Preview
Upload Date
3-25-2025
Department
Classics
Label Text
At first glance, this gavel is a simple tool — symbolizing authority, decision-making, and justice. However, the condition of its surface tells a deeper story shaped by time and unseen forces. The top of the gavel’s head is significantly more worn than the bottom, prompting the question: What caused this uneven aging? Is it the repeated force of its use? Exposure to light? Or something more? This photograph displays the textured contrast of the gavel’s surface, emphasizing its gradual transformation. The result highlights an object that, over time, has absorbed countless decisions, each one leaving its mark. This image invites all viewers to consider not just the physical wear of objects but the histories they carry.
Camera Settings: Aperture
F29
Camera Settings: Shutter Speed
1"
Camera Settings: ISO
100
Lighting
Overhead: 50% 1x Filler (laid horizontally across bottom): 100%
Photoshop Adjustments
Touched up dust particles, replaced background with pure white, organized photos to show top and bottom view of object.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Found in
ADC study collections
