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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Eighty-seven: Impressions of Charleston, South Carolina > Consumed by nature, St. Philips Graveyard, Charleston, South Carolina, 2013
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01-AUG-2013

Consumed by nature, St. Philips Graveyard, Charleston, South Carolina, 2013

Two illegible headstones in the process of being covered within a bed of ivy provide subject matter for a richly colored expanse of repeating shapes and textures. The scene also symbolizes the ultimate dominance of nature over man. If I had discovered this particular subject earlier, the ivy would not have yet begun its inexorable climb along the stones. If I had come to it too late, the stones would have already vanished below the ivy, making the most important subject – the stones – invisible. Fortunately, I arrived at the scene on the perfect day – the ivy has begun its ascent, scaling the face of the stones, as well as already creeping along the narrow space between them. Yet the graceful pair of arches within the rectangular stones is still quite visible, and communicates the passage of time itself. I carefully frame the scene tightly, creating great tension between the stationary stones and the advancing ivy.

FujiFilm X10
1/80s f/2.2 at 11.3mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis03-Sep-2013 20:06
Good point. Nature, given the advantage of time, has always prevailed over the work of man. However, the continuing onslaught of global warming, pollution, greed, and technology may well alter the balance of nature itself and someday render the planet uninhabitable.
Iris Maybloom (irislm)03-Sep-2013 00:48
Like the ivy, the oxidation of the headstones further illustrates your theme of the dominance of nature over man. I wonder, however, if the scales of dominance are tipping.
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