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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Eighty-three: Impressions of the Galapagos – an extended photo-essay > The ghost of Punta Carrion, Isabela Island, The Galapagos, Ecuador, 2012
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20-JUN-2012

The ghost of Punta Carrion, Isabela Island, The Galapagos, Ecuador, 2012

I open this extended essay with a moody landscape evoking the mythical nature of the place itself. The first Spanish explorers to map the Galapagos were convinced they could see these islands move. They called them "Las Encantadas" -- the "Enchanted Isles." I feel just such a ghostly presence in this image -- the huge rock echoes the jagged shape of the cloud moving behind it, skeletal trees bow to the wind, and a small robed figure seems to lurk within its rocky hollows.

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Phil Douglis03-Aug-2012 18:10
The arbitrary shapes of clouds have long made fascinating subjects for photographic expression, beginning with Alfred Stieglitz's series of cloud images made between 1925 and 1934. They were the first images intended to free a subject from literal interpretation, and pioneered abstract photography as a photographic art. The shape of this cloud was one of the reasons I made this particular image, because the flow of the cloud and the implied motion of the tree seeme to echo the jagged flow of the rock. I am fascinated by your own interpretation of this cloud, Carol -- the sense of something about to happen is certainly a valid impression.
Carol E Sandgren03-Aug-2012 04:19
To me, the big cloud seems to indicate a time frame, perhaps the sign of something impending that is about to happen as it advances. The tree silhouette gives this an eerie feeling as well. Nicely done!
Phil Douglis24-Jul-2012 19:03
Good to have you back in my galleries again, Jenene. I agree -- there is definitely something ghostly within that rock. The word enchanted can mean "casting a spell" and that robed figure seems to be doing just that here. As for being visitor-friendly, the Galapagos can often intimidate. Its volcanic nature can be quite challenging and even threatening.
JSWaters23-Jul-2012 23:05
Your capture of the apparition in broad daylight gives credence to the islands' enchanted history. The site looks ominous and not very visitor friendly.
Jenene
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