photo sharing and upload picture albums photo forums search pictures popular photos photography help login
Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Ten: A Walk in the Park – only minutes away > Greenery, Scottsdale, Arizona, 2006
previous | next
11-MAY-2006

Greenery, Scottsdale, Arizona, 2006

The lush green lawns and trees of this park are regularly bathed in sprays of water that periodically erupt from sprinklers set into the ground. I use a telephoto focal length to create this layered image – anchored by a dappled green foreground. A slight hill framed by two large trees blocks the lower half of a woman walking just behind it. She leads a small child, whose head can just barely be seen to the right of the left hand tree. The six trees behind them fill the background with green leaves that cover half the frame. But the keys to the image are the two sprinklers that bathe the scene in droplets of water, creating a misty atmosphere as they dampen the scene. The incongruously casual attitude of the woman suggests that she somehow manages to elude a soaking.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30
1/160s f/5.6 at 57.5mm iso80 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
share
JSWaters12-May-2006 23:13
Thanks, Phil. I will go back and rework the image - something I'm doing alot of! You're right, I will never see another sprinkler like this without thinking of my encounter!
Phil Douglis12-May-2006 23:01
Thanks for these comments, Jenene. I am delighted by your views on this photo, particularly in light of your own experience with photographing sprinklers. By the way, you do not come up short. You just need to boost the contrast and color to have a highly expressive image. Yes, I tried to do justice to summer memories with my picture. It evokes a nostalgic mood and atmosphere you can almost smell the wet grass. I did.
JSWaters12-May-2006 22:39
One more thing I'm learning about losing yourself in photography, Phil, you literally can lose yourself. Unlike the woman here who eludes the soaking sprinkler, I wasn't as lucky while taking my picture. Forgot to step out of the water's path - at least no one laughed!
JSWaters12-May-2006 22:32
Phil, Thanks for referring me to your recent additions. I tried to create something similar by layering water from many sprinklers ,http://www.pbase.com/jswaters/image/59296272, calling it Waterdance because of the crisscrossing movement of the streams of water. It comes up short, I'm afraid. Your image conjures up memories of lazy, warm days where just the sound of such a sprinkler evokes a summery mood. The slow stride of the woman veiled by the droplets does indeed suggest casual.
Type your message and click Add Comment
It is best to login or register first but you may post as a guest.
Enter an optional name and contact email address. Name
Name Email
help private comment