White man's burden or tyrant's charm ...
by markmulkerin

Comment:
Thanks for your comments everyone. I guess it is time to clear up the questions. Yes, it is a machine gun (specifically, a machine gun on a WWII era British tank that would have been stationed in Hong Kong to keep Hong Kong British). Yes, my overexposure and tight focus on the muzzled end was intentional - I was hoping to give the impression of what it might look like to someone from the wrong end of it. I guess for some it worked, for most it didn't.

White man's burden - the short answer is a 19th century Imperial British notion that it was the duty of civilized people (meaning British) to lift the ignorant heathens (meaning anyone not white) from the quagmire of their pathetic lives (meaning not Victorian England) even if they didn't want help (meaning we will save them even if it means killing them all). The term, I believe, was coined by Ruyard Kipling as part of a glowing praise poem to British Imperial power.

Thank goodness we are past that stage in our history and don't invade countries to install regimes that follow proper capitalist/democratic values (I won't argue whether or not Iraq would be better as a real democracy, but the picture should suggest what the US soldiers look like to some locals).

facing my future
by bobdaveant

Comment:
Well done. The use of make-up (at least, I hope its make-up) is effective though the line in the hair and the line in the goatee are off (small thing, I'm being nitpicky). The lighting contrast between the younger and older side is also evocative and a strong choice though the younger side looks a little washed above and below the eye and on the tip of the nose. Offsetting the photo from center is also a great choice. Finally, squinting the right eye a bit is a nice extra touch adding to the appearance of age. Again, nice job (I like it).

Looking At The Time Go By
by Discraft

Comment:
Well done. I find the gray splotchy region on the left side of the clock to be somewhat distracting, but the overall composition is great. Adding the wooden model as an observer to the passage of time gives the photo a dramatic element that a lone clock would lack and provides a nice textural contrast of organic wood versus synthetic clock. Also, the additional lines that the model adds to the photo makes it more dynamic.

Milk warming, black clouds roiling ...
by markmulkerin

Comment:
Thanks to everyone who offered feedback and enjoyed the photo. If you didn't like the shot, you are in good company - Katie's grandmother thought that it was simply dreadful (ironic, since she is a staunch advocate of put the baby in a crib and let them cry themselves to sleep). If you'd like to see her in a happier mood (usually), you can check her out at //www.chai-mulkerin.com/KatieIndex.htm. And yes, she was calm as a foggy morning about two minutes later - the miracle of the bottle.