Shadows in the ruins, Pondosa, Oregon, 2008 by Phil Douglis

Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Fifty Nine: Using dramatic light at the fringes of the day > Shadows in the ruins, Pondosa, Oregon, 2008

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13-SEP-2008

Shadows in the ruins, Pondosa, Oregon, 2008

The early morning light casts eerie shadows of encroaching weeds along a paint smeared wall of an abandoned structure in the tiny ghost town of Pondosa, the remnants of a once busy lumber mill town in central Oregon. The low angle of the sun brings the shadows into play, as if they were the hands of time itself.

Leica V-Lux 1
1/160s f/4.0 at 44.6mm iso100 hide exif

Full EXIF Info
Date/Time	13-Sep-2008 09:26:03
Make	Leica
Model	V-LUX 1
Flash Used	No
Focal Length	44.6 mm
Exposure Time	1/160 sec
Aperture	f/4
ISO Equivalent	100
Exposure Bias	-0.66
White Balance
Metering Mode	multi spot (3)
JPEG Quality
Exposure Program	program (2)
Focus Distance

other sizes: small medium large original auto

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Phil Douglis		02-Oct-2008 21:41
Your welcome comment enhances both the image and my use of it here in the gallery, Celia. Light is at the core of this image. It tells its stories here by hiding and revealing information, providing a sense of dimension, and bringing symbolic coloration to bear on the subject. Your words also speak of the cycle of life, which was very much in my mind as I made this image. I have often said that less can say more -- and that is what I try do here as well.

Cecilia Lim		02-Oct-2008 20:54
The interplay between the intense golden light and dark shadows hold much meaning here for me. The splash of gold hints of the prosperity that this town once experienced, but which is now overcome by deep shadows of darkness symbolizing its death as a lumber mill town. It is also ironic that the mill that was once deployed to tame and shape timber has now lost its clutch on wilderness to small wild plants that are slowly creeping in. The very timber planks that the walls of the mill were made of, now bleed a bloody red and are defaced by erosion and age, while new life grows around it. There is a great feeling of impermanence and we are reminded of the natural cycle of life. It is amazing that you are able to express so much about the essence of this place by focusing on such a small corner of this ghost town and use the light available to tell your story so dramatically.

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