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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Two: Travel Incongruities > Information desk, Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, Arizona, 2010
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27-JUL-2010

Information desk, Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, Arizona, 2010

The hand to mouth gesture I captured here symbolizes puzzlement, while the dominant symbol in the image is a huge question mark. The man runs an information desk, and even when not providing information, he seems to be pondering unanswered questions here. I converted this image to black and white because the colors in the background were so vivid they competed with the sense of quiet thought I wanted to express.

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1/60s f/4.5 at 84.0mm iso1600 full exif

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Phil Douglis06-May-2018 23:17
Fascinating. You see "shhhh!" and I see someone thinking hard, perhaps even too hard. I guess it comes down to how we choose to interpret gestures. You see him placing a forefinger to his lips, while I see pressing his thumb and forefinger to his face. And yes, Tim May's comment was wonderful. He and I made photographs together all over world together over the years, yet we see entirely differently as photographers, as well as read photographs differently.
Merri 05-May-2018 23:58
When I saw this image at first glance, the gesture he is making seemed more of a "shhhh" to someone out of the frame than a gesture of puzzlement. This contrast - my imagining him to be quieting someone who likely was asking a question while under a sign that indicated he was there to answer questions - was for me, the incongruity. Sometimes my mind goes down strange trails... And wow, Tim's comment about black and white was interesting! Some people do prefer their information in the "either/or", but others (me) like the "maybes" too.
Phil Douglis11-Aug-2010 22:56
Thanks, Tim, for articulating the role of black and white so well here. The metaphor of our need to have information be either black or white is wonderful. Yet information is seldom cut and dried. It often leads to questions, and that is what he seems to be doing, and that is certainly what is symbolized in the image itself. As for Erwitt, you have me in good company. I am honored that you make that connection.
Tim May11-Aug-2010 18:32
When I first saw this, I thought, "How could I have missed that?" then I looked at the date and realized that I hadn't. This is a classic I love it - does it remind me of Erwitt? I don't know - Aside from all that I love about this image, gesture, composition, etc., I love the use of black and white which for me is a metaphor - we so much want our information to be black and white - yet so much isn't. This is a Douglis classic!
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