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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Seventy One: Making the most of a rainy day > Urgency, New York City, New York, 2009
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29-JUL-2009

Urgency, New York City, New York, 2009

As the storm intensifies, pedestrians pick up the pace as they struggle to get to where they must go. Selecting a small lens opening in Aperture priority, I forced a slow shutter speed of 1/6th of a second and panned the camera, blurring the scene to give a sense of urgency to the image. One of these women has lost her grip on her umbrella -- she is struggling to keep up.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1
1/6s f/22.0 at 200.0mm iso400 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis20-Aug-2009 05:19
Good to hear from you, Jenene -- this image seems to have struck a chord. And yes, it is like a modernist painting of a vibrant city -- I can feel New York's energy, style, and pace here, as well the good soaking had by all.
JSWaters20-Aug-2009 04:13
I'm delighted to see this image, Phil. A departure from your norm, yes, but beautifully depicting your concept of urgency. The scene is brimming with vitality and energy, giving Jen's idea of flying birds much substance. I love what I can only assume are the bright colors reflecting off the rain slicked streets and sidewalks - a modernist painting of a vibrant city (even in the rain).
Jenene
Phil Douglis15-Aug-2009 20:13
Thanks, Jen, for your tribute to my rationality and my occasional forays into "poetry." I think the two stand side by side. I think it is possible to be a very rational photographer, logically thinking through an image before making it, yet still make it seem spontaneously poetic. I am glad this image engages your imagination. I love your thought about the open umbrellas as a metaphor for flight. The panning gives a sense of motion to the image, and flight is certainly all about motion.
Jennifer Zhou15-Aug-2009 14:04
I totally agree with Tim, you make photography so charmig! And you showed us by creatively using our camera, we can make a work of art that express so much and bring so much feelings to it. I love how you describe your camera flows with this "fluid" world, most of the time I think you are very rational, but many times, you are also like a poet to me. You engage my feelings and move my heart not only by your images but also by your words.

Those blured umbrella seem to me are like flying birds, I guess people do hope they can spread their wings and fly to their destinations.
Phil Douglis04-Aug-2009 23:07
Thanks, Tim -- I see the anxiety in the expression of the woman under the umbrella as well. You are right -- I rarely pan, except, of course, for that night when you and I sat outside that cafe in Chau Doc, Vietnam, and panned on every person, car, or rickshaw that came our way. In this case, I had the feeling that the world had turned very fluid, so I tried to make my camera go with that flow by panning it as people struggled past me. It took a number of tries to get what I wanted, but that is always the case with panning.
Tim May04-Aug-2009 19:08
I get a real sense of not only urgency, but also of anxiety. This style of image is fairly rare for you, but I find it extremely powerful - it really speaks to me of the art in photography - the use of our tools to make more than a snap-shot.
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