JUST DO IT Photo | TrekEarth

Photographer’s Note

Taken on the beach at Giles Quay Near Dundalk at sunset.

The game of 'Association Football' undoubtedly originates in England. However the earliest records of man kicking something resembling a ball date back to the Chinese Han Dynasty, 2000 years ago. There are records of the ancient Greeks and Romans developing the pastime known as ‘Harpastum’, a curious mixture of association and rugby football. The Romans introduced this to Britain in the time of Julius Caesar. It was during the Middle Ages that the game took hold of the public with annual Shrovetide matches being played between neighbouring villages with teams of unlimited numbers. The ball was usually a pig’s bladder although on one infamous occasion in Chester the head of a dead Viking was used to celebrate a recent victory over the invaders.

NIKE, pronounced NI-KEY, is the winged goddess of victory according to Greek mythology. She sat at the side of Zeus, the ruler of the Olympic pantheon, in Olympus. A mystical presence, symbolizing victorious encounters, NIKE presided over history's earliest battlefields.

They should be paying me for this ;-)

Thanks for looking :)

Gary

moli516, Romatou, daddo, Wandering_Dan, DzULA, jjcordier, craiggc, Borneev, tehanu_f, Dpbours, BitterMoon, branley has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Strobe (0) 2008-03-26 15:20

Hey Gary, fantastic image I like the contrast between the modern ball and nature.

Romatou (1375) 2008-03-26 15:24

I think you did it ! Splendid and creative compo and perfect colours .

Regards.

shaddy (8) 2008-03-26 15:49

Yes Gary !!!!!!!! im sure Nike will be tappin you up for this picture for the next football campaign, colours look spot on.

daddo (11363) 2008-03-26 15:52

Hi Gary. Regardless of your specific info., this lovely work of yours reminds me of the impermanence of all things human, including the latest commercial catch-cries. Nature and the movements of the orbs will outlast us all.That is what this serene (but desecrated) scene says to me. Wonderful colours and creative POV. Regards. Klaudio.

Wandering_Dan (3225) 2008-03-26 16:10

Hi, Gary -

This looks like something Dali might have done. Great capture, great imagination. Excellent light management.

Regards,
Dan

aslhann14 (201) 2008-03-26 16:29

WOUH! What a nice spot, you can sell your idea to the big multinational.

I love your picture.

batalay (20940) 2008-03-26 16:41

Hello Gary,

A totally surrealistic image, and a very nice little note on the history of 'Association Football.' When I was going up, the ball was created from sets of three rectangular strips, but then it was discovered by that mathematcians could create a sphere better using six-sided (hexagonal) polygons and five-sided (pentagonal) polygons much better. That's what is seen in this wondeful image of the ball. I've enjoyed your growing gallery of images very much. If you a "Association Football"/soccer, take a look at this Ancient Photograph.

Warm regards,

Bulent

Cormac (26449) 2008-03-26 17:28

Great idea for a shot! The close in view of the ball, surrounded by the natural landscape, makes for a very interesting combination, one that makes us think. I like the colour too, and the incredible texture of the beach. Well done!

DzULA (838) 2008-03-26 17:51

Great work Gary, very good photo, the ball, and the background are extremely sharp, very good dept of field, great colors too

Regards
DzULA

jjcordier (24660) 2008-03-27 0:38

Gary
Lumière et couleurs somptueuses pour cette photo très originale et parfaite techniquement.Une véritable affiche pour une campagne de pub!Impressionnant!
Amicalement
JJ

craiggc (2507) 2008-03-27 2:33

Well seen Gary. I hope you took a version of this shot without the ball becuase the colours and composition are so good, I hope you got more traditional version too!
Have you phoned Nike? It may be time to put that early retirement plan into action :-)

Borneev (347) 2008-03-27 2:34

Hi Gary, great picture,very good idea. DOF is fine. Cheers Rob

zorro_amman (308) 2008-03-27 3:03 [Comment]

Show Comment

Jeppo (11922) 2008-03-27 4:14

I just add it to my favorites.
I like the POV and the perspective.
it just takes a ball and some place to image a big stadium. life is like a football game and the field is everywhere!

tfs
silvio

tehanu_f (6874) 2008-03-27 10:33

wow! you're absolutely right, they should be paying you. it would make a very impressive ad. congrats.
fusun

Dpbours (220) 2008-03-27 11:35

Hi Gary,

Hahaha, now there you've got a prop that's easy to take with you! ;-) Very funny to see what's all washing up on the beaches these days :-). Very nice sharpness and a pleasant composition it is!

Greetings,
Dennis

avene (11008) 2008-03-27 13:55

hello Gary,
unusual composition, for sure, but the ball is so alien in this scene that it actually fits :) I like a lot how you have placed it on the same line as the setting sun, that and the wawes of the sand nicely lead the eye towards the fiery horizon. very interesting work, I like it a lot.

with kind regards,
Kristine

miumiu (3866) 2008-03-28 11:53

Superb shot! l like your idea!

Jamierussell (4765) 2008-04-05 5:06

Ahhh, i love this idea! You have pulled a beauty out of the hat here!!! Everything is great, and the idea itself is damn brilliant!

Jamie

BitterMoon (2776) 2008-05-07 8:54

Hello Gary

At the first sight I thought you`ve done an commercial/advertisement shot for them...after reading the note,I think too...they have to pay you :-D...
It`s a great idea of a composition...great light and vertical framing.
RISING A FEELING...JUST DO IT...;-)

My kind regards