photo sharing and upload picture albums photo forums search pictures popular photos photography help login
Type your message and click Add Comment
It is best to login or register first but you may post as a guest.
Enter an optional name and contact email address. Name
Name Email
help private comment
Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twenty One: The Marketplace -- crossroads of a community. > Plum Stand, Dolac Market, Zagreb, Croatia, 2005
previous | next
03-SEP-2005

Plum Stand, Dolac Market, Zagreb, Croatia, 2005

It's early morning in Zagreb's Dolac Market, and a plum seller awaits her first customers of the day. I found shooting during the set-up period a refreshing change from the struggle of trying to find a clean shot amidst the turbulent pace of buying and selling. I had all the time I needed – there were no people to get in the way or clutter the background. There is only one other person in this shot, a partial view of the fellow at the peach stand behind her, and because he is blocked, he becomes an insignificant part of the context. This image is really a portrait of self-confidence, pride, patience, and experience. The purple plums are piled before her – she has even cut one open so the customer can see the stage of ripeness before they buy. I have placed her within layers of color and texture – the purple plums are arrayed before her, an empty green table stands behind her, and behind that are crates of peaches and lemons.

Canon PowerShot G6
1/100s f/4.0 at 14.4mm full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
share
Phil Douglis17-Oct-2005 18:49
I love it when symbols in my pictures say two different thing to two different people. You see the woman as "insurmountably steely" while Tim sees her as potentially a warm hearted soul guarded by a cold exterior. Meanwhile, she has laid that plum wide open for all to view. I leave such conclusions to my viewers, Kal. I let my pictures trigger the ideas the viewer wants to see, feel, and wonder about.
Kal Khogali17-Oct-2005 12:23
I see contrasts here Phil, the open plum with it's centre exposed for all to see and the steely woman who through her expression and body language expresses insurmountable boundaries. The pessimists view compared to Tim's.
Phil Douglis08-Oct-2005 01:30
It's a powerful image because the woman herself is an icon of power. I agree -- the open plum is a thought provoking detail. She has sacrificed one plum in order to sell others. Shrewd business, this.
Tim May05-Oct-2005 18:16
I find this a powerful image, made more powerful by the blood red open plum. She is so guarded with her arms folded, yet deep within is a heart, perhaps a warmth, beneath the cold exterior. Perhaps there is hope that even this woman could have a warm laugh. I think this one of your most powerful images.
Type your message and click Add Comment
It is best to login or register first but you may post as a guest.
Enter an optional name and contact email address. Name
Name Email
help private comment