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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery One: Travel Abstractions -- Unlimited Thought > Entrance lobby, State Capitol, Austin, Texas, 2009
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02-JUN-2009

Entrance lobby, State Capitol, Austin, Texas, 2009

By exposing for the light flowing through its 19th century etched glass windows, I turn the Capitol’s lobby into a realm of moody darkness, reducing visibility to an abstraction, more a scene from a dream than from life. Three silhouetted figures are frozen in place, two of them Texas Capitol Policemen wearing their Stetsons. One is clearly silhouetted against the glass, while another can be dimly seen standing next to the door at right. The light grazes the edge of the pillars that line the entrance lobby, drawing the eye to the third figure at left, a dimly seen visitor who has just arrived. I thought about converting this abstract scene into a black and white image, but I like how the yellow art deco lamps in the upper center of the image add a touch of reality to an otherwise abstracted image.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1
1/250s f/11.0 at 184.0mm iso250 full exif

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Phil Douglis16-Aug-2009 21:08
Thanks, Celia. As I noted in my commentary, I use color here to feature the yellow art deco lamps which, as you say, bring us back to reality. The abstracted figures are indeed both anonymous and timeless. But the setting, while dated in time, is expressed in the present tense.
Cecilia Lim16-Aug-2009 19:30
This is an intriguing image. Your abstraction brings anonymity to the men who become symbols for those who have passed and will pass through this State Capitol. Yet your touch of realistic colour in the yellow lights and etched glass window brings us back to reality. I really like the idea that different times can exist in this one image.
Phil Douglis07-Jun-2009 22:39
Thanks, Endre, for your comment. I spent about a half hour in this lobby, photographing figures moving through the alternately dark and light areas. It was a tricky situation because of the huge dynamic range of light and also my need to focus on moving figures in the foreground as well as the elegant etching in the background. That meant a small aperture and a fast shutter in a dark place. Thankfully, with the G1 in hand, I could up the ISO and hope for a clean image. It complied.
endre novak07-Jun-2009 21:11
beautifully handled lights and a very intriguing moment.
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