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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twenty Two: Black and white travel photography – making less into more > Bowl, Phoenix, Arizona, 2007
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16-JUL-2007

Bowl, Phoenix, Arizona, 2007

Something a simple as a fireplace ledge holding a small bowl can become a memorable image if textures are called into play. This image becomes a feast for the fingertips. We want to reach out and touch the bowl and the ledge on which it sits. The ledge is next to a floor to ceiling arched window in my living room. It only gets this kind of light for a few minutes each day. When I converted this image from color to black and white, it seems to move back into time. By removing the color we abstract the photograph down to its essence – the timeless interplay of light, shadow, texture, and form.

Leica V-Lux 1
1/80s f/3.2 at 9.3mm iso200 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis08-Sep-2008 17:26
Thanks for seeing what I intended here, Cyndy. It is always a joy for me to share my feelings about things with others, and that is essentially what is happening here.
Guest 08-Sep-2008 17:01
I just plain like it...for all the reasons previously stated :D
Darbowski05-May-2008 13:38
Excellent light and mood ! V
Phil Douglis14-Feb-2008 02:36
Thanks, Popko, commenting on this image. The beauty of the idea and photograph alike is in its simplicity. And yes,
the depth of focus is important here as well, as it juxtaposes sharp to soft textures in both the stucco and the subject.
Popko van Meekeren14-Feb-2008 00:37
Simplicity you got it here and captured it very well. Like the use of DOF a lot as well. Great shot!
Phil Douglis06-Aug-2007 16:14
It amazes me how this very simple image can extend so many varied meanings as detailed in all of these comments. Thanks, Azlin, for adding your own. There is no formula to photographs at all -- light is always changing in intensity and angle, surfaces vary, etc. And as you know, there are no rules for composition, either. Composition is nothing more than organizing an image for coherence and meaning, and that is always changing as well. I am glad you feel that everything works here.
Azlin Ahmad06-Aug-2007 11:07
I feel as if I can reach out and touch the ledge. Whatever the formula behind this photo which makes it work, I like it for what it is. Such simplicity brings so much life to this image.
Phil Douglis05-Aug-2007 04:45
Well said, Aloha -- light indeed defines form, and reveals texture. Black and white imaging takes the color out
of the light and allows the eye to feast on form and texture without competition.
Aloha Diao Lavina04-Aug-2007 23:57
Yes, the light in this image is what entices the eye, how it shapes the material and concrete. It tells the story of how light is so unlike water--it does not conform to the shape of what contains it but rather defines shape despite its weightless nature. A beautiful dance of shape, texture, and light this is made more so by the choice of black and white.
Phil Douglis01-Aug-2007 17:20
Thank you, Ai Li, for so eloquently defining one of the most important functions of black and white photography. It does indeed "allow you to imagine and paint your own colors and fill the bowl with whatever content you wish." And that was my intention here. As you can see from this range of commentary, everyone seems to enjoy it for different reasons, and that, too, was my intention. Yes, I know how much you enjoy the aesthetics of photography. You cherish beauty, and that alone is worth making a picture for. Aesthetics for me are starting point -- I want to add meaning and for me that meaning here has to do with going back into time. Black and white often helps us do just that -- it can make the subject seem as timeless as this graceful bowl and its vintage setting.
AL01-Aug-2007 08:23
Phil, you know that I'm often a form over substance photographer :-) I adore b&w for its simplicity and abstraction. Here some like the light, some like the texture, some like the shape. What I like is that it allows me to imagine and paint my own colors and fill the bowl with whatever content I wish. Thanks for bringing me back to this gallery and this image to remind myself of the important expressive factor.
Phil Douglis25-Jul-2007 21:38
Thank you, Rod, for the gift of your words. They are a beautiful complement to this image, and I shall treasure them.
Phil
Guest 25-Jul-2007 18:15
How should one present a gift?
At the precarious edge
Of one's lips
Saying little, yet everthing,
Without the texture of an uttered breath.
From the corner of a sentimental thought
With a gravitating presence,
Yet with an offer to be nearer
To the lighter touch of another.
Among the softened lines
By our watery eyes,
Holding a remembrance
Which is only a transient note.

