LPS#9 , "Protecting our Flag"

WildWally

I have 5 versions , and really can't decide .
The first 3 have the edges of a Pine tree , don't know if I should leave it there , as not sure if it distracts the message .



2 other versions with a frame .


same except different focus .


For some reason , these 2 seem to provoke more feeling to me . Anyone else ???


My father really likes this 1:dunno



Any thoughts appreciated ...

urbanaries

WildWally wrote:

I have 5 versions , and really can't decide .
The first 3 have the edges of a Pine tree , don't know if I should leave it there , as not sure if it distracts the message .



For some reason , these 2 seem to provoke more feeling to me . Anyone else ???



Any thoughts appreciated ...

i like this one the best, for sure!

The first two I'm not sure what i'm looking at, and the frame is distracting.

I really like the BW one, though.

The IR one is interesting but I'm not sure the IR adds to the shot, kinda gimmicky IMHO.

ETA: I do think the American Flag theme is probably a little tired after the independence day round....you do have to consider the int'l audience...

lynne

JFreeman

Here's my take on these shots.
It feels like the image is too compressed in these. For me the flag doesn't have pride, it just feels squat. Probably because there isn't any separation between the flag and the gun and there is all that empty sky above.

Also because of the compression and blur I can't get a good feel for the gun in the foreground. I could tell it was a gun but it also just reads as a hunk of metal.

For the last 3, to me it became more about wondering why are they going to shoot that pidgeon than about the rest of the shot.

You might try shooting with a wider angle lens and from a vantage point that doesn't place the flag in the line of fire. That bit of pine tree is a bit distracting for me. BTW frames aren't allowed in the contest.

-Josh

mwalters

I tend to agree with Josh. I think the concept is OK and seems to be within the definition of Freedom (or opression, depending on your POV and location...) but the flag needs more prominence.

I was also distracted by the pigeon - you could maybe clone this out if you are happy with the rest of the shot.

Matthew

Nikolai

You may take it with a grain of salt, but for many non-US-bound viewers (and majority of the world still lives outside US:-) this may represent NOT the theme you're shooting for but its exact opposite
HTH

Shizam

Yea, this doesn't so much say freedom/opression to me so much as 'patriotic', 'conquering', 'conquest', 'defense'. But thats just me.

Nikolai wrote:

You may take it with a grain of salt, but for many non-US-bound viewers (and majority of the world still lives outside US:-) this may represent NOT the theme you're shooting for but its exact opposite
HTH

dlscott56

Personally I like #3 and think it invokes a sense of both themes. Freedom and Oppression. I know that's probably not what the photo is intended to say but it could be interpreted that way.

WildWally

HHHmmm......
Never saw it that way . I guess if something represents freedom for 1 country , and something other in another country , who's thoughts are right in text ??? The 1 viewing it I guess .
I in no way was making a political statement . This is an early 50's era canon , whom our veterans of the US had used in preserving the Flag of their/my country , and the flying flag "DOES" represent freedom in this country , which is why I had the idea of having the Canon pic lead to a high-flying flag . I also thought the Dove on top of the canon would high-light the freedom expression , which is why I left it there .
It is un-founded that 1 would love a picture , and another dis-like it . That is why these LPS themes seem so hard to judge IMO .
I thought I nailed the theme pretty good , maybe I'll have to go another route

Nikolai wrote:

You may take it with a grain of salt, but for many non-US-bound viewers (and majority of the world still lives outside US:-) this may represent NOT the theme you're shooting for but its exact opposite
HTH

Netgarden

Hi Walt, I also like the black and white. In the first two I couldn't tell if they were canons.

ivar

WildWally wrote:

HHHmmm......
Never saw it that way . I guess if something represents freedom for 1 country , and something other in another country , who's thoughts are right in text ??? The 1 viewing it I guess .

I don't think what an image means to someone, or makes a person feel, can be right or wrong. However it can be something different from what you wanted your audience to feel. This makes competitions like this so hard, but also so interesting.
On a side note, I don't think it can mean something to a country (see below).

An image can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. In large part the differences can be attributed by culture, but also by personal experiences, upbringing, etc.

I've had the pleasure of living in the US for several years, so I *know* that the American flag represents freedom to a lot of Americans. To me however, it does not. Your images are great, but they tell me 'protection', and 'patriotism'. The funny thing is that if you would create the same image with a dutch flag, I doubt that there would be a lot of dutch people that would see 'freedom' in it.

It is mainly a difference in culture I guess, and not so much specific for this theme. Crazy example, but for some reason it was stuck in my mind: Over here (the Netherlands) a lot of people have no idea what a turkey (goble goble) looks like. They don't live here, we rarely eat them and if we do see them it is in a zoo usually. Over there (the US) most people will know exactly what a turkey is, what it looks like, and possibly associate it with the holidays.

WildWally wrote:

This is an early 50's era canon , whom our veterans of the US had used in preserving the Flag of their/my country , and the flying flag "DOES" represent freedom in this country , which is why I had the idea of having the Canon pic lead to a high-flying flag .

I'm not sure I agree with you that a flying flag represents freedom to everyone in a country. In this case, to most people I believe it can. Earlier I mentioned that I believe that what a person sees/feels in something (an image in this case) could also be attributed to personal experiences.

For example: A very good friend of mine was killed in Tanzania. For most people (here in the Netherlands) 'Tanzania' probably means 'a country in Africa', or 'a place I want to visit'. For me a lot times it means 'death', 'sadness' or 'danger'.

The same can go for Americans who have lost family or friends serving in the military. The flag can have a totally different meaning for them, I know.

All of what I said above doesn't mean that you shouldn't enter your image for this contest. So what am I saying? I guess I 'm saying that 'the message is in the eye of the beholder', and it is extremely difficult to get the same message across to everyone looking at the same image.

WildWally wrote:

...these LPS themes seem so hard to judge...

I agree, and I'm glad I'm not judging them



Irony? The above Canon was shot with a Nikon.

HoofClix

Walt, not only am I an ex-Marine, but an ex Marine ARTILLERYMAN to boot! So I appreciated seeing the old piece. Is that a 105?

In any event, aside from all of the other comments, if you are to do this shot, I think you need to have a bit more space around the flag to set it off from the cannon, and also could take a few more shots to make sure it's flying a bit more brialliantly. I like the effect of the b/w, but the flag in those two is partly concealed. (That's not an IR but a negative, correct?) As to whether you enter it, that's up to you!

hawkeye978

I think I prefer the versions with the flag in focus but I agree the flag needs to be higher with respect to the gun. The ones with the gun in focus don't do anything for me, personally. If you are going to use those maybe the pigeon needs to go, unless it's a dove??:D

WildWally

Thank you all for your comments .
This is why I posted many photos of the same theme I was trying to achieve , to hear comments AND criticism .
Although in my initial thoughts , I thought "freedom" was nailed with this type of shot . Maybe a different composition ?? Or maybe just a different route ???
In reference to HoofClix .
It's a 155mm Howitzer


Once again , thanks all for the comments

HoofClix

WildWally wrote:

In reference to HoofClix .
It's a 155mm Howitzer

Thanks! Mine came, of course, with tracks and a turret...