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Dave Wyman | all galleries >> Galleries >> A Photograph On Occasion > Earth Mother and Amazons
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29-JUN-2008

Earth Mother and Amazons

This is a sort of "Phil Douglis" moment.

I made this photograph at the end of the women's race at the Burlingame (California) Criterium. At first I found the figure at the left an unnecessary intrusion and I cropped her out of the photograph. And then I saw the juxtaposition of figures tells a story about the life history of one half of the human species.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5
1/1000s f/4.9 at 47.0mm ISO 200 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time29-Jun-2008 14:24:29
MakePanasonic
ModelDMC-TZ5
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length47 mm
Exposure Time1/1000 sec
Aperturef/4.9
ISO Equivalent200
Exposure Bias
White Balance
Metering Modecenter weighted (2)
JPEG Quality
Exposure Programprogram (2)
Focus Distance

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JSWaters09-Jul-2008 17:40
Oh how Phil's influence threads through our thoughts! I often use what I call my 'Philter' when shooting for expression. I love how the image flows from left to right, with the pregnant woman reminding us of our similarities to one another. The identically dressed 'amazons' do that quite nicely as well, and serve as a great counterpoint to the different stages in a woman's life. Also love the inclusion of the word 'men' far right - and idea sort of pushed to both sides of this image.
Jenene
Phil Douglis08-Jul-2008 20:06
I see I have lent my name to a genre, here, Dave. By keeping the outline of the pregnant lady just within the frame, you complete the blending of all three of my favorite expressive principles. Her presence is incongruous, she is abstracted, and her unborn child becomes part of the continuum here, expressing the human value of continuity. The image just keeps on going -- from edge to edge. Wonderful.
Dave Wyman08-Jul-2008 19:29
Yes, we should all ride bikes, if possible. No, we don't need to race. And the Earth Mother in this photograph is pregnant, so I think she's exempted from pedaling her way through Burlingame.
Carol E Sandgren08-Jul-2008 17:57
Definitly has a message here. We should all get on our bikes! I also likke the hand on the shoulder to the right, coming seemingly from nowhere supporting one of the cyclists. To me that also adds a bit to the story.
Pepe Zyman08-Jul-2008 16:05
She needs a bike!
Bryan Murahashi08-Jul-2008 15:18
Very nicely captured.
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