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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Fifty: Using silhouettes as abstract symbols and metaphors > Morning thoughts, Farmington, New Mexico, 2007
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11-NOV-2007

Morning thoughts, Farmington, New Mexico, 2007

I found this man having breakfast at a pancake house in the town of Farmington, New Mexico. It was a cold sunny morning, and its big windows were rich in golden condensation. For this customer, it seemed a place for dreams as much as a place for pancakes. Metering on the window, I was able to remove all detail from his face, creating a silhouette. By abstracting him in this way, we are less likely to think of what he may look like, and more likely to think about what might be going though his mind. His hand to chin gesture and the angle of his head suggest that he may be daydreaming at this moment. The faint vision of a building in the steamy window adds context for such dreams. And the golden color implies that his thoughts are perhaps more positive than negative.

Leica V-Lux 1
1/500s f/6.3 at 20.8mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis28-Nov-2007 19:46
Thanks, Charu -- that's what drew me to this subject. I immediately saw the dreamy quality of the hazy building across the street, and waited for a gesture such as this one to complement it. Both inner and outer worlds are represented here.
Guest 28-Nov-2007 16:34
this is one of my faves in this superb set, Phil - not just the light but also what you would call "vantage point" makes all the difference - like there is a hazy world outside while he is caught in his own world inside...
Phil Douglis22-Nov-2007 20:06
I like the tiny glasses too -- it is the only detail we see of him. It is as if he is "seeing" in spite of the darkness that pervades the image.
Tim May22-Nov-2007 19:12
I particularly like the glasses here. Again, it focuses the "light" on his eye. It is as if he emits the light of his thoughts.
Phil Douglis20-Nov-2007 21:16
Thanks, Patricia. I like your thought about stability and grounding offered by the horizontal and vertical supports behind him. By isolating him, I have converted his thoughtful gesture into a dream. In the actual scene, there is a man sitting on the other side of the booth talking, and this man is listening to him. I thought that by taking out the other man, I could further abstract the image and let the viewer make of this response whatever they might wish.
Patricia Lay-Dorsey20-Nov-2007 04:51
A most effective portrait, Phil, one that takes us beyond the specific into the realm of the universal. His gesture is just what one would imagine a dreamer would take. The horizontal and vertical behind him gives his dreams the stability and grounding they require to come true. A most hopefilled image.
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