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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Seven: Making time count > Pigeon passage, Istanbul, Turkey, 2009
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24-OCT-2009

Pigeon passage, Istanbul, Turkey, 2009

Warm evening light, an exotic mosque, and a row of Turkish flags make a picturesque travel shot. Making it even more expressive is the passage of three pigeons who space themselves out perfectly beneath the flags and between the roost on the roof at left and the pair of minarets. It is moment in time and space frozen at precisely the right instant. Some might call such spacing a matter of luck. But as photographers we can increase our chances by shooting a lot of frames and hoping for the best. I fired off a burst of three or four shots every time pigeons passed through my frame, and out of fifty or sixty tries, this was the shot that worked the best for me.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1
1/2000s f/10.0 at 103.0mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis05-Aug-2011 20:04
Thank you, XiaoBernard99, for commenting on my analysis of this image. It is always a pleasure to be of help.
XiaoBernard9930-Jul-2011 20:49
Good study for me.Thanks for this discovery of your precious knowledge Phil
Phil Douglis18-Nov-2009 03:46
You have made a wonderful metaphor for change out of this image, Celia. I intended to teach a lesson here in stopping time with perfect spacing, while you take it far beyond to illuminate the very nature of Turkey itself -- a study in change. Thanks for seeing it as you do, and for so beautifully expressing it as an object lesson in reading the meaning of a photograph.,
Cecilia Lim17-Nov-2009 18:11
Birds flying, flags flapping, elections appear and disappear, governments come and go, modernization changes the face of the land... There are so many elements of change and movement in your image. Yet in the distance the iconic silhouette of a mosque reminds us that Islam is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people despite the changes it has seen over the centuries. This is a great image that is rich in layers, symbolism and meaning. It goes way beyond a picturesque travel shot. Wonderful Phil!

Phil Douglis04-Nov-2009 17:46
I am glad you see the importance of spacing here, and how the negative space energizes this image. The yellow sky was a perfect backdrop. And I also liked the way the pigeons progress in terms of activity. They begin at far left with a small, hunched over bird. Next to it stands an upright pigeon, ready to take off. The first bird in flight thrusts forward but the tail is still tucked back.The second bird in flight carries a similar forward thrust, with tail fully extended. And the final bird, at far right, seems to float towards us, as if to wrap thing up.
Carol E Sandgren04-Nov-2009 04:31
Perfect bird-spacing!! I appreciate the positive and negative spaces they create in relation to the skyline turrets. The yellow sky really makes this magical!
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