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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twelve: Using color to express ideas > Cloud over Willemstad, Curacao, 2003
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15-DEC-2003

Cloud over Willemstad, Curacao, 2003

The facades of the restored 17th and 18th century Dutch colonial buildings in this West Indies harbor town have been deliberately painted in contrasting vivid colors to catch the eye and provide character. I did not wish to photograph them only for their appearance. If I had wanted such a picture, I could have brought any number of post cards showing such scenes. I had noticed the powerful cloud shapes that often occur over oceans during the day, and hoped that one might be in the sky over Willemstad at dusk. I envisioned a picture where the cloud, too, would carry color, as well as the buildings. At day’s end, I got my cloud, and a very powerfully shaped cloud at that. The warmth of the late afternoon sun is reflected on both the cloud and on the facades, and the rich blue sky sets them off perfectly. The scale incongruity between the big cloud and the small buildings makes their coloration even more effective.

Canon PowerShot G5
1/1250s f/4.0 at 12.7mm full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis17-Sep-2006 18:34
Yes, Jude, this image is about color, and through that color we get an "out of this world" feeling. The city seems unreal, even surreal. As you say, it is a city of miniatures, made so by the huge cloud overhead. They key was timing -- I was in that spot at the perfect moment of warm evening light, and at just the instant when that incongruously large cloud billowed up behind the buildings. I was on my way back to our cruise ship which was docked a short distance away. Fortunately, we had a late evening embarkation from Willemstad. If we had departed earlier, I would have missed this light and lost this image.
Jude Marion17-Sep-2006 18:01
This image of Willemstad almost doesn't look real - but I know it is! The buildings look like a set from one of those miniature villages, the cloud is so large and dominant. Very nice incongruity of scale.

The colours here are gorgeous ... that goldeny late day light, the brilliant colours of the buildings, and the intensity of the blue sky. This is an image about the colours as opposed to the architecture.
Phil Douglis13-Jul-2006 05:07
Thanks, Sun Han, for appreciating the contrast in color here. But it is not color alone that makes this image work. It is also the shape and scale of the cloud as well.
Guest 12-Jul-2006 13:32
gray clouds against clear blue sky at golden dusk are always killing combination
Phil Douglis28-Apr-2006 19:37
Painterly. Another good word to characterize an image that uses idealization as a concept. This is one of those moments of convergence, Niall. The work of nature (the cloud, the color of the light) and the work of man (the architecture and colors of the buildings) come together for me to produce something that goes beyond reality. The convergence presents an ideal scene -- vivid colors, incongruously placed and scaled cloud, unique setting.
type28-Apr-2006 15:55
Well seen. This has a beautiful painterly look.
Yiannis Pavlis30-Sep-2005 03:46
beautifull composition and a nice color photo.excellent light.
Phil Douglis28-May-2005 18:40
Yes, these colors as a facade, like a painted face on an ancient person. Caribbean tourism is a competitive business, and this is how Curacao wants to present its history to us. I agree with you, Ruthie, these colored buildings, in themselves, are the equivalent of a theatrical fiction, carefully conceived and well executed. The cloud, however, is a moment of natural theatre, and its scale shows us where the ultimate authority in the Caribbean really rests.
ruthemily28-May-2005 14:22
yes, the colour masks any sort of harshness, destruction, any negativity. keep smiling, keep looking pretty, and we can pretend it's all ok!
Phil Douglis03-May-2005 06:41
If this be a tornado, Ruth, it is a benevolent one. I think hurricanes are more likely in the Caribbean, however. I see what you are driving at here. The colorful houses are brave facades, dwarfed by nature's potentially destructive power. And so color carries the story here, doesn't it?
ruthemily02-May-2005 22:03
this is striking. i see the cloud as a tornado ravaging everything in its path, but the pain and destruction is covered up, disguised, hidden by those pretty facades of the brightly coloured houses. keeping up appearances.
Phil Douglis14-Dec-2004 06:19
Thanks, Jim. I spent the golden hour walking around town just looking for clouds, and then moving to a spot where I could contrast the cloud to a colorful setting. It all came together here. No cloud, no picture.
Jim Chiesa14-Dec-2004 06:16
Beautiful, Phil. The cloud has such an impact on this image, and the sunset tones really contribute in reinforcing the colours overall. Excellent composition, if I may allow myself to say so.
Jim.
Phil Douglis25-Mar-2004 04:36
Thank you, Beverly -- I can't take credit for the colorful paint job or the works of nature here. I just took advantage of both to put together this image. And you are right -- as I mentioned, this shot is all about scale incongruity. The big cloud juxtaposed against those small buildings. To get the proportion right, it required the perspective offered by my 24mm converter lens, as well as a vantage point from the other side of Willemstad Harbor.
Guest 25-Mar-2004 03:37
Oh my, Phil....this is literally jaw dropping, a wow of a composition. I love the proportions of the row of colorful buildings to the amount of sky. And that cloud....just perfect placement in the frame.
Phil Douglis14-Mar-2004 20:55
I've never been to Honfleur, Ray, but if its colors are as vibrant as those I found at Willemstad, it must be a photographer's paradise. Thanks for adding Honfluer to my long wish list.

Phil
Guest 14-Mar-2004 19:36
Those colorful waterfront houses reminded me of Honfleur, France. Wonderful.
Phil Douglis01-Feb-2004 02:13
What a beautiful metaphor! I never thought of the cloud as smoke before, now I do. It is wonderful to match my own perceptions to those of other photographers. Thanks for being the first to comment on this image.
Shu01-Feb-2004 00:46
All the houses are lined up like so many box cars with the engine out of sight, and the smoke enhances the blue sky! I love what you've done with this one. Shu
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