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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twenty Three: Stirring emotions through atmosphere and mood. > Early Morning, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, 2005
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03-NOV-2005

Early Morning, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, 2005

This is one of the most atmospheric images I’ve made. It is highly abstract. I suggest and imply through the interplay of light and shadow rather than describe. It is incongruous in terms of the contrasting activity level: one of these persons is not going anywhere. The other is up and moving through this rough and worn neighborhood of San Miguel. It is rich in human values as well. The image speaks of an energetic vs. static approach to life. Our emotional response to this photograph is rooted in its atmosphere and mood. The sharply defined highlights contrasting to the deep shadows give the image a rough and primitive tone. There is a sense of foreboding, which makes us realize how vulnerable the resting man may be. Yet the person coming through the darkness seems destined to be there for him if he needs help. This man may sleep on that step, yet others will continue to come and go along the time worn cobblestones of Old San Miguel.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30
1/800s f/9.0 at 36.8mm iso80 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis19-Apr-2006 18:01
Thanks, Jeremy, for this observation. I agree with you on the combination of warm light and grain. It is almost always a nostalgic pairing.
Jeremy19-Apr-2006 13:01
Yes, after studying your pictures, I am convinced that noise and grain can be an ally in photography. It seems to work particularly well for certain kinds of pictures under certain lighting conditions such as the yellow and warm light of sunset or sunrise. The focus and grainy texture works for this high-contrast picture and make it the outstanding image that it is.
Phil Douglis17-Apr-2006 06:41
Noise is texture, Jeremy. There is nothing "wrong" with noise when it helps soften an image and give it mood and atmosphere. I loved working with "grain" in film in the old days, and welcome electronic noise as atmospheric ally in digital photography. It's just another tool for expression. Not good or bad, right or wrong. I use it when it works for me. If it does not work for me, I do what I can to remove it.
Jeremy26-Mar-2006 08:42
Yes, this image has atmosphere and mood, accentuated by the play of light and shadows, and the woman walking contrasting with the man resting. Initially, I thought there was quite a bit of noise in the image even when I looked at it in its original size, but as I studied the picture, I concluded that in actual fact the noise in this case added to the atmosphere and mood of the photo, by complimenting the time-worn theme of the olden buildings, ancient cobblestones, and the prevalent tones of the image. Excellent photo, by a master photographer.
Phil Douglis25-Nov-2005 18:45
You use few words, Carol, in summing up the value of this image as expression. But your words are perfectly chosen. Thank you.
carol j. phipps24-Nov-2005 18:05
Yes, I agree ~ atmospheric and mood woven together to create a story begging contemplation and action.
Phil Douglis15-Nov-2005 18:20
Thank you, Mo. As you know, my roots are photojournalistic. I am a story teller. To tell a story, we need more than just the subject itself. We need context and mood and atmosphere. As I mentioned to Kal, I made more than 50 photos of this dozing fellow, but only one offered the context that this one does-- with the woman approaching the man at rest. Her approach made this picture work. And so, too, does the mood, which is established by the interplay of light and shadow, and then intensified by my exposure, which I controlled by spot-metering on that bright ramp, to make the rest of the image darker. And finally, in post processing, I restored a bit of the detail with the shadow/highlight control, but not enough to distract or alter the mood of the image.
monique jansen15-Nov-2005 15:19
This is what you do best Phil - creating a mood so that the viewer can almost imagine to be in the scene as well. Again it is full of contrasts between the worn man sitting, the woman walking as though she has tomewhere to be, purpose versus purposelesness (is that a word?).
Phil Douglis12-Nov-2005 19:26
Thanks, Kal and Mo. This is one of my own favorites. I was drawn to the timeless nature of the scene, the rich atmosphere, and tension present between the two figures. I shot this man for about fifteen minutes -- more than 50 shots. And then she came along and made my day. A Spaghetti Western, indeed!
monique jansen12-Nov-2005 14:47
Love this one as well, early morning light, dark shapes in the shadows...
Kal Khogali12-Nov-2005 12:56
A spaghetti western. There will be two possible outcomes...the man sleeps, or he raises his hat and there is confrontation...this could be 200 years ago...I love it's timelessness.
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