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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Three: Expressing human values > Piano practice, Bucharest, Romania, 2009
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22-OCT-2009

Piano practice, Bucharest, Romania, 2009

One of the highlights of our visit to Bucharest was an evening at the home of the local pbase photographer, Lorin Niculae ( http://www.pbase.com/lorin ). Along with Romanian Pizza (delicious) and his magnificent collection of antique cameras, Lorin shared his pride in eight year daughter Silvia’s skill at the piano. I made this image of Silvia as she practiced, putting her out of focus and featuring the massive sheets of music she has mastered. This image expresses the human values of artistry and discipline, both very much part of musical expression. Silvia is also a photographer and made her first images when she was three. She showed me her Minolta A1, and some of the images she has made with it are posted on her father’s site at http://www.pbase.com/lorin/le_foto_di_silviaioana

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1
1/30s f/1.7 at 20.0mm iso125 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis23-Sep-2011 23:21
Thank you, Lorin. Although it has been more than two years since my visit with you and your family in Bucharest, the memories of it are still vivid. Your kindness to us is one of the things that makes travel such an enriching experience. My best to you and your wonderful family. Right now, I am in Ecuador on a month long shoot. And in November, I will be photographing in Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Turkey, Greece, and Spain. I will be posting many new images in the coming months.
lorin niculae23-Sep-2011 07:52
Thank you very much Phil for the warm words! We remember with great pleasure your visit.
Kind regards,
Lorin
Phil Douglis22-Nov-2009 04:52
Silvia, at age eight, is a remarkable artist, but continues to learn and grow as a musician. As a former school teacher you are well aware of the learning process: things often start out as a bit fuzzy for awhile, but eventually they come into focus for us. You look at the sharp music here as work Silvia has yet to learn, while I saw it as work she has already mastered, and now she must plug away on a fuzzier piece of music. So the image can be read either way, and it still works. Thanks for the insight.
Tim May22-Nov-2009 00:37
I like the way the way that you have focused on the music and that Silvia is soft - for me it is a metaphor for learning - the material is sharp but the learner is on a path to sharpness.
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