Teach me something - C&C please

f3nr15 wrote:

I COMPLETELY understand where you are coming from. Since my DSLR kick began in November, I haven't generally taken any photos of anything except for people, and mainly my kids! I do struggle to maintain an emotional connection to pictures of still life, scenery etc. However, I want to learn to be versatile in my ability, hence this photo.

This monument is around the corner from home, and kids are always playing around it. While I'm standing by it waiting for the monkeys to expend their energy, I invariable read the names of the fallen and cast a glance at the lonely figure atop it. So I guess I do have a connection of sorts to the object. In shooting it, I would have liked to capture the loneliness and constancy of that figure.

There will always be exceptions to my comments about what makes a photo memorable or what kinds are totally forgettable, because there will always be photos of things that are special to you individually that others may not 'get', especially without knowing the background of the subject. This statue is a place where your kids play nearby, it's dedicated to those who died in war, and I can see why you'd want to have some good shots of it.

With respect to the processing, I think the B+W adds a little drama to what would otherwise be an unremarkable picture (plan version below). And, once again, I've snuck the sepia in!

To be perfectly honest... I prefer the color version. The fact that there's a bit of blue between the clouds makes the sky more interesting, and being able to see the different colors of the monument itself also helps. It still doesn't have that 'hook' that really grabs me but it's better this way IMO and I do understand why it's got meaning for you.

Is there anyplace nearby from which you could possibly get a shot of this from a different, preferably upper angle? I'd like to see the front view of the figure, and most people probably never see it any differently than this lower view. Just a thought.

For King and Country - no processing