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Alan K | all galleries >> Galleries >> Hanging Out In My PAD 2012 > 120229_202151_21691 Metaphor Of The Month (Wed 29 Feb 12)
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29-Feb-2012 AKMC

120229_202151_21691 Metaphor Of The Month (Wed 29 Feb 12)

At Home, Sydney, NSW

The metaphor is of course of money vanishing. The shot that I had in my own mind was of notes being blasted into the air by a gust of air, and being caught mid flutter as they fly off into the distance.

But do you know how difficult it is to get currency notes to behave that way in a literal rather than metaphorical sense? Scrooge McDuck could probably do it but he has a lot more of them to play with than I do.

After the car registration (CTP green slip insurance almost $500, registration north of $300, service north of $200), my Lynda.com renewal coming up ($375), a stack of textbooks, a few medical bills and other recurring and non-recurring expenses, money flew out the door as if it was jet propelled over the course of February. And although I haven't captured it in quite the way I'd like, the ghostly semi-appearance of the $20 notes which blew away in the course of the exposure goes some way to indicating the ephemeral nature of the funding.

The primary lesson learnt is not to wait until the night of a shot to rehearse it in the hope that it will go as planned.

Now when it comes to the thumbnail for "Last Year", I have a quandary. There was no 'last year' for February the 29th. And I didn't shoot anything on 29 February 2008, the last leap year either. But I did shoot something on 27 February of that year. In fact, it was almost the same shot as my first PAD, the one that I return to on 18 January each year, but two years earlier. In this case, there's a huge difference from the three images in my PAD galleries (2010. 2011 and 2012), as the park was a long way from completion and the old White Bay car receiving dock was still open on the far side of the bay.

Last (Leap) Year, More Or Less
Last Year

Canon EOS 40D ,Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
1/5s f/8.0 at 50.0mm iso800 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time29-Feb-2012 20:21:51
MakeCanon
ModelCanon EOS 40D
Flash UsedYes
Focal Length50 mm
Exposure Time1/5 sec
Aperturef/8
ISO Equivalent800
Exposure Bias0.00
White Balance0
Metering Modematrix (5)
JPEG Quality (5)
Exposure Programprogram (1)
Focus Distance

other sizes: small medium large original auto
David Sands01-Mar-2012 12:46
Money was flying out of my wallet too in Feb. A replacemnt Flash unit, a new coat for work, tax bills due, fule proces all time highs... I feel your pain!
Roe..01-Mar-2012 01:30
I like how you filled the frame..the movement adds interest..excellent!
Mairéad29-Feb-2012 22:23
Yes, tell me about the vanishing money - mine doesn't stay still long enough for me to shoot it.
Karen Stuebing29-Feb-2012 22:19
I think this turned out super. I love the color and motion. Not quite the motion you'd like, I suppose but it looks great here. V.
laine29-Feb-2012 22:15
If yesterday hadn't been the last day of the month would that mean no bills in Feb...hmmmmm,see what happens the next 3 !!
Bill Reed29-Feb-2012 15:30
Very well done, it does vanish quickly.
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