PHOTOGRAPH INFO

This photograph was taken last Thursday afternoon - a very warm, sunny spring day. This field had just been planted with corn (by Jakey, of course). I'm not much for posed photographs but I've obviously broken away from that for this shot, and I'll probably do it again in the next couple of weeks because I'm working on images that fit a particular theme for a show in July.

So I've had this postcard sitting on my desk for a couple of years now and it occured to me that it would be fun to pay homage to it. I love James Montgomery Flagg's work; check it out if you get a chance. He's famous in the U.S. for his "Uncle Sam Wants YOU" poster among others.

The timing for this photograph turned out to be just right with Jenn (my niece, by the way) home from university for the summer, and only one or two fields remaining that haven't been planted for the season.

Jenn was quite cooperative as you can imagine... thank you, Jenn! The flag she's wearing is a retired 48-star flag from the late 1950s; she's throwing bird seed, and the ankle ties on the sandals are actually electrical tape! I think we took about 50 shots total. We may do it over again on a cloudier day, too.

Post-processing: Shot with the Canon EOS 5D and the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L lens at 28mm, ISO 250, shutter speed 1/250s and aperture f/10. Multiple curves adjustment for contrast/saturation, color balancing for tone, grunge brushing in 'multiply' and 'screen' mode to 'age' the image.

Thank you for visiting Durham Township!

--Kathleen

hahahah! that's f'n wild. Good one.

It's beautiful. Perfect for Memorial Day, too.

You did a wonderful job re-creating this as a photo. Nice treatment in post processing.

Just as i was saying in the last post, you have yet impressed all of us once again! i love inter-adaptations between different forms of art. When done skilfully, they often produce a whole new set of visual/aural/sentimental impacts. This here is, in my opinion, a perfect example. (Except that you perhaps shouldn't have let the flag touch the ground.) :)

nice job. the electrical tape is a marvelous solution on short notice! Very cool.

Oh wow, Kathleen. This is amazing. I love your landsapes, but I think you have a talent for portraiture as well. I love the way you've managed to capture the painterly quality in the sky, and her expression is classic. I wish I had taken this shot... makes me want to go find a flag and a girl and see what I can create. I can't wait to see the other iimages in this series.

Very good idea for a strange and nice portrait. I come often to look at you blog, a pleasure to watch, congratulations.
Patrick

Brilliant shot, Kathleen. I love conceptual stuff like this--very nice work.

Good of her to pose for you! All the effort put into the image really paid off. It is a fantastic work of art, and I'm sure James would be pleased and flattered. The aged look is too cool!

Brilliant shot, the ageing process worked really well!

Turned out marvelously!

On Memorial Day could you do any more wrong!
1. You are not supposed to wear a flag.
2. The flag should not touch the ground, not only that but you show it with dirt and seed on it.
3. Old flags should be properly disposed of.

Please see: Flag Code Violations http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/flagetiq.html You are violating United States Code Title 4 Chapter 1 points 8. b, d, j and probably k.

Please show respect for those that gave it their all on this this day. I am very disappointed.

just great! :)

Kurt:
Thank you for the "heads up" and thank you for informing US citizens about US flag etiquette.

I certainly didn't mean to disappoint you or anyone, nor show disrespect for the flag or anyone on Memorial Day. It's a special day for me, too, for several reasons.

My intention was to pay respect to an artist who used the flag similarly and for rather patriotic purposes many years ago. You can read about that by doing a Google search on James Montgomery Flagg.

In any case, out of respect for the U.S. flag and for what you've said, I'm immediately taking this retired flag to my local American Legion to be disposed of properly. And I'm happy to do so.

For the record, the United States Flag Code issued by the federal government is a set of guidelines, not laws; there is no penalty for failure to comply with them.

Criminal penalties for certain acts of desecration to the flag were contained in Title 18 of the United States Code prior to 1989. The Supreme Court decision in Texas v. Johnson, June 21, 1989, held the statute unconstitutional.

This statute was amended when the Flag Protection Act of 1989 (Oct. 28, 1989) imposed a fine and/or up to 1 year in prison for knowingly mutilating, defacing, physically defiling, maintaining on the floor or trampling upon any flag of the United States. The Flag Protection Act of 1989 was struck down by the Supreme Court decision, United States vs. Eichman, decided on June 11, 1990.

Title 4, Chapter 1 of the United States Code ("Flag and Seal, Seat of Government and the States") can be read here:

http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/title4/chapter1_.html

Kathleen, love your work and your site, I visit it every day. But just because you did not mean to show disrespect to the flag does not absolve you of the fact that, unfortunately, you did. Also, just because there are no penalties for desecrating the flag does not mean we should all go out and do it. The picture, while well done, is disrespectful. Showing the flag lying in the dirt with seed on it is particularly offensive. You really should do the right thing and take it down.

