It’s time for the big reveal!
As any of you who have been following my blog know, I am co-hosting a collaborative, creative photo project with my good friend Nick from NickExposed. Not wanting to influence any of the participants, I waited to post my own submissions to the project. But, finally, the time is now.
Now, in the past, I have always been able to choose my own quote so this was a new (and fun!) experience for me. It was interesting to have to do a little research to find out the context of my quotes, as I wanted to create an image that was both representative of the image, but also satisfied my need for creative interpretation of the quote.
Remember, Remember the 5th of November
My first quote was “Remember, Remember the 5th of November…Gunpowder, Treason and Plot…I see no reason Gunpowder Treason should ever be forgot.” I had heard the quote before (it was made famous by the film “V for Vendetta”, a movie I happen to like) however, I didn’t feel like a Guy Fawkes mask would be the way I wanted to depict the image. It was more important to me to get to the heart of the matter – to take a deeper look at the context and meaning behind the quote.
A little research revealed that Guy Fawkes was only one of a group of English Catholics who were attempting to assassinate King James I and restore a Catholic monarch to the throne by blowing up the House of Lords in 1605. They called this plan the Gunpowder Plot and while it failed, the concept of religious violence – agression caused by, or justified by, religious differences – is still something we deal with today.
For me, it was important to incorporate some symbol of the toll violence of any sort take on us – the loss, the pain and sadness. I did this through the use of directional lighting, creating shadows to represent and honor those who had fallen throughout the history of mankind. It was a little thing, but it satisfied my need to show respect for the meaning behind the quote, “Remember, Remember the 5th of November…Gunpowder, Treason and Plot…I see no reason Gunpowder Treason should ever be forgot.”
What do you think of my thought process in creating this image? Did you go about it differently? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
SeeingSpotsPhoto.com 
Great image. And the explanation of the thought behind the photo really was impressive. I like the crispness and love the concept on the shadows’ meaning.
Thanks! Once I realized the historical importance, and the parallels we see around the world now, I knew it couldn’t be a fluff image. I’m glad you get something out of it too!
Glad I didn’t get that quote. Well done, I think that was a tough one!
Thank you. 🙂 I might have made it tougher than it needed to be, but I wanted to give my photos 100% effort. I figured you guys were all working hard, I should do the same! 🙂
Superb! Love the explanation of your choice of angle and lighting. That there was a deeper meaning to the choices made than just “it looks cool”. 🙂
haha Well, also, they looked cool. Can’t go wrong with a leading line. 😉