Theodore Roosevelt was dedicated on July 2, 1939. Gutzon Borglum died unexpectedly in 1941, before the project was completed. His son, Lincoln, saw it through to the end when funds ran out in October, 1941. Every day hundreds of tourists pass through the Avenue of Flags to the Grandview Terrace to the Presidential Trail with their camera cases and equipment to photograph the most impressive mountain carving in the world

So, whether it's a statue, a monument, or a statue inside a monument, there is so much beauty carved out of and into the earth. Pack your camera bag and check out what's in your local area. There are beautiful statues in parks and cemeteries. Go on-line and see what sculptures, statues, and monuments are within day-trip distance. Keep your camera bag with you, you never know when you might come across a beautiful sculpture worth photographing.