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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Ninety: 101 ways to interpret Bolivia > Restless, Sucre Cathedral, Sucre, Bolivia, 2014
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18-MAY-2014

Restless, Sucre Cathedral, Sucre, Bolivia, 2014

I found this child incongruously nestled among an array of praying legs and feet in the last row of the cathedral during a Sunday mass. The four worshippers surrounding her on bended knees are most likely members of her extended family. She takes comfort in their presence, yet turns away at this moment to look at her surroundings. She does not disturb anyone as she sits quietly, her hands pressed together at her knees. The meaning of the moment eludes her – she is a child, and most children of her age naturally become restless after spending more than a half hour sitting in one place. I take advantage of this situation to interpret the scene, abstracting most of it through close framing. In doing so I tell the story of a child who deals with her restlessness in her own rather polite way. Meanwhile, the pairs of bent legs and black shoes arrayed on either side pay her no heed. Her own knees, clad in shocking pink and facing the opposite way, as well as the innocent expression on her face, tell the story here.

FujiFilm X-M1
1/60s f/5.2 at 80.0mm iso3200 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time18-May-2014 06:57:26
MakeFujiFilm
ModelX-M1
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length80 mm
Exposure Time1/59 sec
Aperturef/5.2
ISO Equivalent3200
Exposure Bias-1.00
White Balance
Metering Mode
JPEG Quality
Exposure Program
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis13-Jul-2014 22:41
Thanks, Steve, for noting the three most important principles of expressive photography -- abstraction, incongruity, and human values. When used simultaneously, they create expression that communicates ideas. This image uses all three, as you note. The first three galleries I offer on this website present extensive examples and discussions of these three principles as well.
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