Mono Monday Entry #3: Wildflower

Monochromatic Monday #3: Wildflower

Click this for rules, instructions and posting: Monochromatic Monday Entry#3

First here’s the original picture:

As usual, I used Picasa2 because I’m so tired to try other software LOL… and because I saw gray’s and he used it for leaving some color, so I tried it but I didn’t try his PS because I really can’t handle it yet hahahha

Anyways, here’s what I did with the picture:

• I clicked the tuning tab and adjusted the color temp, shadows, highlights and fill lights as desired
• Then I clicked the effects tab to sharpen
• Then I clicked the focal black and white so I can leave the yellow color in the middle of the flower
• Then glow and sharpen again
• I also decided to crop the image because I feel that square shaped picture would make it different LOL.. I don’t know maybe I just feel like it today…
• So here’s the final image:

Now for the BLOG:

The picture and the song can very well speak of a woman but it can also speak of a small, war-torn, conflict-ridden tow south of the Philippines – Kidapawan, North Cotabato

I took this picture two days ago during my trip to the said province. It is actually part of some cluster of plants and tiny white flowers at the foot of the grave of an Italian priest killed in 1985 while answering a distress call from a Christian leader saying he was threatened to be killed. It was one of the biggest news that time and probably one of the most brutal and saddest. This is because in a town with Muslim-Christian battles erupting every now and then, this said catholic priest was killed by a leader of a paramilitary group called “ilaga” who were infamous for their extreme Muslim hatred and cannibalism.

The group leader, Edilberto Manero killed Fr. Tullo Favali, PIME, the parish priest of the area at that time at around f5 in the afternoon. Manero allegedly shouted at the priest “how do you want me to kill you, Fr?” and shot him in the head took his brains out for commuters to see and, (as some witness say and he denied), he ate part of it… his companions were laughing and singing the whole time.

(leftmost: the fwhite flowers; middle: Fr. Favali's ephitaph; rightmost: his burned motorcycle)

Early this year, Manero was given a presidential pardon after the first one, in 2000 was revoked. Last February he went to Fr. Favali’s grave, where these flowers are growing, knelt down crying and asking for forgiveness, he also knelt down and was embraced by his primary target, Fr Peter Geremia. The Catholic Bishop of Kidapawan, Bishop Valle said, “Forgiveness and reconciliation are the hallmarks of the Church.” (for full and latest story on Manero & Fr. Favali click: http://www.mindanews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3769&Itemid=50)

That part of it was settle probably and Kidapawan had become a city, but the conflicts in area continues, last March another bomb exploded in the busy city streets killing atleast 5 people and wounding almost 30.

As a paragraph in the song says:

Be careful how you touch her,
for she'll awaken
and sleep's the only freedom that she knows
and when you walk into her eyes,
you won't believe
the way she's always paying
for a debt she never owes…

for full lyrics click: Wildflower