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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Fifty Two: implying motion by using expressive blur > Hoa Phong Lan handicapped children’s school, Dalat, Vietnam, 2007
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27-DEC-2007

Hoa Phong Lan handicapped children’s school, Dalat, Vietnam, 2007

We spent more than an hour photographing in the classrooms of this school for children with special needs. Some of them, such as this child, became so excited at the presence of my camera that she began to clap and sing with great exuberance. How best to capture this exuberance? The classrooms were dark with few windows, leaving me with but three options. I could increase the ISO and risk muddy images. I could use a flash, as other photographers with me were doing, and clearly stop the action, but in doing so, I would risk making a harshly illuminated, snapshot-like image. Or I could stay at ISO 100, and shoot the scene at a very slow shutter speed – in this case 1/5th of a second. I opted for the latter, and it worked perfectly for my purpose. Her hands are seen in both an open and closed position, simulating a clapping action. Her mouth moves as well – you can almost hear her voice. Most of all, we sense her spirit, enthusiasm, and above all, her joy. I shot her again and again, and each time I would make a picture, her happiness intensified.

Leica V-Lux 1
1/5s f/3.2 at 18.2mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis20-Jul-2008 18:42
Thanks, Rusty, for seeing beyond the technical execution of this picture, and focusing instead on its "vibes." The camera is an idea medium for transferring energy for one place to another -- it was filling this room, and my image expresses to the viewer. It's all in the blur --movement and emotion that is in process yet still frozen in time. Emotion is a form of energy, and this image overflows with it.
russellt20-Jul-2008 03:54
I find this to be a wonderful photo as part of a wonderful series. there are a lot of technical virtuoso things going on in the series: blur and framing here, low quantity but wonderful quality of light, light and shadow, exposure mastery... but I think the main thing is some sort of x factor: "energy in the room" or "soul" or "emotion" slapping you in the face, which somehow went from there in room into the photos and then somehow gets expressed across the internet.
Phil Douglis29-Jan-2008 23:44
And that soul come from the spontaneous joy of a child. I wanted you to feel the energy in that room -- I know you can't hear her sing, laugh, and chatter, but I am sure you can imagine it.
JSWaters29-Jan-2008 21:23
This is an image that seems to have a soul. It just grabs you with it's warmth and humanity.
Jenene
Phil Douglis20-Jan-2008 02:13
You are so right, Vera -- I found myself completely forgetting that this child was handicapped. She showed so much spontaneous love and pleasure. And the more she responded, the more I stayed with her, making images. Until finally I was able to get it just right.
Guest 20-Jan-2008 01:16
without reading your words this photo expresses unbridled joy from a child, so sweet and innocent. The motion of the hands does it for me. When the first thing that slaps you in the face is the emotion of the picture, it comes to life. We don't see a "special needs child." We see a loving child.
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