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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery One: Travel Abstractions -- Unlimited Thought > Threat, Marrakesh, Morocco, 2006
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25-DEC-2006

Threat, Marrakesh, Morocco, 2006

The streets in Marrakesh’s medina (walled city) are narrow, and there are many intersections within this labyrinth of ancient lanes. As I was crossing one of these intersections, I saw this motorbike bearing down on me. I instinctively made the shot and jumped out of the way. When I looked at the image, I was stunned to see that the driver had no face or identity. Neither did the man at left who steps to one side to let the cycle move past. My spot meter had read the bright light and darkened the rest of the image accordingly. The image is much more effective as an abstraction than it would be if we could see all of its detail. Both man and bike are far more threatening as mysterious shadows – which force our imaginations into overdrive.

Leica V-Lux 1
1/25s f/3.6 at 32.6mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis18-Feb-2008 19:42
Thanks so much for telling us how this image affects you, Suzy. Everyone sees pictures differently, and that is the great strength of expressive photography. I could have easily cropped out the passageway that enters the frame on the right, making the picture narrower and removing what you feel is a distraction. To me, that passageway grabs the imagination -- it made me wonder what would happen if somebody suddenly emerged from there at this very moment. (Ouch!) So one person's distraction becomes another person's content. As for making the image narrower to increase the walled in feeling, that would make it a different image -- perhaps more threatening but also, in my view, less mysterious. Marrakesh is an ancient place filled with alleys, nooks, and crannies. By retaining the shadowed areas on both the left and right hand side of the image, I tried to imply such mystery. I always try to leave room for the imagination of my viewers to work, and that was the deciding factor here.
Suzy Walker-Toye18-Feb-2008 17:40
This is a great photo.
Had this been mine, I would have been tempted to crop out the escape route on the right hand side and make it more square in format. I think perhaps the narrower format would enhance the narrow street/walled in feeling and make the bike even more threatening in the space. Also, I’m not sure why but my eye keeps being distracted by the passageway on the right.
Phil Douglis24-Aug-2007 05:07
I am glad I got out of the way in time, too, Cyndy. That is what draws the viewer to this image --the vicarious sense of danger. As for the exposure, I used my spot metering mode to expose for the bike's light. Everything around it goes black, yet the walls in the background, which were fairly bright, show up clearly.
Guest 23-Aug-2007 23:00
The anonimous biker and its evil eye are coming straight for you. I'm glad you snapped this shot and got out of the way in time. Great luck on the exposure, too.
Phil Douglis04-Aug-2007 18:24
Yes, Patricia, the image always come first. We can usually jump out of the way later. Such is the mind set of passionate photographers. You are right about the tilt of the cyclist -- it energizes the image and provokes threat, particularly when compared to the casual vertical posture of the passerby at left. The degree of abstraction here creates the ominous feeling you speak of --while the anonymity of the people and the claustrophobically narrow street intensify it.
Patricia Lay-Dorsey04-Aug-2007 15:44
I am struck by the fact that you first took the photo and only then jumped out of the way. We photographers sure have a unique set of priorities! For me the dynamic that gives this image its sense of motion and thus threat is the slight tilt of the driver/motorbike to the left. Even if you'd simply focused in on the feet of both men, this would have been a powerful photo. There is such an ominous feeling here.
Phil Douglis08-May-2007 15:52
Eloquently said, Alina. You are right -- an expressive image is like a book. We can read it carefully or skim it -- it's up to us how much we get out of an image.
Alina08-May-2007 12:31
Yes, they don’t have identity but their history is written on the walls. You’re giving us a book that we can read or quit. Thanks Phil
Phil Douglis06-Feb-2007 20:12
You are welcome, Don. I love the V-Lux 1 as a travel camera. It is a wonderful tool for expression. But as you will see from these galleries, it is not the camera that makes these images. It is the instincts, knowledge, and passion of the photographer. I am glad you are enjoying my site -- there is a lot here for you to study and think about. I will be glad to answer any questions you might, and if I run into "any easily overlooked gems" of the V-Lux-1, I will pass them on to you.
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