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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Ninety-four: The Road to Chautauqua > Man and nature, Niagara Falls, New York, 2015
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18-JUL-2015

Man and nature, Niagara Falls, New York, 2015

I fill the top half of the frame with the energy and fury of nature – the falls seem to explode at left, becoming a massive flow and then vanishing in the cloud of spray at right. The bottom half of the frame is entirely filled with foliage, beneficiary of the moisture descending from above. A tiny staircase winds through the trees, bearing a seemingly endless line of poncho-clad tourists. They are incongruously small in scale and seemingly at the mercy of nature’s power.

FujiFilm X-T1
1/420s f/20.0 at 37.1mm iso640 full exif

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Phil Douglis09-Nov-2015 19:03
Thanks, Iris, for noting the importance of scale incongruity here -- that ant-like line of conforming blue ponchos spread out upon a precarious stair case represents the collective nature of mankind. They are a tribe of their own, banding together for safety along a dangerous precipice. They are embraced by lush green surroundings -- nature extends its benevolence towards man in the lower half of this image, yet mankind is always at the mercy of nature's power, as the massive display Niagara's energy demonstrates in the upper half of the photograph.
Iris Maybloom (irislm)09-Nov-2015 17:30
The ant like line of conforming blue ponchos is stunning example of how miniscule we are vis-a-vis the overwhelming power of nature. Very strong image.
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