There are so many statues in Cambridge it was hard to choose one for the theme. Most of them are in the University colleges and departments - there is a Byron in Trinity and a young Darwin at Christs (Byron or Darwin, was ever a girl more spoilt for choice!) But in the end I chose this one; the returning soldier on the war memorial sits on a traffic island at a busy junction near the railway station. I remembered him when I passed on my way home from the dentist today.
I was fiddling around editing this picture a little (the sky was so bright blue it looked unnatural - for once I was trying to tone it down instead of up). I wondered what it would look like in black and white, and nearly jumped out of my skin - what had looked like a very traditional bronze statue suddenly looked like an old photo of a real soldier walking home...spooky!
I'm in two minds about the poppies. What do you think - should I take them off?
R. Tait Mackenzie
War Memorial ‘Coming Home’ 1922
Bronze
do keep the poppies,makes a good contrast,it does look more like a photo than a statue.No statues here to take photos of,but I think you will like today pic,
OH, wow!! I thought this is an old B&W photo! And it's a statue! Love the editing!! It looks amazing! In my opinion the poppies add a lot to the shot - coming home is a happy thing, and the red bright 'smiling' poppies evoke that feeling! Picture perfect!
Helen, I love your choice. Most of the statue pictures are boring but yours has such interest. I would not use the poppies though. I think it takes away from this wonderful photo.
really great picture,but i am completly torn about the poppies.i think keep them as they do mean so much, a reminder of the loss of life and the thousands that did not come home.
He does look really real and life like, how odd he should come alive in b+w! I don't know about the poppies, am torn but I think they could go because then the photo would be more powerful with no distraction!
great shot and your right i thought it was an old photo of a real man great statue..as for the poppies personally i think with out. as the photo is great on its own.
I thought this was a photo of an old photo when I first saw it. Your choice of making it B&W made it more real...and though I like the symbolism of the poppies I think they detract from the importance of the B&W photo...but that is just my opinion.
Helen, thank you for your nice comment on my Ella photo. I feel a little bad that I said no poppies when you were so complimentary of my Ella photo...and I would not have said anything if you had not asked our opinion.
I like the poppies! I didn't see them when I first opened the picture, and it was like looking at a 1940s newspaper picture...scrolled a tiny bit, and I thought how well suited they were to your picture! Niely done!
Great shot, the statue is amazing and the black and white is perfect. I'd use it without the poppies though, they make it look too processed in my opinion. I think the photo stands very well on it's own.
Helen, thank you for your nice comment on my Ella photo. I feel a little bad that I said no poppies when you were so complimentary of my Ella photo...and I would not have said anything if you had not asked our opinion.
Great photo, once again.