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 Fifty: Using silhouettes as abstract symbols and metaphors > Navajo riders, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona, 2007
previous | next
08-NOV-2007

Navajo riders, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona, 2007

They came from behind us, riding hard, seemingly from out of the past. They galloped into a blaze of color, and vanished around a curve in the dirt road. The late afternoon sun illuminates each rider in a different way. The woman is an example of rim-light – her hair seems to glow at the edges, as if she is on fire. She echoes the explosion of light coming from the brilliantly colored tree in the background. The man, along with his horse, is still in shadow. Because he is seen against the light, my exposure makes him into a silhouette. He is less defined and tries to catch up. But he can’t. I like the contrast between riders. It increases the power of juxtaposition: dark vs. light, ahead vs. behind, female vs. male, and all of it emerging from a cloud of dust, riding towards the beauty of the natural world.

Leica V-Lux 1
1/250s f/5.6 at 38.5mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
share
Phil Douglis07-Mar-2014 19:21
Thanks, Linda. Yes, I am still here. And indeed it has been six years since anyone else last left a comment on this picture. However, do keep in in mind that I now have over 4,000 images displayed among the 88 galleries on this instructional website, and new comments are posted by viewers almost every day. All of which, I answer.

And of course, it would be an honor to have you base a painting upon this image. I greatly appreciate the pleasure you take in this image, and would love to see how you would interpret it.
Phil Douglis28-Apr-2008 00:11
Thanks, Iris - this was one of those images that just happened. We were fortunate that these riders came past us at full stride, and rode directly into a backlit setting.
Iris Maybloom (irislm)27-Apr-2008 22:30
If any image depicts the romance of the old west, it's this one. The light, the cloud of dust, the canyon walls, the Navajo riders, and the well worn trail present us with a page rich with history.
Phil Douglis20-Nov-2007 16:35
Thanks, Shirley, for coming to this image. This photograph does have a lot going for it -- it is filled with energy and beauty and a bit of mystery, too.
Shirley Wang20-Nov-2007 12:04
Love this one. You've got everything, nice contrast, color, and dynamics. just great!
Phil Douglis20-Nov-2007 04:50
Thanks, Patricia, for these kind words. We had seen these riders from a distance a few minutes earlier, so I knew they were in the area. I also knew they would probably catch and pass us, because two horses can move faster on a sandy road than our large truck. I knew what was in front of us as well. We were sitting on benches on a raised deck in the back of the truck, so we could see -- and photograph -- in all directions. As riders and trees merged into my viewfinder, I just kept shooting. i got off at least three or four shots that worked, and this was the most expressive of the lot.
Patricia Lay-Dorsey20-Nov-2007 04:42
Whew! This is pure magic. Not that you didn't have to work very fast to catch it--I'm sure you did--but the sunlight on the trees, on the woman, on the dusty dirt road all serve to make this an image of human and natural splendor. And to capture such a sense of movement too! Well, I am bowing in respect and wonder.
Phil Douglis19-Nov-2007 19:07
Thanks, Mo -- there is indeed a sense of explosive urgency here as the riders dash past us toward the colors. The image is all about movement. It works two ways: the rear view propels the rides away from us, while the brilliant colors of the trees draws them forward at the same time.
monique jansen19-Nov-2007 08:58
Wonderful autumn colors and a great sense of urgency, movement
Phil Douglis18-Nov-2007 22:04
Romantic is a good word for this image, Alina. And it is the people riding off into the dusty glory of Canyon de Chelly that stirs the imagination here.
Alina18-Nov-2007 21:30
Very dynamic and romantic photo Phil. Autumn colors are splendid. Great capture.
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