Hurricane Lantern (Posterized Photo)

Hurricane Lantern (Posterized Photo) Originally uploaded by randubnick

This image began as a photo taken a couple of years ago with my old phonecam. This hurricane lamp was on the table at the Crescent City Diner in Dover, New Hampshire. I went to a dinner there, and it was odd to go to a New Orleans style bistro in New Hampshire. (It has since gone out of business, unfortunately.) The food was great, but this was post-Katrina, and it was too sad for me. I was watching the hurricane lamp and decided to take some pictures. Of course the candle in the dark room overpowered my old phonecam and the images weren't really usable. But tonight I came across the photo and thought it seemed to fit not just recent weather, but recent news. To make the photo work, I opened it in Painter IX and posterized it; then I re-posterized, and added a pale yellow color overlay for the flame. I wanted the flame to show up in the image. In places like New Orleans, hurricane lamps are a way to try to keep a flame from being extinguished by a powerful windstorm. And sometimes hurricane lamps actually work, but not always, not always. What I want to say tonight is life is fragile. Light a candle.