Photo Corners headlinesarchivemikepasini.com
A S C R A P B O O K O F S O L U T I O N S F O R T H E P H O T O G R A P H E R
Enhancing the enjoyment of taking pictures with news that matters, features that entertain and images that delight. Published frequently.
The Meaning of Colors
20 April 2022
Since we'd last passed by the old swing on Edgehill Mountain that hangs off a tree with a view of the Pacific Ocean, it has enjoyed something of a renovation. So when we walked by yesterday after a light rain, we stopped to take a picture.
Empty Swing. Olympus E-PL1 with Lensbaby 60mm Twist and Tilt Transformer at f2.5, 1/1600 second and ISO 200. Processed in Adobe Camera Raw.
We had mounted a long lens on the camera, which made it tough to get the swing seat centered in the frame while avoiding the metal fence in front of it and the hill behind us. We shuffled back and forth, right and left for a while before we found an angle we liked. Even then, we still had only an oblique angle on it.
But this shot was really about the colors.
The seat had gotten a fresh coat of paint and a sturdy new rope. Which is odd for a swing hanging from a tree, we think. Usually some discarded rope and a board with a hole in it (or a tire) is enough to do the job.
But the seat had been painted as a statement. The bright yellow and blue are Ukraine's national colors.
Later, as we edited the image, we looked closer at what had replaced the old rope. A red, white and blue climbing rope. The meaning there, carried by the colors, was obvious.
The United States supports Ukraine in its uphill battle against a despot.
Our older images of the bare seat and frayed rope recall whimsical memories of youthful play. This shot is clearly different. It is a poignant political statement, couched as it is as a scene of childhood play.
Where there is no child to be found.