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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twenty Eight: Using symbols and metaphors to express meaning > Colors at dawn, Petaluma, California, 2007
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10-JUN-2007

Colors at dawn, Petaluma, California, 2007

An old fire escape, a tattered flag, and a cloud-laden sky greet a new day in Petaluma, California. The color of this dawn is gold; the torn flag is red, white, and blue. The symbolic warmth of the sky can be viewed as a universal symbol of optimism. The torn flag, hanging limply from its pole, can be a metaphor for a tired, worn nation. I leave this juxtaposition of symbols open to your interpretation.

Leica V-Lux 1
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Phil Douglis24-Feb-2008 19:26
Thanks, Patrick, for seeing the meaning in this image. That is the ultimate purpose of expressive travel photography -- to express the meaning of what we may encounter on our travels to others and to activate their imaginations and emotions as well.
Guest 24-Feb-2008 16:58
Very nice composition!! Dramatic and full of meaning.
Phil Douglis26-Jan-2008 00:20
Thanks, Sofia, for noting the double meaning. I intended it that way -- flags are often referred to as the "colors," and of course this image is all about color itself.
Guest 25-Jan-2008 22:18
True are your words. There is also a linguistic juxtaposition here: the double meaning of the word "colors". V
Phil Douglis23-Jan-2008 20:54
Thanks, Yulia -- there is a cinematic aura to this image. The torn flag is dramatic and the colors are nostalgic.
Guest 23-Jan-2008 20:27
Very impressive and dramatic shot. Looks like from any patriotic movie.
Phil Douglis18-Jul-2007 15:41
Glad you value this photograph as much as I do, Xin. The mood of the image is optimistic, even though the flag itself may be in tatters. You see it still radiating power -- which shows the influence of familiar symbols.
Sheena Xin Liu18-Jul-2007 04:03
What a lighting and composition! This is truly stunning, Phil! The wooden attic partially framed the picture and the old flag looked obsolete, but stood out against the dawn sky, still emitting radiance and glowing with power. Alas, the mood permeated throughout this flag is beyond my words.
Phil Douglis02-Jul-2007 19:47
Thanks, Tim, for linking this image to the shot you made of the same flag athttp://www.pbase.com/mityam/image/81548050 I agree that my image is about both tattered reputation and foreboding mood, while your image suggests the chaotic forces and barriers that threaten our national ideals. It is also instructive to note what a difference a day can make in terms of atmospheric context. This image was made just after dawn and the rising sun was illuminating a layer of clouds overhead. All you had to work with the next day was a clear sky. Yet you made the best of it by coming up with an entirely different concept, as usual.
Tim May02-Jul-2007 18:08
Thank you for being so enthusiastic about this early morning sight and thus causing me to look up. I like the foreboding mood of this image which reflects my current mood about the state of our nation and of its place in the world. My image takes a different approach. I see the clutter in the foreground as a metaphor for the structures that stand between our national ideals and our national reality.http://www.pbase.com/mityam/image/81548050
Phil Douglis22-Jun-2007 23:42
I love your interpretation, Daniel. Never giving up. Always standing proud, even if worn and tattered. The spark of persistence. The world and my country in relationship to that world. Everyone who has commented on this image so far has talked of pride, which is a basic human value. The image is certainly abstracted by the backlighting. And the single tear is certainly an incongruity. All three of my key principles at work to express some fundamental ideas.
Guest 22-Jun-2007 22:14
What I love the most about this image is the glimmer of white in the flag. It reminds me of a spark. That no matter how hard things get, you just got to keep on pushing forward towards your goal. The flag is juxtaposed against the sky which symbolizes the world. While the world may be so big and the flag such a small, insignificant part of the entire world, the fact that you (Phil) took a picture of it and put it on this gallery for everyone to see.. its almost like the flag has proved its point.. never giving up always standing proud.. look what its finally accomplished now.
Phil Douglis21-Jun-2007 18:50
The USA may be tired and bit tattered right now, at least in terms of our international reputation. Let us trust that your interpretation is correct, Jenene -- and that the sliver of light within the tear in the flag symbolizes hope.
JSWaters21-Jun-2007 05:15
Tired and worn, but still proud. The bright white light of hope for the future shines through that tear in the flag.
Jenene
Phil Douglis19-Jun-2007 23:39
Yes, there is a reference in this image to the tattered flag that flew over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. However a lot water, as they say, has passed under the dam since 1812. The flag, and the nation it represents, has had its ups and downs, and is showing its wear. That is why it makes such a good metaphor -- there are so many possible interpretations.
Carol E Sandgren19-Jun-2007 22:19
"....and our flag was still there!" Oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave....the home of the brave."
BRAVO on this shot, Phil!
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