Yep, I also have a problem with the flag being on the ground. My father served it and I had two uncles that died for it.

No No, Kathleen. Take it from a veteran, The flag you used does not need to be disposed of, because of it's history. It flew over the capital. That it is a 48 star flag is another reason for keeping it as an heirloom. If it were tatered and faded then maybe. And last but not least, your photo may someday be as important as the one that inspired it. It would be nice to have the flag that was your prop.
That you will hear from many people who may think that you have dishonored the flag, you still have a first amendment right to use it in your art even though it is touching the ground and is worn by your model. You do not dishonor it to remind us of the freedoms for which it stands. Our freedom of expression supercedes any concern for how one defines flag etiquette.
I for one think that's the most important message inherent in the photo. Especialy since a bill is soon to be introduced in Congress that will try to ammend the Constitution giving congress the authority to make what you have done "criminal".
Your photo is just fine, as evidenced by the majority of comments from your admirers.

Really nice posed photo. The above comments sound a bit like flag "leagalism". There's something timeless and very flag honoring about this image.

Kathleen, I am not offended by your photo, I think it's a wonderful, beautiful honor and tribute. Those people who are offended have every right to be, but you have every right to keep this photo up on your site.
Lovely site, always.

Well said Bob. Freedom of expression is more important than following proper flag etiquette. Don't worry about these people nitpicking. People will always do that. I for one appreciate your art. And the fact that it represents support for small farms and local food, all the better!

Oh wow, this is fanastic. You really pulled off the concept.

Kathleen: Don't get rid of the flag, and do NOT take this photo down. What people fail to realize is that their grandparents did not DIE for a f'n 'FLAG'.

Overanalyzing things pisses me off :) ...

On the other hand.. let's overanalyze this photo from the other direction and see what these people think...

"I think this is brilliant Kathleen. The flag laying gently on the fresh soft soil, and the youth and innocence of the girl combined with the seeds represent a new, fresh start. Could you be hinting towards a positive change for the Nation? Maybe this is your way of telling us that yes, there is hope."

That BS has just about as much truth to it as the blabberings of the other guys up there who feel offended. The point is, we each have our views, and we should express them freely but we can NOT impose them on other people and try to throw guilt trips around making them feel bad. Photography is a damn sensitive art, you will always have a few people that try to give you crap for one thing or another. Don't take it to heart Kathleen, you can't always please everyone, and you should definitely not go out of your way to please someone that comes on here and disrespects you or your work. :)

Lovely photo, that made me think, smile, appreciate and celebrate this Memorial Day. Hope you keep the flag for historical value. Peace :)

oo.. i like that pic! so cool and patriotic

Very very clever. This is a fantastic homage to the postcard.

I find this photo to be much more respectful of the flag than the huge car dealerships that exploit the enormous garrison flags to draw customers in under the guise of patriotism.

Hi Kathleen,

Just wanted to chime in and say that I don't find your use of our flag disrespectful in the least. It's a great image and keep up the great work.

Kathleen,

I really enjoyed this photograph. Keep up your fantastic (and inspirational) work.

While I love what you're doing and really enjoy the homage to Flagg, I do admit my first reaction to the photo was along the lines of "oh my...is that a real flag?" Honestly it does bother me a little that it's being worn, touching the ground and dirty, but I don't think that's any reason to lambast you or you work. I respect the thought and work you put into all of your photos, this one included. I do notice the Flagg image posted shows a dress made to resemble a flag, not a flag made into a dress.

I think sometimes we need images like this to stir up our emotions and reactions and I say bravo to you for accomplishing that.

One question: what's a grunge brush?

Beautiful photo...

I, for one, am not bothered at all by the flag touching the ground. It's clear that it's not meant in a disrespectful way, and besides, isn't the earth part of America too? It's not as though the flag was thrown on a sidewalk somewhere to be forgotten...

Your photo blog is my absolute favorite, and your photos of rural Pennsylvania always amaze me. You do great work! However, when I saw this image, the first thing that struck me is that the flag is on the ground. I'm not a veteran and I'm not a stickler for rules. It's just that many people won't be able to get past the flag being on the ground when they look at this photo. Others (including many veterans) will be outright offended. Are you aware that people take great care to not let their flag touch the ground when they remove it from a flag pole? I must admit that I agree with the calls to take it down.

(Another distraction is the digital noise in the sky. This photo just isn't up to the quality of your other work.)

