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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twenty Four: The Workplace -- essence of a culture > Donkey gate, Skoura, Morocco, 2006
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22-DEC-2006

Donkey gate, Skoura, Morocco, 2006

Donkeys are more plentiful than horses in Morocco. This one was waiting for us behind the hand made wooden gate of its corral. I was drawn to this scene by the juxtaposition of the donkey and the picturesque gate. Many photographers would have made this picture from straight on, causing the donkey and gate to merge into the yard beyond. I choose a vantage point from off to one side, eliminating the cluttered yard and placing both donkey and gate against a wall, making the image free of clutter and distraction. I shot several images and chose one that included the donkey’s eye.

Leica V-Lux 1
1/250s f/4.0 at 28.9mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis09-Dec-2008 19:35
Glad you like it, Roland -- perfection is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve. But this image certainly has drawn a lot of comment and interest. The more I look at it, the more I like the odd flow of the primitively charming gate. It seems to echo the amusing character of the stubborn subject.
Roland09-Dec-2008 18:39
I love this image. It is perfect of subject and composition. V
Phil Douglis22-Jan-2008 16:27
Thank you, Sofia, for coming to this picture. I am glad you see how important composition is to this image, and most of that composition is a product of my vantage point, relating the donkey and fence to that wall.
Guest 22-Jan-2008 12:06
Love this! Fantastic composition and background information, thanks a lot Phil!
Phil Douglis28-Sep-2007 19:30
Your story was tailor made for photography, Sandi -- a picture of the rear end of that donkey vanishing into the bushes with your screaming girlfriend on his back would have been a priceless memory of your visit to Egypt.
Sandi Whitteker28-Sep-2007 17:41
What a darling face. I have a funny story about one of these little guys in Egypt, who ran off with my friend on his back, to chase after girlfiend in the bushes... him braying his head off, my girlfriend screaming her head off. This is a super shot of this little guy! V
Phil Douglis02-Apr-2007 17:09
Thanks, Ceci. I can see how owning a donkey as a pet can strongly influence what you see here. Knowing Morocco, I can assure you that donkey's there are beasts of burden. And that is what I saw here.
Guest 02-Apr-2007 05:54
Such a charming and beautifully framed picture of a patient little creature, so dark against the reddish wood of its "cage." I love its long ears and the quiet it exudes, and know first hand what staunch, strong, good bearers these small beasts are, since we lived for many years with a pair of white Sicilian pack donkeys. They were the most excellent of pets, companions and lawn mowers, as well as escape artists and delightful friends, and they became an integral part of our lives. Seeing this image sets me to remembering.
Phil Douglis12-Jan-2007 19:37
Thanks for adding your own voice to this image, Jenene. I agree with all you say. There is no sadness here. For rural Moroccans, donkeys are beast of burden. Like a pickup truck elsewhere. They are, as you say, treasured as a source of livelihood. And the gate reflects the nature of rural life as well.
JSWaters12-Jan-2007 19:08
I find nothing horrific or cruel or sad about this image at all. The donkey is a source of livelihood for a country folk, cared for and protected in probably a very common way. The primitive gate allows us insight into the lives of those who seem different from us by virtue of their country of origin or their social status. I am sure, though, the owner of this animal is very proud of what he does have.
Jenene
Guest 12-Jan-2007 09:29
Just discover your gallery, nice and personnal...
Phil Douglis12-Jan-2007 05:33
The eye, snootydog, is the key to the image. I made several where the eye was missing and the meaning of the image changed completely...a blind donkey in a cage was not what I intended. Glad you like it this way. So do I.
snootydog12-Jan-2007 04:43
The eye being the mirror to the soul, it seems essential that it be included here just as you've done it. And forward looking is key. No pun intended.
Phil Douglis11-Jan-2007 23:39
Thanks, Alexeig. Good to hear from you again. Glad you like the donkey -- it is drawing a lot of interest here. As for sadness, I think we tend to apply human feelings to animals. I don't think it particularly cares about being locked in here -- as long as it has a full belly, little else matters to it.
alexeig11-Jan-2007 21:16
Nothing superfluous here. Lovely tones and textures. A sad donkey though
Phil Douglis11-Jan-2007 19:42
Thanks, Galina, for seeing the reality of country life in this image. As for your technical suggestions, such as bringing out more detail in the donkey's face, that is not my goal here. This is as much a picture of a gate and a place, as it is of a donkey. The donkey, for me anyway, is context. If I had exposed detail in the donkey's face, I would have lost detail in the gate. I don't rework my pictures in photoshop, I just enhance them a bit. Retouching is not in my style and is beyond my talents.
Phil Douglis11-Jan-2007 19:38
Thanks, Lara -- I did not see him as imprisoned. The gate is too primitive and charming for a prison.
Tomasz Dziubinski - Photography11-Jan-2007 18:10
Nice :)
Galina Stepanova11-Jan-2007 17:39
This photo talks a lot about life in the country. Donkey and fence are equal subjects here. Viewers eyes are traveling between sad donkey look, details on wood connections and wood and walls textures.
Lara S11-Jan-2007 16:43
I love this picture. Poor guy, he looks in prison :(
Victoria11-Jan-2007 11:57
I love this funny shot..
Phil Douglis11-Jan-2007 05:59
Thanks, Daniel - welcome back to my galleries. You are right, there is a touch of the old west in this shot, even though it was made in Morocco. This image was made not far from Ouarzazate, which is the heart of Morocco's own film industry. Many swashbuckling Hollywood movies, including Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, the Man Who Would Be King did location shooting near here.
Guest 11-Jan-2007 05:35
hello Phil... Long time not hearing from you.
Glad to see your work again,
I like this photos... looks like back in the days when house in north of Mexico and south of USA where made of adobe. Also mentioning the traditional touch that this gives (such as your photo of the far west cowboys with the cattle at the concrete road)
This series of photos that you are bringing make us feel like kids again when we used to play cowboys and watch John Wayne movies.
Phil Douglis11-Jan-2007 04:54
I thought it was playfull as well, Christine. Normally, a cage is a grim symbol. But this gate is so primitive that it is charming instead of horrific.
Christine P. Newman11-Jan-2007 03:17
Very bright and playful picture. The donkey looks almost like a toy.
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