Unrequited players in the games of war by Canon DSLR Challenge

Canon DSLR Challenge | all galleries >> Challenge 48: Games and Hobbies (hosted by Gayle Knowles) >> Challenge 48 Eligible > Unrequited players in the games of war

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17-AUG-2005	Kelly Bellis

Unrequited players in the games of war

Bar Harbor, Maine

This past Wednesday saw hundreds of thousands of supporters gathered at 1,627

candlelight vigils across the United States in a showing of support for Cindy Sheehan, the

Gold Star Mother whose 24-year old son Casey was killed in Baghdad, Iraq on April 4, 2004,

and who has been camped outside of President Bush’s vacation home for the past two weeks.

In Bar Harbor, Maine approximately 175 gathered on the village green in somber

remembrance of her son and the (then) 1,860 other Americans who have been killed in Iraq.

Professional jazz musician Mervyn Johnston (pictured above) broke the silence at

the end of the hour-long event with a haunting and subdued improvisation on the saxophone.

Canon EOS 20D ,Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM
1/6s f/5.0 at 180.0mm iso3200 hide exif

Full EXIF Info
Date/Time	17-Aug-2005 20:18:50
Make	Canon
Model	Canon EOS 20D
Flash Used	No
Focal Length	180 mm
Exposure Time	1/6 sec
Aperture	f/5
ISO Equivalent	3200
Exposure Bias
White Balance	(-1)
Metering Mode	matrix (5)
JPEG Quality	(6)
Exposure Program	aperture priority (3)
Focus Distance

other sizes: small medium original auto

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roberta		24-Aug-2005 01:31
It's a powerful image Kelly.

Canon DSLR Challenge		23-Aug-2005 21:58
Michael, thank you again for all of your kind remarks and thanks also to those in this community who are tolernant of these peace-themed images but that are in favor of the war in Iraq. I know this image is a bit of leap in meeting the challenge theme, but Bob Starling's "War Games" helped to inspire the title and another chance for catharsis... and maybe, possibly more, if art is ever able to affect change and be more than simply a reflection of society. - Kelly

Guest		23-Aug-2005 05:30
Kelly, my earlier comment was really a minor nit and this version certainly takes care of it. My eyes are no longer drawn to the left border but rest comfortably on your primary subjects. Having no distraction from the primary subjects is important to me because I find this a remarkalby powerful triad...the young man, the young woman, and the artist sharing his work...as Phil said, shiver. While I generally refuse to discuss politics or religion with family and friends (I have strong views), I hope you will indulge me this comment without offense: When I first viewed and was moved by the image, I did ask myself "What does this have to do with games and hobbies?". The answer to that question is easily found within your title. It's not the "simple" definition of "games and hobbies" but it is a meaningful interpretation. This is a recurring theme for you, one you obviously feel strongly about, and a theme which you translate into visual images quite skilfully. Kudos to you for creating these emotion packed statements and sharing them. -Michael

Canon DSLR Challenge		23-Aug-2005 00:30
Thank you Michael for the kind words and suggestions. I've uploaded another crack at it after implementing your's and Phil's suggestions. Sorry to report no other shots with more of the sax in them. - Kelly

ctfchallenge		23-Aug-2005 00:27
Nice picture Kelly. theFly

Guest		22-Aug-2005 21:48
Kelly, I like the mood you've captured, warm candle glow, solo sax, shades of the glittering brass in the background. Very evocative. A minor nit would be to soften the bright white spot on the left border with a golden glow...for me it tends to draw the eye left and I think the eye should remain with the three faces and sax. A haunting piece. -Michael

Canon DSLR Challenge		22-Aug-2005 10:04
Thank you kindly for the feedback and efforts Phil - after work tonight I'll revisit this. - Kelly

Guest		22-Aug-2005 08:09
shiver I can only imagine how haunting that saxophone must have sounded - a beautiful, soulful instrument... I think I would like to have seen a different crop, if possible - it's a shame to lose the bottom of the saxophone, and also maybe a tigher crop on the left? Also, I notice it has Adobe RGB embedded - that mutes the colours somewhat so convert to sRGB and re-load. Or, consider a contrasty b/w or Sepia version - the pink shirt of the girl is slightly distracting. (I took the liberty, hope that's OK :http://www.pbase.com/whqttt/image/48040927 ) Phil

alexeig		21-Aug-2005 21:30
I like the color palitre and how you captured their face expressions