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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twenty Three: Stirring emotions through atmosphere and mood. > Dawn on the Sexet River, Laos, 2005
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Dawn on the Sexet River, Laos, 2005

Sometimes we can establish mood or create atmosphere in an expressive image by reducing detail and implying meaning. That’s what I’ve done with this image of a Laotian guesthouse on the banks of a very low river, shortly after dawn. A cloud hides the sun, and helps me abstract the scene. I expose for the color in the sky and in the reflection, and let everything else go dark. The shape of the guesthouse is there but very little detail is seen. Presumably the guests are still asleep (except for the lone fellow walking the grounds at the right), and the mood is very quiet and peaceful. There are no ripples on the water, either, only rocks and golden clouds. The atmosphere is calm and silent. The curtain has yet to rise on a glorious day.


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Phil Douglis18-May-2006 06:21
Yes, indeed, Jenene. Fire is a symbol of renewal, isn't it? The earth must be scorched before nature can regenerate
itself. So yes, why not say that a fiery sky is an apt symbol for a new day? Well said, friend Jenene.
JSWaters18-May-2006 05:57
My first thoughts echoed Zandra's - fire. But I thought of fire in the sense of the dawning of a new day, as Phil said, ' the fire that ignites life itself' . This peaceful camp, be it tourist or not, is participating in the ongoing traditional ritual of daily renewal.
maha 02-Dec-2005 16:38
salut
Phil Douglis16-Mar-2005 02:09
The skies did seem to be on fire as I made this image, Zandra. At first glance, I could see why you were fearful for the safety of those who were sleeping this guesthouse on the Sexet River. This shows you how critical context is for meaning. The title of the image tells you this is dawn, which puts an entirely different face on this photograph for you. The fire you see here comes from the fire that ignites life itself -- the sun. The mood and atmosphere of this image now acquire a sense of calm and peaceful promise. I agree -- this colorful scene is more hopeful than it is dangerous. Thanks, as always, for sharing your impression of this photograph with us, Zandra.
Guest 15-Mar-2005 19:02
My very first reaction to this image was...fire. and it was far from a tranqul feeling. the reflecton of the clouds in the water looked, at a first glimps, like fire. Of course my first reaction set the mood for this picture. I became very coloured by it. I also read your note and realaized that to see what you saw i had to open my mind and supress my first reaction. I now have two difrent intepritatiosn of this iamge. One full of pain, as my imagination sees the peaceful house being threatened by the fire, below as well as above. The clouds turn in to fire as well and it apears very thretening to the peacfulness of the house and the people living there. My other intepritation becomes lighter. teh fire is made in to the embracing ligh tof the sun. A new morning is dawning, full of hope. Much like the picture with the geese.
Phil Douglis04-Mar-2005 19:34
What a memory, Marek. You must be referring here to my River Svir foggy dawn athttp://www.pbase.com/pnd1/image/20736473 , and my Smoky Morning, Yosemite, athttp://www.pbase.com/pnd1/image/35601768 . You've placed this image of Dawn on the Sexet somewhere in between them. Looking at them in that order, they would indeed make an expressive sequence. All show less and say more, all express a degree of serenity and all take the measure of time. Each, in their own way, echoes the painterly tradition. As a sequence, these three landscapes would gradually welcome the coming of the day as they evolve in mood and meaning, with each expressing a different idea in a different manner. Thank you for remembering my images so well and for placing this one in their company.
Guest 04-Mar-2005 16:55
This is somewhere between Svirsk and Yosemite, and amazimg powerful in its serenity. A masterful painting Phil... and I have not missed the solitary figure...
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