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ctfchallenge | all galleries >> Challenge 148 - Outside the Box >> Challenge 148 - Eligible > 11th: Black Friday is not Good Friday
by Kelly Bellis
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06-DEC-2007 Kelly Bellis

11th: Black Friday is not Good Friday
by Kelly Bellis

Ellsworth, Maine






When I first heard the term "Black Friday" I wasn't sure what it meant but thought that it had some relationship to Good Friday, the day observed by Christians worldwide as the day of Christ's execution. Instead, Black Friday - at least in the U.S. since the mid-1970's - heralds in the ever increasing commercialization of Christ's birthday. And to be certain, Black Friday is not Good Friday.

Canon EOS 40D ,Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
2s f/8.0 at 10.0mm iso100 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time06-Dec-2007 16:31:06
MakeCanon
ModelCanon EOS 40D
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length10 mm
Exposure Time2.50 sec
Aperturef/8
ISO Equivalent100
Exposure Bias-2.00
White Balance
Metering Modematrix (5)
JPEG Quality
Exposure Programaperture priority (3)
Focus Distance

other sizes: small medium original auto
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ctfchallenge10-Dec-2007 19:26
very creative, this would look great on a big poster. and a really interesting discussion and supplementary links - b.c.
ctfchallenge10-Dec-2007 12:17
Thank you Jano and TomD. - Kelly
Guest 10-Dec-2007 03:21
This has become the most interesting thread of comments I've seen.
Thanks Kelly for the follow-up comments & links.
ctfchallenge10-Dec-2007 02:29
Very creative. jano
ctfchallenge08-Dec-2007 15:34
Thanks for the vote of confidence, Kelly. I'll check out your link. I am apparently a very odd mix of characteristics. I love doing creative things... photography, PS, painted wall murals, etc. But, the odd thing is that I really don't understand them. The only D I made in my life was in Intro to Music in college. I dropped it. I made a C in Intro to Art. (I made A's in mathematics courses). I don't understand myself even. So, when it comes to stuff like you're doing, I just do what looks right to me... having no clue why I'm doing it, and can't comprehend it when it's explained. *sigh* I'm going to go eat a bag of potato chips... ~Lydia
ctfchallenge08-Dec-2007 15:29
Lydia, I'm quite confident that you're smart enough, it's more that my instruction is lacking - and for that I apologize. I've had a solid grounding in manually constructing perspectives through various college courses and incorrectly expect others in related artistic fields (including photography) to have similar training. The Renaissance brought great advances and with it one of my earliest heroes who still holds a special place in my heart. Albrecht Dürer's study into the science of perspective was groundbreaking. His image below is so very communicative of the fundamentals of perspective; i.e., picture plane and vantage point.

If interested, I know of no better book on the subject that my teachers' book (who I later went and worked for); here's a link to it:
http://www.amazon.com/Perspective-Drawing-Applications-Charles-OConnor/dp/0136330258

Canon DSLR Challenge08-Dec-2007 14:26
This is all very interesting. LOL, Kelly. I just KNEW I'd posted about the boxes... and then I got here and it wasn't here. I'm glad to find out that I'm not crazy. Ok. So, maybe I am. *wink* Thanks for the instruction. I think you're much more methodical than I am. I am not smart enough to do it your way. Well done, Kelly. ~Lydia
Daniel Bollag08-Dec-2007 13:52
Thought-provoking, Kelly: well done! -- db.
ctfchallenge08-Dec-2007 12:54
Maurice - Thank you very much for the introduction to Bansky and for the link to Santa's Ghetto http://www.santasghetto.com). The Wall is amazing! Thanks again. - Kelly
Maurice Allain08-Dec-2007 10:35
I also like how the perspective of the boxes matches the Walmart store perspective, its nicely done!

...ooops ..sorry about adding pictures below, I thought I was adding links!
ctfchallenge08-Dec-2007 10:13
Kelly thanks for posting that link.... but the gallery does not seem to work at the moment
Here's an alternative link to the Banksy image:


I like the messages and sometimes humour in a lot of Banksy's work and this is one of my favorites at the moment:


I think the message here is that some cultures are being forced into civilisation with not much choice!

He has also recently set up an art show with other artists in Bethlehem for christmas. Which can be found here:
http://www.santasghetto.com

Maurice
Guest 08-Dec-2007 07:17
Nice pic. Dali's been a fav of mine also.
Actually, 'Black Friday' came about because it is the supposed busiest shopping day of the year. Thus the rush of income puts businesses in 'the black' (profitable), as opposed to being in 'the red' (loosing money).
ctfchallenge08-Dec-2007 03:56
Thank you Lydia and Maurice very much for your kind and supportive words.

Lydia, notes on the floating boxes are posted here:
http://www.pbase.com/cslr_challenge/image/90010548

Maurice, you made me go looking for Bansky and thank you for doing so. Many links after Google, but here's one in case anybody else wants a peak at what Maurice referred to:

http://www.artificialgallery.co.uk/artwork.php?form_load_id=3466759465

- Kelly
ctfchallenge08-Dec-2007 00:02
That is a powerful message, and the sort of message Banksy achieved with his 'Christ with Shopping Bags' picture.
Nicely done

Maurice
ctfchallenge07-Dec-2007 22:50
Nicely done, Kelly! And you made the boxes from 'scratch'? Wow. A very powerful message here. ~Lydia
ctfchallenge07-Dec-2007 22:22
Thanks tv - Dali has been a hero of mine since an early age and continues to be an inspiration. As for throwing in the towel, don't kid yourself; for me anyways, it has always been a struggle trying to figure out how to achieve the conceived image using a powerful tool I have only limited understanding, but it can also be fun learning stuff along the way. For example, I spent way, way more time trying to draw those cubes than my shoots at the church and the store combined. - Kelly
ctfchallenge07-Dec-2007 20:15
Reminds me of Salvador Dali's crucifixion. Maybe I'll stop the fight and join in although I don't do montages. Nicely assembled. -tv