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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twenty Two: Black and white travel photography – making less into more > Morning smoke, Tunis, Tunisia, 2008
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06-NOV-2008

Morning smoke, Tunis, Tunisia, 2008

This man is smoking a hookah, a water pipe called a Chicha in Tunisia. The pipes are used to smoke tobacco in cafes, and are provided free. The smoker pays only for the tobacco. Chicha smoking is usually a group activity, but this man was smoking one by himself. By zooming in on his face and converting the color image to black and white, I try to reveal more character and heighten his reflective mood. (You can see a color image of this same smoker in my portrait gallery, a http://www.pbase.com/pnd1/image/106455730 . The red hat and the colors of the wallpaper behind him express an entirely different mood.)

Leica V-Lux 1
1/6s f/3.6 at 61.6mm iso400 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis05-Jan-2009 18:46
Glad this encouraged you to post two versions of your smoking Burmese woman athttp://www.pbase.com/trevvelbug/image/107822312 andhttp://www.pbase.com/trevvelbug/image/107822395
Each of them are quite beautiful, but for entirely different reasons. The black and white is a bit stronger because its message is stronger as expression because of its degree of abstraction and incongruity, yet the color version also works as a travel image because of its exotic coloration.
monique jansen05-Jan-2009 12:50
I first saw your two photos of this man on Smugmug, where I had a look at all your photos from Tunesia, stunning as usualy. This one is very striking, I will add a cheroot smoking woman to my Burma photos later on as well, maybe also do it in color and black and white
Phil Douglis30-Nov-2008 23:35
Yes -- the pattern on the wall paper seems atmospheric when placed out of focus and reproduced in black and white, just as the smoke itself would have been.
Tim May30-Nov-2008 20:40
The soft focus here reinforces the sense of smoke.
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