This months competition for the Cherokee Photography Club was Religious Icons. This was a fun topic to try to get creative and come up with something that wasn't a church, cross, bible or any other of the immediate concepts that come to mind. I tried to get a little outside the norm and delved a little deep into the mind that is mine.
This first one was taken at Oakland Cemetery in one of the mausoleums. I liked the contrast between the bright window full of life and the area surrounded by darkness. It's a nice play on the idea of life and lightness with death and darkness. I also like the dove, which is a symbol of peace, in a setting where those that once lived are said to be resting in peace. The color cast on the crypts from the window adds a warmth to a otherwise cold place.
Like the subject of the last image, death plays a role in every religion and life. That's why I considered it an Icon. There is always an attempt to answer what will happen once your life force that leaves you. In this image I didn't want the suggestion of the warmth or peace as the previous. I wanted this image to reflect the bringer of death. It's intended to be a take on none other than the Grim Reaper. I exchanged the typical scythe the Reaper carries for a noose though. I like the decay of the abandoned homestead in Davidson, North Carolina. The rotting of the wood and even the lifeless look of the vegetation in the image emphasize death and dying. I left the brighter area to the left of the frame, instead of making the entire image dark, to suggest the religious idea of the 'light' after death.
An image completely intended to stir your thought and make you cringe. I came up with the idea for this while in a store during Halloween. I saw a shelf of fake blood and the image was born. The thought of the stigmata was formed during this initial concept. I toyed with the idea of either the marks on the wrist or ankles, but the crown of thorns seemed to be a little more personal since a face included. I didn't want to create the crown with vines. That didn't have the harshness that I wanted to include in this image. I early on decided barb wire would be more appropriate, but it had to be to be rusted and deteriorating, it couldn't be shiny and new. I wanted this image to be haunting. It needed to make you pause and stare. I wanted to it present that religion isn't always good and reflect the good intentions in the name of religion often turned evil in execution. Sadly, usually involving atrocities to fellow humans.
I had a great time creating this image. It was fun to get the strobes out, tether the computer to the camera and play with lighting and poses to get everything just right. It's fun to rub mud on your head and let fake blood drip down your face. Nothing has been added in post processing or cloned to duplicate the effects. I did have sharp rusted barb wire stabbing my scalp, although it was formed to be as comfortable as it could be. All the blood and dirt was painted on with my fingers.
