Pond, Shuhe, China, 2006 by Phil Douglis

Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twenty Six : Using reflections to transform reality > Pond, Shuhe, China, 2006

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31-MAR-2006

Pond, Shuhe, China, 2006

There is a sense of tranquility and mystery in this reflected image. The graceful old home provides Chinese identity, while the rich colors of reflected trees and flowers tell us that spring has come to Yunnan Province. A rippled circle at the bottom of the image adds context.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30
1/125s f/5.6 at 13.4mm iso80 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto

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Phil Douglis		01-Jul-2007 19:14
You and I have been talking about abstraction through digital art recently, Ceci. In this case, I am not using Photoshop to obscure the facts of what is before the camera. The abstraction is created not by using a digital filter, but rather by photographing a reflection in a rippling pond. Yet the ultimate effect on the image is the same. It shows less in order to say more through implication rather than description. It does give the image the texture and feeling of an impressionistic oil painting. As for calling me Monsieur Claude, I thank you for the honor, but I still around and he's not, so on the whole, I'd rather be Monsieur Phil.

Guest		01-Jul-2007 04:30
I shall have to address you as Monsieur Claude after seeing this wondrous picture! It is such a pure Impressionist scene, so rich in color and shading and suggested shapes and obviously natural ingredients, that only the slight rings on the water to the left proclaim this NOT an oil painting. I love the composition of it as well...

Phil Douglis		29-Jun-2006 22:10
Thanks, Emi, for adding these thoughts. You make some very important points about the realtionship of painting to photography here. Painting allows us to turn reality into anything we want. And so does photography. Although it was invented as a science to reproduce reality as closely as possible, photography guickly became an art form as well. Photographers discovered what you have just learned -- that a photographic image can be every bit as interpretive and expressive as a painting. And yes, one of the most important functions of any art is to offer a substitute for reality. It is the unreality of art that challenges the imagination, empowers our senses, and enlarges our horizons. Picasso said it best, Emi. He said "Art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth." Thanks too for the link to your image. The rocks below the surface are magical -- they give the image it impressionistic tone.

Guest		29-Jun-2006 11:22
"And I am doing likewise here, only I am painting with pixels instead of pigments." by Phil Douglis. The more pictures I take, the more I agree with that statement. I love painting. I love the way how it feels when my brushes touch the canves and how I can turn the reality into whatever I like on my canves. I could never imagine this can be done by photography if I didn't experience it myself. As Carol suggested, we feel more tanquil looking at a reflection of a peaceful scene rather than looking at the scene itself, I totally agree that this is a state of mind thing. And I guess that is the essense of Art, no matter in what kind of forms. One of the reasons we need art is , the reality cannot satisfy us in some way. In this case, our state of mind would rather choose the wonderful reflection than the real place scene. I like the rippled circle at the bottom of the image which Phil mentioned in the caption. It creates a conflict in my "state of mind". On the one hand, the ripple enrich the "painting" by giving it more movement, however, on the other hand, it reminds us/me that I am actually see a reflection, not the reality. Its like someone/something wakes you up from your sweetest dream...... Emi

Phil Douglis		19-Apr-2006 21:45
Thanks to both Carol and Tim for bringing up this important principle. A "state of mind," in my view, is really another of way of defining the human imagination. When Carol talks here of tranquility, it an emotion that is triggered in her own mind, centered on her own imagination. As expressive photographers, we make images that prod the human imagination. And yes, Tim, "less a place and much more a state of mind" could thus indeed be a fair definition of expressive photography.

Tim May		19-Apr-2006 18:22
Carol expresses it beautifully - "much less than a place and much more a state of mind" That could be a definition of expressive photography.

Carol E Sandgren		18-Apr-2006 18:17
Why is it we feel more tranquil looking at a reflection of a peaceful scene rather than looking at the scene itself? To me, this painting becomes much less than a place and much more of a state of mind.

Phil Douglis		18-Apr-2006 01:36
That was my intention, Jeremy. Painters use their imaginations to transform their subjects into abstract impressions. And I am doing likewise here, only I am painting with pixels instead of pigments.

Jeremy		18-Apr-2006 01:00
This is masterful, and the picture is almost like a painting. And not necessarily of a scene in reflection, but a painting of the building next to a pond under the cool shade of shady trees. Impressive.

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