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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Two: Travel Incongruities > Vintage chauffeur, Temse, Belgium, 2005
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15-JUN-2005

Vintage chauffeur, Temse, Belgium, 2005

In Temse, we caught a lift from its wonderfully anachronistic official Town Crier. It was an incongruous sight -- riding with someone wearing a 19th century costume at the wheel of a 21st century car. Thanks to a 24mm wideangle lens, I was able to squeeze a good part of him and his colorful costume into this image from the extremely close vantage point of the front passenger seat, right down to the pins he collects from tourists who visit this small Belgian town from all over the world. His huge red mustache lends an authentic touch to a vintage profession. This image is a good example of subject incongruity -- in this case, it's the appearance of the subject itself, rather than how we make the picture, that creates the incongruity.

Canon PowerShot G6
1/160s f/4.0 at 7.2mm full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis21-Jul-2006 04:48
A wax figure driving? Now that's incongruous.Actually, he was very courteous and very real. He dresses this way to symbolize the old days of Temse, and build tourist trade. Thanks, Emi, for letting your imagination fly on this.
Guest 21-Jul-2006 03:23
Sure you picked a good model in this one Phil. Before I read your caption, I thought he was a wax figure, and even now after I had read your caption, he still looks 100% like a wax figure to me - his facial expression, his gesture and his face even suggest that he is a wax to me. I thought you were in a museum or somewhere like that to take this "wax" picture, however, the sunlight in the picture tells me you were outdoors. This creates an incongruity feeling for me when I see this "wax" got out of a museum and come to our world and drive.

Emi
Phil Douglis01-Oct-2005 21:48
Red mustaches everywhere, it seems. Thanks, Lisbeth.
Lisbeth Landstrøm01-Oct-2005 20:26
What a splendid fellow. I am at the same time enjoying the read wave starten at the mirror and ending at the left - in south at "the moustache" on his shoulder :-)
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