Past and Present

[wunderkind]

Image was taken near the "B52 Museum" in Hanoi.

I tried to combine two elements in the frame. One that represents the past - a missile launch pad of the Vietnamese army in the foreground that was used to shoot down American B52 bombers during Vietnam War (or as Vietnamese call it American War). Second that represents present, the new life - two recently built and freshly painted houses (in a traditional architectural style) of more affluent Hanoiians - in the background.

Does this composition and interpretation work for you?

Version #1


Version #2 (according to suggestions below)

[zac08]

Interesting that the sloping roof complements the tilt of that missle. The only nitpick is that I would have prefered a square crop and removing the bottom part of the pic, after all, your main points would have been the missle and the houses

[nysheng]

hmmz.. erm.. i'm afraid it doesn't realli carry ur theme across? the missle looks 'past' enough, but the houses dun look 'present' enough. the white and blue house is fine, but the weather-beaten house on the far left looks to old.
and the framing could be better too. there's too much greenery here. doesn't realli help ur theme?

[halcy0n]

I would have preferred to see more of the missle or the whole thing? I agree the theme doesn't really come across though, the houses dun look "present" enough.

[wunderkind]

Originally Posted by nysheng hmmz.. erm.. i'm afraid it doesn't realli carry ur theme across? the missle looks 'past' enough, but the houses dun look 'present' enough. the white and blue house is fine, but the weather-beaten house on the far left looks to old.

Originally Posted by halcy0n I agree the theme doesn't really come across though, the houses dun look "present" enough.

Agree about the house on the left - I could have spent few more minutes to try to frame the image so that this old house is not in the frame.

And I've never claimed that the two newly built houses should be considered modern. The title is not "Past and Modern", but "Past and Present".

Present - not meaning "modern" in the same sense as "modern in Singapore".
Present = rebuilding the country after the war that ended just over a quarter century ago.
Present = new life, being able to afford living in newly built houses which was not possible some 15 years ago, not long after the war and before the economic reforms in Vietnam have started. This is the theme behind the photo.

By the way, what you see ARE in fact the modern houses for Vietnamese. Singaporean-style condominiums are basically non-existent in Hanoi. Almost all newly built houses are in such traditional style.

[wunderkind]

Originally Posted by zac08 Interesting that the sloping roof complements the tilt of that missle. The only nitpick is that I would have prefered a square crop and removing the bottom part of the pic, after all, your main points would have been the missle and the houses

Thank you. Here's the cropped version: