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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Gallery Sixteen: Story-telling street photography > First day of school, Cuenca, Ecuador, 2011
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First day of school, Cuenca, Ecuador, 2011
05-SEP-2011

First day of school, Cuenca, Ecuador, 2011

These girls, on their way to a private high school, not only dress alike and have similar hairstyles, but when they walk the streets of the city, they walk together in tight clusters. I like the way the red jackets, plaid skirts, and white stockings seem to blend together as we work our way up and down the image. One of them sips a drink and looks at my camera, while the others giggle but do not dare make eye contact. They are simply kids being kids, full of energy and anticipation on their first day of school.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2
1/320s f/6.3 at 45.0mm iso160 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time05-Sep-2011 08:13:26
MakePanasonic
ModelDMC-GH2
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length45 mm
Exposure Time1/320 sec
Aperturef/6.3
ISO Equivalent160
Exposure Bias-1/3
White Balance
Metering Modemulti spot (3)
JPEG Quality
Exposure Programprogram (2)
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis PM reply 10-Dec-2011 00:16
Very perceptive, Iris. I did not notice that slight incongruity here until you mentioned it. Thanks.
Iris Maybloom (irislm) PM reply 09-Dec-2011 01:58
One girl does not appear to be in uniform.....and she seems to be having the most fun!
Phil Douglis PM reply 05-Nov-2011 20:03
You are right -- it is the formality of a uniform that lends a sense of conformity and conservatism to this image. I think the same would be true of any group of children here in the US who must wear a uniform to school. There are still private and parochial schools here that require them. These children in Cuenca are also in a private school.
Carol E Sandgren PM reply 05-Nov-2011 19:18
Kids being kids in Ecuador as opposed to kids being kids in say, Oakland! Here, children seem a lot more proper, conservative and better behaved and cautious than here in the states. The bright and colorful cluster of the girls is charming to me, surrounded by the less than bright surrounding environment.
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