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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twenty Four: The Workplace -- essence of a culture > Making bricks, Tozeur, Tunisia, 2008
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12-NOV-2008

Making bricks, Tozeur, Tunisia, 2008

The flow of wet clay, kneaded by swiftly powerful hands, makes a powerful image of a man at work. I used my camera’s shutter priority program to set a fast shutter speed of 1/500th of a second to catch the action. The worker’s right hand is moving so fast that even at that shutter speed, there remains a hint of blur in it, an effect that charges the image with energy. The heavily textured clay-covered skin lends further incongruity.

Leica V-Lux 1
1/500s f/3.6 at 59.7mm iso100 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time12-Nov-2008 09:12:16
MakeLeica
ModelV-LUX 1
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length59.7 mm
Exposure Time1/500 sec
Aperturef/3.6
ISO Equivalent100
Exposure Bias-0.33
White Balance
Metering Modemulti spot (3)
JPEG Quality
Exposure Programshutter priority (4)
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis05-Jan-2013 18:55
Thanks, Kenzie. The image is mine. If you wish to you use this photograph in your project, please contact me at pnd1@cox.net. Thank you.
Phil Douglis05-Jan-2009 19:36
Thanks, Mo, for the pun -- it actually was more than just hands -- the fellow had clay up to the elbows.
monique jansen05-Jan-2009 14:01
Very hands on!
Phil Douglis08-Dec-2008 22:20
Thanks, Paul -- hands are eloquent communicators. In shooting just the hands, we abstract the person, and let his or her hand movements express meaning. Along with the eyes, the hands can be windows into the soul of your subjects.
Paul L-R08-Dec-2008 18:13
I never imagined that a pair of hands could tell such a powerful story. Superb. V
Phil Douglis01-Dec-2008 00:53
I see images everywhere, even in places where I do not particularly want to be at the moment. I dislike being taken to commercial endeavors by tour companies under the guise of "educational and cultural experiences." However in this case, we did not stay long, we were not pressured to buy his brick tiles, jugs or plates, and the visit produced this single image that turned out to be a worthy teaching example. Because it was the final image of the 113 I just posted from my Tunisia trip, it appears on the sites of everyone who has my own site bookmarked as a "favorite artist." As a result, it is getting more hits than any other image from Tunisia so far. I am delighted that it is proving its worth.
Tim May30-Nov-2008 23:53
You are a master at finding images even in the "sales" trips of tours.
Phil Douglis30-Nov-2008 19:16
Thanks, Nancy, for sharing your thoughts with me on this image. I agree -- this photograph is all about the act of creation, and as you note, it could be metaphor for creation in a spiritual sense, as well.
Nancy Good30-Nov-2008 15:46
Spectacular capture of the soul of man creating, as our Creator designed. Regardless of how you "saw" this, he will continue to create and we are so happy your eyes were able to see that in a way to share it with the rest of us. Nicely done!
Phil Douglis29-Nov-2008 22:54
Thanks, Mary -- in his business, half the fun must be getting as dirty as possible, and making a living at it.
Mary Bowles29-Nov-2008 20:25
Great to know that even the expert gets that gorgeous, elemental clay not only under the fingernails, but all the way up to the elbows (at least).
Great shot. Super exposure, angle and speed.
Phil Douglis29-Nov-2008 05:06
Good to hear from you again, and thanks for the comment, Karen. In this kind of photography, shutter speed becomes the most significant option. It determines what we freeze and what we blur. And with digital, we can experiment until we find the prefect blend.
Phil Douglis29-Nov-2008 05:03
To find the perfect moment, you have to make a lot of images. That's the great thing about digital imaging, Alina.
Guest 29-Nov-2008 03:10
Fabulous image, and captured perfectly. Great job on the shutter speed!
Alina29-Nov-2008 01:43
I like it too, you captured perfect moment.
Phil Douglis28-Nov-2008 21:59
Thanks, Carol -- I spent about fifteen minutes with this man, watching him create brick tiles out of muddy clay with both skill and speed. No machines here -- he works as his people have worked here for centuries.
Carol E Sandgren28-Nov-2008 21:41
I love this image! Anyone who can create something useful such as a vessel or a pot from a mound of wet muddy clay earns a lot of respect in my book. You captured the beginning of his process. The wet, shiny clay that surrounds his work draws in my eye to his working hands.
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