Sincerely,
Darren C.
Streetsboro, Ohio

When I first saw this picture, I too was a little surprised that the flag was touching the ground. But in essence of your tribute, your use of the flag is more than appropriate. It's a beautiful photo and a touching tribute on a day when just an image of the American flag should bring us all to remember those men and women who lost their lifes fighting in the name of freedom. I get irritated when people don't place their hand over their heart during the national anthem, but I'm not going to send them to jail for not doing so. It's called freedom of expression and you've expressed it very well here.

Oh my god, Kathleen. You're a true artist, this is superb!

Kathleen, in my opinion this is one of your best efforts, a truly lovely re-creation of the original artwork. Frankly, I’m shocked that anyone would ask you to remove it. As others have already said, no one serves or dies for a flag. The flag is merely the physical representation of certain ideas and ideals. Can’t folks see that they dishonor some of those very ideas that they claim to hold so dear (and fight and die for) when they attempt to limit your free expression? Sometimes it’s appropriate to look past the formal and rigid rules to the substance of the matter. Context and intention can make all the difference in art, and in this case you have certainly explained beyond any doubt the context for this photograph and that your intention was not to offend or show disrespect. On the issue of offensive material, where do we draw the line and begin to censor? Should I ask someone to remove their political writing because their opinion offends me? We’re all grownups and I think we can all tolerate being offended every once in a while.

In any event, Kathleen, keep up the great work! :) I hope this discussion doesn't inhibit you from posting future photos with a similar theme.

Kathleen, I love the portrait, the color, and technique. While I understand that some will take issue with the flags placement, I believe it's easy to look at this photo and understand that it comes from someone with a passion and love for both her art AND her country, and all the "rules" should apply to those who attempt to use the flag to defile or disgrace their country. I encourage you to continue with this line of work as it is both intriguing and (obviously) worthy of discussion.

regardless of what others say, you have done a creative work and for that you should be credited.

This is nothing short of perfection. Very similar to the original, but more of a modern take which is quite impressive. I love the controversial comments here; makes the photo even more fun!

Glorious.

I have to say, I have admired your work since I started coming here, in fact have said so in your comments before. Still do, but am Very disappointed over this picture. Every gradeschool child learns the basics of what is right and wrong regarding the symbol of our country. To post this, and Especially so close to the very day that honors the men and women that died to protect that very flag, is horrendous.

The people that chimed up in support of such degredation of the flag are probably also the ones that spent Memorial Day shopping, or lazing on the beach, or complaining about politics as they placed bets on the car race, and did not take a minute out of their precious days to kneel at the grave of one of our soldiers who protect YOUR RIGHT to post a photo such as this, and MY RIGHT to say it disapoints me tremendously that you would choose to.

I'd like to thank everyone for taking the time to comment on this shot; it certainly sparked a lively discussion, and that's the kind of thing a blog can be good for!

I'm grateful to live in a country where we can have this kind of discussion.

I asked another veteran today about how I used the flag in my photograph. He told me that if I decide to use the flag in my art, to make sure I make my point with it. That made sense to me.

My point was to pay homage to another artist who created a lot of patriotic art during wartime. My point was not to dishonor nor disrespect my country or my country's ideals in any way. Some may feel I did that and they're entitled to their feelings and opinions, and I'm glad they were comfortable enough to express those thoughts and feelings here.

To those folks, I would hope that the photos I've displayed on this site for the last few years are testimony to how much I love, honor and respect where I live. You've seen my character through these images.

I know myself and I know my intentions, and in honor of that and - much more importantly - in honor of the freedom I have to express those intentions, I'm leaving the photo on my photoblog.

Thank you, everyone, once again. This discussion has made my Memorial Day weekend even more profound than usual.

Mussakka: A grunge brush is a Photoshop brush used to make an image look aged or grungy or scratched, etc. If you do a Google search on 'grunge brush' you'll come up with some free downloads you can try out. Caution: They're really fun to play with. :)

America the Beautiful....This is what this picture says to me. I absolutely love it. It is Art at its finest.

Nice piece of work ... thoughtful, artistic and honorably portrayed.

This style, and perspective you achieved in the foreground are super. There's another artist form another time, Maynard Dixon, who painted the southwest Native Americans in a simular alagorical fashion. He is also Google-able, and if you are not familiar with him already, take a look. He is one of my favorite painters of any time period or style. He too had a deep reverance for this land.

(could have told you this shot would set off the fireworks early)

Thanks for time you take, and the art you share.

Amazing!!! What a wonderful tribute!

Yeeesh! I opened the image read your reasons for doing it...thught what a wonderful shot....thought..I'll just read the other comments and wham! From what I can see from above....a few people need to get a life....the best way to look at it is what was the spirtit in which you used the flag....and I think that was good and that's enough for me. It's a beautiful photo and that's what we are here for....or have I missed something? But then I'm from the UK what do I know....Oh...keep the flag...why wouldn't you! Phil