XD Talk

**nmduke** · 08-01-2012, 07:35 AM

****July's XDTalk.com Photo Contest Winner is??****

XDTalk.com would like to congratulate Montourage on submitting his winning photo in our July Contest. Great photo taken here! You are the winner of $50.00 and an XDTalk.com T-Shirt. Thank you all who submitted photos for this contest.

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Montourage · 08-01-2012, 01:09 PM

Thank you kind sir, decided to put some effort into it because I had never actually tried to photograph my guns in a "studio" type setting. The studio being my living room.

Of course I needed something better than the carpet as the backdrop and it occurred to me I had never photographed the US Flag I was carrying around on deployments. Combine the two and there you have it. Thanks again.

War_Eagle_XD · 08-01-2012, 01:12 PM

i don't even know what all i'm looking at. care to annotate the photo?

Montourage · 08-01-2012, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by War_Eagle_XD

i don't even know what all i'm looking at. care to annotate the photo?

Sure it's actually all the weapons in my signature. In the Army and I think other services they give you these "coins" for whatever reasons. Companies like to give them out at the end of deployments as something to remember them by. I placed one right where the laser was shinning to give it a bit more action in the photo. If you look closely it has a map of Iraq on one and Afghanistan on the other. Also I suppose from an artistic perspective one could see the laser pointing at that country symbolizing us going to war as it's in our "sights".

The US flag itself I purchased in Iraq as something to remember my deployment by, then when I went to Afghanistan I figured it would be a cool idea to bring it along there too. Just so someday when I fly it I can remember it was in two theaters of war.

I just used boxes of ammo to prop up the handguns, in retrospect I probably would have taken the five mins to photoshop them out so you just see the flag and they appear to be suspended.

jonathan171 · 08-02-2012, 10:53 AM

The only time a flag should be laid down is on a casket:

4 USC § 8(b) The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise.

4 USC § 7(n) When the flag is used to cover a casket, it should be so placed that the union is at the head and over the left shoulder. The flag should not be lowered into the grave or allowed to touch the ground.

Also nothing should be placed on the flag:

4 USC § 8(g) The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature. 4 USC § 8(h) The flag should never be used as a receptacle for receiving, holding, carrying, or delivering anything.

Montourage · 08-02-2012, 12:15 PM

No worries kind Sir, I was also raised a boy scout. I am aware of all "rules" regarding the flag and mean no "disrespect". This is what you call art. No flags were harmed in the making of this photo.

I also learned at a young age that when a flag touches the ground it should be burned.

Check out the following link. snopes.com: Proper Flag Disposal

Again my flag, my art, flag is fine

No disrespect intended for the "traditional" people. The bill of rights is a higher authority on this matter and I wasn't even taking to the streets to burn it. I think my intentions were clear here, it wasn't malicious. But thank you for reminding us guidelines are not laws. And if it makes anyone feel better as soon as I was done with this photo shoot, I took everything off it, refolded it properly, and stored it off the ground. I take much pride in this flag I own and I intend to keep it for the rest of my life.