Flickr a Day 101: ‘Union Jack’

Decades ago, I spun vinyl records as a radio DJ. Segues between songs meant everything. For this series, so far, differences are—or have been—the priority moving from one selection to the next so as not to bore you with too many similar kinds of photos too many days in a row. The sequences are more like cinematic jump cuts, where changes are more abrupt. Today and tomorrow, subtle segues unify the flow instead. From Day 100, flags transition between the photos. Moving to one-oh-two, color emphasizes the subject against black and white—and it’s the main reason for picking both pics.

Craig Allen shot self-titled “Union Jack”, referring to the United Kingdom’s national flag, on Aug. 13, 2008, using Canon EOS 400D. Vitals: f/4, ISO 1600, 1/400 sec, 55mm. The technique of destaturating the color to draw the eye one place isn’t new, but it’s extremely effective here. The flag, and its red, white, and blue hues, get the viewer’s attention, which naturally shifts to the, ah, chunky lady stretched out on the stairs. Do they overwhelm her? Is she out of breadth from carrying around weight? Or what else?

Living in London, Craig Allen joined Flickr in January 2007. While his website is a dead link, his photostream is active; his most recent contributions were shot in 2015. Craig is one of a growing group of photographers who finds a smartphone to be good enough. He used the Samsung Galaxy S5 to capture all of his most recent Flickr uploads.

Photo Credit: Craig Allen