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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Fifty Nine: Using dramatic light at the fringes of the day > Moonscape, Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge, California, 2008
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14-SEP-2008

Moonscape, Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge, California, 2008

Four elements combine to make this image expressive. The dusk has faded to night, yet it still holds traces of light. The moon hangs over the scene, and also reflects its trail in the water below. The image is built around a dead tree that seems to reach out and grasp the moon in its arms. And finally, the colors harmonize to create both mood and meaning -- orbs of gold in sky and water, wearing a mantle of purple sky.

Leica V-Lux 1
1/25s f/3.2 at 15.8mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis23-Nov-2009 21:43
So good to hear from you, Lorin, and glad you enjoyed this image as much as I enjoyed making it.
lorin niculae23-Nov-2009 19:01
this is absolutely fantastic. v
Phil Douglis03-Oct-2008 18:38
Thanks, Celia -- I have been shooting landscapes for several years. I see them as extensions of my photojournalistic style. I am, and always have been, a story teller. Photojournalism tells a human story. Landscape photography tells the story of the natural world, and relates it to human values such as the beauty, serenity, romance, and contrasts you note here. The more I look at this image, the more I focus on the relationship of the perfect moon to those barren reaching branches. I see the branches as you did -- dead. And the moon, along with its shimmering reflection, as a mirror of life. For me, this image offers a metaphor for the connection between life and death, the eternal cycle of nature itself.
Cecilia Lim03-Oct-2008 16:05
It is almost shocking to see you produce this sort of hauntingly beautiful and romantic landscape imagery Phil, because you were never big on landscapes-having come from a photojournalistic background. And I see that you've even made the effort to venture into low-light photography, hanging around long enough for the stunning moon to rise, ! I am in shock! Really! But it is such a joy to see how much you've developed in your art and eye (and patience!) for landscapes! And for that night, it was really worth your effort!

I find this is such an entrancing image because of the multitude of incongruities that it embodies. The stunning full moon is a picture of beauty and serenity against the pretty mauve sky and calm lake, evoking romance and gentle quietness. Yet this is all contrasted with a dead, dark, twisted and mangled tree in the foreground. It is haunting to say the least, but in a contradictary way, this tree also embodies a certain beauty in its zen-like simplicity while fanning out in an artistic dance in the moonlight. What a breathtaking image!
Phil Douglis01-Oct-2008 06:09
It is always a joy to see my work compared to Tim's imagery. I love that shot -- we both enjoy using the body language of trees in our images. It can be so expressive. I downloaded both images and looked at them side by side, and along with the yin and the yang comparison, they also carry us from night to day, autumn to summer, dark to light, purple to red, and finally, from the natural world to the world of man.
sunlightpix30-Sep-2008 21:07
I think of yin and yang when I compare your image to Tim's tree image from the Forbidden City. http://www.pbase.com/mityam/image/93926393 His composition uses daylight with the red background and echo of imperial dynasties, which are masculine yang symbols. In your image I'm drawn to the feminine yin symbols and colors. Each image is outstanding and I'm struck by the duality. Together they harmonize, across time and space, in our beautiful world.
Phil Douglis30-Sep-2008 02:16
Thanks for this interpretation, Rosemary. I had not thought of the water, moon, and tree as related to any gender, but I can see the connections, now that you mention them. Although the image is actually a horizontal composition, the prime focal point --the tree -- is indeed vertical, and thus seems to relate strongly to the sky overhead. And thanks for adding a third and a fourth mood, too -- I can see the strength in the old tree, and I can also see the unity in the relationship between all three elements here.
sunlightpix29-Sep-2008 21:38
Wonderful image with powerful feminine symbols in the water, moon and tree. IMHO, the vertical composition enhances the attraction between the tree and the heavens. Evokes neither scary nor romantic to me, rather strength and unity.
Phil Douglis27-Sep-2008 18:40
That is why we make pictures, Alina and Tim. One of you sees this image as a romantic expression, the other sees it as threatening. I purposely did not apply my own interpretation in the caption because I wanted each of my viewers to see it in their own way. The broader the range of potential interpretation, the greater the expressive quality of an image.
Tim May27-Sep-2008 17:53
One of the things that is fascinating about images is their openness to various interpretations. I have almost the opposite reaction to this image as Alina. I find it hauntingly eerie, on the edge of scary - the opposite of romantic.
Alina27-Sep-2008 13:34
Gorgeous picture Phil. I like moon reflection, this grasping tree and lovely evening colors. Very romantic atmosphere :)
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