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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Thirteen: Bringing Fresh Visions to Tired Clichés > Mission Bay, San Diego, California, 2004
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18-APR-2004

Mission Bay, San Diego, California, 2004

Flowers are irresistible subjects, and often make breathtaking beautiful pictures. But I look for more than just beauty in my pictures – I want my images to express ideas about what I see and where I’ve been. While taking an early morning walk around Mission Bay, I passed the tiny front yard of a beach house and spotted a kayak slung between a pair of very dirty plastic garden chairs. Behind the kayak was a striking array of sunflowers and roses. I saw an incongruity here – the ornamentation of the lovely floral display juxtaposed against the raw utility of kayak storage. Instead of making just another cliché picture of pretty flowers, I use those blossoms as incongruous context here. This picture, which I made with a small Canon Digital Elph pocket camera, tell us that this homeowner gets the most out of every inch of space yet still manages to envelope it in flowering beauty.

Canon PowerShot S400
1/1600s f/7.1 at 7.4mm full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis12-Apr-2007 18:20
You add still another dimension to this image, Chris. The reality of every day life can be beautful in its own way -- even more than the classic iconic symbols of beauty, such as flowers. Thanks.
Chris Sofopoulos12-Apr-2007 10:32
I agree with you Phil. I usually don't like beautiful photos of flowers. Besides, photography goes far more than beauty, goes inside the composition through abstract approach and symbols.
This one shows the reality even if it's not beautiful and expresses ideas!
Phil Douglis09-Sep-2004 04:00
What can I say in answer to this critique, Celia? You leave me speechless. (Which is hard to do!) You have taken my basic premise and perceived a story within my story that goes far beyond anything I have even considered. I am stunned. Utterly stunned by your interpretation of this image. The fact that you did not even see the rose initially was to be expected. My friend Lara did not see it either. Yet when you saw it, everything changed. You read my words, saw the rose, and then built your own metaphorical story out of it, a story far more profound than one might expect out of such a simple image as this. Another thing amazes me, Celia. You write about photography almost exactly as I speak about it, and have spoken about it, in my workshops, books, and columns for over 40 years now. It is uncanny how similar we are in the way we articulate visual meaning. It is as if we have somehow acquired the same gene for photographic dissection and explanation. Do you know what an asset you can be to this cyberbook, Celia? By bringing your own points of view to bear on my pictures, and by expressing your ideas in such a helpful and profound way, you have become my premier critic. Readers of this comment would be well advised to search for Ceclia Lim's comments elsewhere in this cyberbook as well. You will learn a great deal from them. I thank you, Celia, for your gifts, your time, and your interest in my images and more importantly, for helping me in my teaching efforts.
Phil
Cecilia Lim 28-Aug-2004 18:55
When I first saw the thumbnail, I was wondering what on earth this image could be about. And I certainly did not notice the rose either. And when I viewed your image in large format, I still did not notice the rose - The powerful diagonal angle and the dominance of the white chair and white kayak filling almost the entire frame, held all of my attention. But when I read your description about the rose offering context, the image suddenly held a different meaning for me. And the more I think of the image, the more I love it.
I think it goes to show how important a photographer's words can be in helping his image create meaning. It does not mean that a photographer did not do a good job of communicating a message first-hand with his photograph, but it opens doors to new ways of interpreting the photo.

For me, I love the way you've used the flower as an incongruous subject which without, would make the image just another quirky subject about lawn chairs. However, the lone red rose that I notice now creates a moving story about survival of nature in a human world. To me, the image is about man, his man-made toys and conquests usurping the natural world and possibly destroying it in the process. The inorganic white sterile chair and kayak (the colour white aptly symbolizing man's righteousness) slashes stongly and violently across the frame, infringeing onto the rose garden behind. The rose droops, as if in submission and bleeds in red over this hostile takeover of its home. Another aspect I like about this image is that it also asks questions, leaving us to wonder if the rose will survive. Your strong use of vantage point, colour and the various juxtapositions here, such as those between the man-made and natural elements, the hard and delicate softness, the size of the elements here, all play a part in creating a powerful story, which is more than just about garden chairs and sporting equipment. It is such an ordinary, and extraordinary image. You've certainly done really well in this image by bringing a fresh vision to tired cliches about flowers here. Great job!
Lara S08-Jul-2004 02:40
Interesting that I DID NOT notice the flower until you mentioned it in your text. I had to come back and look at the photo. I was too into your "props" the first time I looked at the photo. Hmm, You've fooled me.
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