The Goat-head – Monochrome Madness Challenge

I was getting concerned over the weekend, as too what to shoot for this weeks challenge. I find it quite funny how inspiration can jump out of nowhere, when you least expect it. This weeks image was taken at an annual BBQ held at our local farm shop, but more about that later this week. As soon as I saw the goats head I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. And before you ask, no its not a real goats head. It looked to be a clay molding which hung above one of the sheds on the farm which housed some baby goats and a couple of pot bellied pigs. What interests me most about this image is what it portrays or means to different people. What was your first thought when you looked at it??? For many it might be seen as a satanic or pagan symbol, for others it might be connected to Wicca traditions or the occult. Some may even see it as Baphomet or the goat of Mendes. This just goes to show how an image or symbol can mean many different things to different people. For me I saw a striking image that created atmosphere. Some of you might see some of my images of late becoming more dark in there subject matter. Well you can blame the Penny Dreadful TV show for that. I have always had an interest in Gothic and Victorian Horror as it sometimes merges into my other interests. Rest assured I dont subscribe to either side in life, be it Light or Darkness, Good or Evil, preferring to follow my own path and observe both sides, usually with a camera in hand.

The image itself was processed in my newly acquired version of Photoshop CC. I cropped the shot slightly and used a series of layers to create what I think looks like an old antique plate effect. You know the ones where a  light-sensitive emulsion of silver-salts were applied to a glass  plate. It took a bit of trial and error, blending the layers to get the end result, but I am extremely happy with this. It looks almost exactly how I envisioned the image in my head before I took the shot. Well thats it for this week, you can as always check out the rest of this weeks MMC images which will go live some time later today over on Leanne Cole’s Blog, depending on your time zone. Each week there are contributions from from photographers around the globe. So whether you are looking for inspiration or have a thing for black & white photography, you know were to find it. 🙂

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