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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twenty Three: Stirring emotions through atmosphere and mood. > Walking the dog, Houston Street, New York City, 2006
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07-AUG-2006

Walking the dog, Houston Street, New York City, 2006

The long abused streets of New York are under constant repair. Pedestrians and dog walkers must thread their way through and obstacle course of traffic cones and metal plates just to cross the street. Yet when we photograph such a scene as on an early summer’s eve, the chaos and construction take a golden, nostalgic mood. The shadows mask the ugly construction scars, while the sun paints the oily, dirty street and filthy metal plates a mellow gold. The atmosphere is magically charged – walking your dog becomes an act of friendship instead of a perilous journey.

Leica D-Lux 2
1/400s f/5.6 at 11.6mm iso100 full exif

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Phil Douglis15-Oct-2006 00:53
Your words echo my thoughts, Christine. Yes, a dirty, broken street full of rusted plates has character. Man uses this street heavily and roughly, a use that incongruously contrasts with the gentle use and warm mood expressed by the setting sun and the fellow walking his dog while listening to his music.
Christine P. Newman15-Oct-2006 00:30
Al makes a good point - about shooting an unattractive street. It is like shooting an abandoned building with character. There is the trace of man - the souvenir, the mood make the picture in those cases.
Phil Douglis18-Aug-2006 05:55
You make a good point, Ai Li. In saying this, you underscore the importance of shooting the feel and look and mood of a place instead of the place itself. Instead of thinking about the unattractive street, I am seeing the warmth of a lingering summer evening that just does not want to go away. The rest just comes along with it. I shot this street ten times as people passed through my viewfinder. This is the one that best expressed what I was feeling. The man and his dog made the shot, but I had no idea the dog was even there until I studied the image afterwards. I was concentrating on expressing a feeling rather than a subject.
AL18-Aug-2006 05:23
Power of mood setting. Honestly I couldn't imagine myself shooting an unattractive street. But Phil, through your brilliant play with lighting and shadowing, you'd created a total different look and feel. And with your inclusion of human element and his doggie, I felt even more "at ease". Amazing.
Phil Douglis13-Aug-2006 22:31
I call this rim light, and yes, those are earphones. He walks the dog in a world of his own, never even seeing the ravaged street underfoot.
Tim May13-Aug-2006 20:43
I love the light, especially the way it crowns his head. It looks like I can see earphones on his ears which, for me, adds to dream-like quality of this image - the bliss of light is augmented by the bliss of music.
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