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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Three: Expressing human values > Auto graveyard, Phoenix, Arizona, 2006
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10-MAY-2006

Auto graveyard, Phoenix, Arizona, 2006

There are no people in this image, yet it speaks strongly to me of human values. Waste is a human value, and the ravaged hulks of ruined automobiles piled upon each other can be seen as a powerful symbol of a culture that spends much of its wealth on resources that are eventually towed away and junked. An optimist might see this image as a resource in itself because some of this debris might eventually be recycled. Yet I saw and photographed it as a colossal pile of rusted and smashed steel that represented the dreams and perhaps even the identity of the people who once owned these cars. Those dreams also represent human values. My tight framing suggests that this pile of broken cars spreads far beyond the borders of this image – the wastage goes on and on and on. It never really ends, because many of us will eventually throw away much of what we make, buy and use.

Leica D-Lux 2
1/800s f/5.6 at 25.2mm iso80 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis10-Oct-2006 03:00
That is what I intended, Lauren. As you know, we don't get a lot of rain in Phoenix. The dust accumulates, and it also affects coloration. Dust is to southwest light as smoke is the light of India. Almost a filter.
Phil Douglis16-Sep-2006 21:45
Glad to hear from you, Lucas. As a restorer of cars, you would find a lot of challenges here.
Phil Douglis28-Jul-2006 23:53
Good point, Emi. There are no limits to either our needs or our waste. To be human is to desire, consume and discard. Human values, all of them.
Guest 28-Jul-2006 16:35
Unlimited human wants, unlimited wastage found.

Emi
Phil Douglis05-Jul-2006 06:33
Yes, I like old cars because of their built-in incongruities. All junked cars were once somebody's pride, and even identity. A junked car can represent a forgotten dream. And when we see them piled upon each other such as this in this image, we see more than just cars. We see the wasteful values of a throw-away society.
monique jansen05-Jul-2006 05:51
You really do like your old cars! And you manage to make them tell different stories too.
Phil Douglis22-May-2006 20:15
I hope that my images will go beyond being interesting, Cliff, and express meaning as well. There are a lot of interesting pictures out there, but only some of them go on to say something about a larger issue. That is what I am trying to do here. Thanks for your comment.
Cliff22-May-2006 18:02
Show to go what can make an interesting photo.
Nicely done.
Phil Douglis19-May-2006 05:26
Thanks, Jody, for the suggestion. In a way, every image in this gallery could have "human values" as title. All of these examples, including this one, succeed in my view because they effectively express human values. I agree with you -- by calling this picture "Human Values," the image would certainly tell us why. But since this cyberbook is a teaching site, I need to go a bit further and use my caption here to demonstrate how I've tried to express those values.
Phil Douglis17-May-2006 22:21
Thanks, Chris -- I hope this image will demonstrate how we can express human values without even showing a human being. Glad you like it.
Chris Sofopoulos17-May-2006 20:54
Strong enough image Phil as always.
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