Speak with intention of heart
And not description from the obvious eye.
Phil Douglis24-Jul-2007 17:39
Thanks, Edith -- it is the play of light and shadow on the fireplace that helps me create this simple composition. The black and white abstraction completes the process of both refining and defining the image.
Guest 24-Jul-2007 17:00
Excellent, love the simplicity of that picture. The light is perfect. V
Phil Douglis24-Jul-2007 06:19
Thanks, Linda. For such a simple image, made even more simple by the black and white conversion, there seems to be a lot going on. Which is really a tribute to the power of abstraction.
Linda Willets24-Jul-2007 03:44
as someone has already stated.. you feel the vibration of the bowl..the light here is so important. The tones give it such depth.
Phil Douglis23-Jul-2007 23:36
Thanks, Shirley -- yes, it is a still-life, and yes, the perspective gives it its form, balance, and dimensional thrust. But it is the quality of light, the nature of the texture, and the power of black and white abstraction that takes it beyond a sketch, by infusing it with energy and life.
Shirley Wang23-Jul-2007 22:38
I like this! It looks much like a classic sketch of still life with perfect perspective.
Phil Douglis23-Jul-2007 00:08
Thanks, Iris, for your comment. You are right about not having to venture too far from home to find a special image. I found this one in my own living room-- but it was there for only a few minutes, since light is fleeting.
Iris Maybloom (irislm)22-Jul-2007 23:57
Light, texture, shadow, composition and simple elegance.....it all works beautifully in this image. We really don't have to venture too far from home to find that special image. This one is a work of art.
Phil Douglis22-Jul-2007 18:47
Thanks, Chris and Suwanee, for your thoughts on this image. I am glad you noticed the "broken" geometry here, Chris -- the flow of the fireplace edge from top to bottom is interrupted by the flow of the fireplace ledge from side to side. Yet while it is broken, it is also remains whole because the contrast between dark and light areas remains constant throughout the image. The ultimate result, as Suwanee notes, is aesthetic beauty, which does indeed bring about a sense of peace and serenity. Yet there is energy here, too, as Adal points out below.
Guest 22-Jul-2007 13:01
The image feels so serene and peaceful. Beautiful.
Guest 22-Jul-2007 08:25
Simple broken geometry and contrasting shapes creates interest. Excellent. V.
Chris :)
Phil Douglis20-Jul-2007 19:39
And that was my goal here, Mo. To convey feeling with great simplicity is not a easy task. There is always the temptation to say more than we need to say, and that often becomes our undoing. In this case, I limited the image to monochromatic tones, a very simple composition, and easily felt texture.
monique jansen20-Jul-2007 09:53
Deceptively simple in composition and color. Less is more.
Phil Douglis20-Jul-2007 00:42
Thanks Maximzar -- it is amazing how such a peaceful image can generate so much emotional power, but that is the light at work here.
Maxim Popykin19-Jul-2007 08:20
powerful picture
Phil Douglis19-Jul-2007 00:45
Thank you Alina and Vera, for sharing your pleasure here. I love the beauty of the light even more in black and white than I did in color. You are right, Alina, it is an uncomplicated composition. Less is more here. And the black and white abstraction helps it become less.
veraferia18-Jul-2007 19:09
Wow! This is so beautiful and elegant!
Alina18-Jul-2007 16:00
I like the photo because it has uncomplicated composition. On the other hand the eye can enjoy many details on the bowl and wall. Light is perfect.
Phil Douglis18-Jul-2007 15:39
Thanks, Xin -- knowing your sensibilities, I can see why this image appeals to you aesthetically. You even see blue in it, which shows the power of suggestion. This is a black and white image -- yet it still, as you say, conveys a sense of warmth because of the glowing light on the textured stucco.
Sheena Xin Liu18-Jul-2007 03:48
Phil, I like this picture a lot. Unlike the style of many other pictures in this gallery, this is a beautiful piece of still life abstract. I like its flow of rhythm, the harmony between shadings of gray(a little blue?), and its communicative presentation between geometries and lights. Although it is decolored, it creates such a cozy impression that makes the readers feel the color of warmth.
Phil Douglis18-Jul-2007 01:58
What makes the balance of the bowl seem so delicate, Kal, is its sense of imbalance. Since it has a round bottom, it always tilts and it wobbles at the touch. I like the tension that runs between the back edge of the bowl and the fireplace wall. Thanks, too, for noting its three dimensional quality as well --it is caused by the touch of light on the curve of the bowl.
Phil Douglis18-Jul-2007 01:53
Thanks, Jenene, for this observation. You are right. The colors added a layer of reality that drained the dreams right out of this image. And thanks, too, for noting the role of the carving on the bowl itself. The pattern of lines does echo the horizontal thrust of the fireplace ledge.
Phil Douglis18-Jul-2007 01:51
What you are seeing is the southwestern style of the fireplace, Christine. The textures invite touch, and feeling.Thank you.
Kal Khogali17-Jul-2007 21:19
I think the delicate balance of the bowl on the edge also creates tension, that is increased by the three dimensionality created by the light. Lovely image. K
JSWaters17-Jul-2007 18:34
I find myself thinking that color would have interfered with the beautiful rhythm of the light, shapes and textures in this image. Having pared this down to it's essence I'm really enjoying the light play on the bowl and how it's carved lines echo the horizontals of the ledge.
Jenene
Christine P. Newman17-Jul-2007 16:05
It has a Southern quality - almost Mexican. We feel the place.
Phil Douglis17-Jul-2007 15:33
I appreciate your comments, Adalberto and Tomasz. It's the repetition of the textured panels of light and dark tones that build the energy here, causing the photo to appear as if it's vibrating. Thanks for noticing.
Adalberto Tiburzi17-Jul-2007 13:32
Tones + composition + textures make this photo almost vibrate.
Adal
Tomasz Dziubinski - Photography17-Jul-2007 12:19
Excellent indeed, Vote.
Phil Douglis17-Jul-2007 05:45
Thanks, Carol, for expressing the essence of this image so beautifully. I regard a particularly expressive photograph as one that could easily fit into a number of my instructional galleries. I could very well have placed this picture in my composition gallery, my light and shadow gallery, or my texture gallery. I decided to put it in this black and white gallery because it is a perfect example of how black and white can hone an already simple image down to its bones.
Carol E Sandgren17-Jul-2007 05:13
Beautiful harmony and curvaceous direction that my eye follows through this photograph, Phil. The texture is a great contrast as well, with the smooth, round bowl against the rough texture of the fireplace ledge. A composition dream!
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