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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Thirty Seven: As others see me > Expression, by Tim May, California Pizza Kitchen, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2006
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24-SEP-2006

Expression, by Tim May, California Pizza Kitchen, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2006

To say that I express myself with my hands as well as with my imagery, is an understatement. My friend, pbase’s Tim May ( http://www.pbase.com/mityam ), who was traveling with me in Utah, catches me here as I debate a photographic fine point with pbase photographer Sheena Xin Liu, who caught up with us for a quick lunch at Salt Lake City’s California Pizza Kitchen. Poor Xin – I must have overwhelmed her with those flying hands – she has retreated out of Tim’s frame so that only a trace of her shoulder is visible. Tim uses a slow shutter speed – ¼ of a second – to not only blur my face, but even more importantly, blur my hands as well. He says in his caption at http://www.pbase.com/image/69505115 that this shot “captures my enthusiasm for my art,” but I would say that it also captures the essence of who I am – intense, passionate, oblivious to everything except the point at hand. (Pun intended.)

Olympus E-330
1/4s f/3.5 at 18.0mm iso160 full exif

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Phil Douglis21-Aug-2007 06:32
I will be sure to let Tim know of this comment, Patricia. You are very kind. I do tend to get carried away when I get excited about things. I was talking here with two of my pbase friends in a Salt Lake City restaurant, and one of them, Xin Liu, tells us in her comment exactly what I was so passionate about at this moment. Tim knows me quite well, and was obviously primed for the gesture.
Patricia Lay-Dorsey21-Aug-2007 03:25
Tim has captured exactly who I think of when Phil Douglis's name appears in my comments section of my galleries! A man of passion with a facile mind and wit, and hands that dance to tunes many of us wish we could hear. And yet we have never (yet) met. Bravo, Tim!
Phil Douglis11-Mar-2007 19:30
Thanks, Joel. Tim did a wonderful job with the blur, and he did not make it in India. How about Salt Lake City?
Guest 11-Mar-2007 07:29
Hands and face, the essential, I could add feet if the shot was from India; nice blurr.
A great portrait. V
Phil Douglis02-Mar-2007 17:23
Tim nailed it here. When I get going I throw my whole self into it. And that's what Tim is saying. Thanks, Ai Li, for seeing that.
AL02-Mar-2007 12:47
Speaking hands... Phil, I'm listening and I'm "moved"! Very very well expressed by Tim. Can't get better than this :-)
Phil Douglis01-Jan-2007 20:10
Thanks Ieke, Chris, and Armin, for your good wishes. I send my best return. And thanks to you, Xin, for recalling the exact moment when Tim made this image of me. He indeed expresses the nature of the man and his mission here.
arminb24-Dec-2006 15:16
Merry X-Mas, Phil!
Chris Sofopoulos23-Dec-2006 17:57
I wish to you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy and full of trips New Year 2007!
Thank you for everything Phil.
Guest 09-Dec-2006 10:04
Fantstic!!
Sheena Xin Liu06-Dec-2006 05:06
I recalled this moment vividly when I saw this image. You were either talking about the spiritual journey of Minor White or how photography could possibly play a counterpart as one’s religious willing. Indeed this picture captured the very essence of you, Phil. Well done, Tim.
Phil Douglis22-Nov-2006 17:44
Thanks, Gil -- you have been across enough dinner tables from me by now to know that if I could not speak with my hands, i would be tongue tied. I did not know that only Italians speak with hands, either. Let's not think in stereotypes -- speaking hands are a condition endemic to overly enthusiastic people of all extractions, particularly photographers.
Gil Hidalgo22-Nov-2006 16:15
Phil! I did not know you were italian! Talking with your hands at the dinner table! Don't spealk with your hands full. Did you not learn any manners?
(With MUCH love....Gil)
Phil Douglis17-Nov-2006 17:29
Yes, Shirley, they can. I talk with my hands because my hands are part of my voice. And in this image, Tim makes them talk as well.
Shirley Wang17-Nov-2006 11:09
So I see, "big hands" can talk :-)
Phil Douglis03-Nov-2006 21:42
You are right, Chris. Tim has created a very unconventional portrait of me. Which is very appropriate, because my own images and teaching often contradict conventional wisdom. If we make pictures that essentially repeat photographs we have already seen, we will only make more of what we already have made.
Chris Sofopoulos03-Nov-2006 20:36
I can see the tension here Phil. I love such strong, expressive and unconventional moments!
Phil Douglis03-Nov-2006 19:25
Sometimes I don't realize how passionate I can get when discussing photography expression -- an image such as Tim's puts a mirror to my manner in a very memorable way. To see yourself as others see you is a rewarding and often humbling experience. Such is the power of photographic expression. Thanks, Kal, for this comment, as well as for the comment you left on this same image in Tim's own gallery (http://www.pbase.com/mityam/image/69505115 )
Kal Khogali03-Nov-2006 14:55
I left a comment on Tim's image, but I'd like to confirm beyond doubt...this passion is what you are all about...;-)K
Phil Douglis02-Nov-2006 23:22
Glad you changed your mind about The Strangler, Annie. I am always trying to pull the viewer (or listener in) --that is what a teacher does.
Annie J02-Nov-2006 20:59
When I first saw this portrait to me, it looked almost like you were trying to strangle someone (perhaps speaking of your passion for the subject? LOL) Your hands seem to kind of reach out and draw the viewer in, which I think is a fitting description of you as a photographer and speaks of how you draw the viewer into your images...
Tim May02-Nov-2006 02:53
Liz, you're welcome.
Phil Douglis02-Nov-2006 01:40
I am sure Tim will be delighted with your praise of his photo, Liz. Who elses can speak with such authority on the subject?
Liz Douglis 02-Nov-2006 01:14
Tim is brilliant! He has absolutly captured a moment of you!
Thank, Tim
Phil Douglis01-Nov-2006 19:07
That's why I post this gallery, Daniel. So you can come to know me as others see me. I want my ideas and examples to come to you with a personal context, and this is the best way I know of doing that.
Guest 01-Nov-2006 19:03
Nice meeting you Phil...
(haven't met you in person) But just to see your photos, read your texts, explanations and now looking at your expression... Feels like meeting you in person. Thanks for sharing and teaching.

-(soon I will upload new photos here at Pbase)
Phil Douglis01-Nov-2006 17:58
Thanks, Ana, for guessing right. And thank you, Christine, for the vote of confidence. Rene and Jenene -- you hit the nail on the head, just as Tim nails me with this shot.
JSWaters01-Nov-2006 15:21
Tim gives us another great shot of his friend in action. The movement and blur express your passion so well. Your hands help you to 'grasp' the salient points of your idea and corral them so they may be more easily digested.
Jenene
Rene Hales01-Nov-2006 14:21
Great view of the essence and passion you have for your art. Gives great insight.--Rene
Christine P. Newman01-Nov-2006 10:36
I had the opportunity to meet Phil and people should know that he does not look as old in person as he does on this photo. He is very lively and funny. I also like what Tim did.
Ana Carloto O'Shea01-Nov-2006 07:48
We've never actually met Phil, but I've always get the feeling from when we'd talked on skype that you would be one of those persons who also "talks with the hands" I see that I was not mistaken :)
I love the way Tim made the shot.
Phil Douglis01-Nov-2006 05:06
Thanks, John, for this thought. A photograph can never define a person by itself, but it can give insights to a viewer that can lead to a definition. This image does a remarkable job of defining the passion that I bring to photography and photographic ideas.
Guest 01-Nov-2006 04:53
Knowing who, and what you are about gives this image the passion that I know is in your mind and heart when photography is concerned.
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