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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Three: Expressing human values > Incarceration, Devils Island, French Guyana, 2010
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28-DEC-2010

Incarceration, Devils Island, French Guyana, 2010

A tourist from a visiting cruise ship clutches the rusting bars of a cell at Devil’s Island, the notorious French penal colony that operated from 1852 to 1946. Most of the 80,000 prisoners who were sent here were never seen again. Such thoughts seem to be in the mind of this visitor – this image could express such human values as empathy, sadness, and despair. The light and shadow playing upon the bars move from light into darkness, underscoring the grim history of this place.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2
1/800s f/8.0 at 97.0mm iso160 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time28-Dec-2010 05:41:05
MakePanasonic
ModelDMC-GH2
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length97 mm
Exposure Time1/800 sec
Aperturef/8
ISO Equivalent160
Exposure Bias-0.66
White Balance
Metering Modemulti spot (3)
JPEG Quality
Exposure Programprogram (2)
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis20-May-2018 20:44
Your comment, Merri, makes me look at this image again, and the role that her clothing and her hands play in expressing human values. The clothing is stylized as you note. It seems to make her seem timeless, which increases the sense of empathy that she expresses here. In looking at this image again seven years after I made it, I see the sense of tactility at work here -- by placing her fingers on those rusting bars, she seems to actually touch the distant, and painful, past. I also note that sliver of light that lingers on her face, which seems to symbolize the now, in contrast to the shadows on her face, that symbolize the then.
Merri 19-May-2018 21:32
The woman in this photo appears so stylized, I had to look at it twice to confirm she's real. She becomes more than just a cruise ship tourist, she is literally channeling the pain of those prisoners, especially with her hands on the bars like that. I am touched by the empathy in this photograph. Interesting that her choice in clothing (something completely out of the control of the photographer) illuminates her behind those bars.
Phil Douglis24-Mar-2011 19:54
This image was one of my favorites, Tim -- for the very reason you mention. It not only expresses a potential range of human values, but also juxtaposes the compassionate and brutal capabilities of mankind.
Tim May24-Mar-2011 19:21
Her expression is so important. Humans are capable of harsh imprisonment and of compassion. Both are shown in this image.
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