A quiet moment, Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, Arizona, 2009 photo

Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Forty-Four: Photographing human response – gesture, body language, and expressions > A quiet moment, Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, Arizona, 2009

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07-FEB-2009

A quiet moment, Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, Arizona, 2009

I was photographing people passing through a vast lobby of a busy convention center. Just in front of the rest rooms and water fountains, I noticed a rectangle of light stretching across the floor. A woman stepped into this area and caught the light, allowing me to expose for these highlights and throw the rest of the long frame into shadow. Her energetic family has temporarily gone elsewhere, leaving her with a moment to touch her hair and relax her knees. Her graceful gesture represents a moment of peaceful respite, found within the calm of the soft shadows that surround her in this long, quiet frame.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1
1/800s f/9.0 at 14.0mm iso200 hide exif

Full EXIF Info
Date/Time	07-Feb-2009 12:09:50
Make	Panasonic
Model	DMC-G1
Flash Used	No
Focal Length	14 mm
Exposure Time	1/800 sec
Aperture	f/9
ISO Equivalent	200
Exposure Bias	-1.66
White Balance
Metering Mode	multi spot (3)
JPEG Quality
Exposure Program	program (2)
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis		10-Feb-2009 03:20
You are right about the black and white abstraction here, Vera -- the color version had a greenish blue cast to it, because of the building's tinted windows. That sickly color did nothing for the image. The black and white version removes everything but the gesture from the equation.

Guest		10-Feb-2009 01:30
My favorite of those newly posted. This is a good example of how black and white simplifies and causes us to focus on the gesture of the woman.

Phil Douglis		09-Feb-2009 20:59
Thanks, Cyndy, for focusing on the role of the environment here. In a way, this can be considered an environmental portrait, even though the subject is not posing for the camera. As you note, the darkness that fills the majority of the frame sets a contemplative mood and tells us that she is alone, at least for this moment in time.

Guest		09-Feb-2009 19:29
I love how you caught that shaft of light illuminating her face and arm, and the "path" that leads us to her. Placing the girl in the extreme corner of the frame and letting her environment own the majority of the photo tells us she is alone...at least for the moment.

Phil Douglis		09-Feb-2009 18:35
Thanks, Carol, for noting the importance of subject placement here. She has indeed been left alone for a few moments to have a well-deserved moment to herself, and all of the shadows, and the long, narrow frame, speak to that end. And thank you, Jenene, for seeing this image as a good example of expressive photography itself -- I try to do more than describe a scene here. Rather, I try to say something about it, interpreting what I see before me by finding a moment in light, time, and space that expresses ideas as well as facts. And that is why I post all of these images here on pbase -- to demonstrate the value of expression in photography, as opposed to description.

JSWaters		09-Feb-2009 08:01
This is such a beautifully private moment - it's relief as Carol suggests, and more. With your commetary, I can imagine her taking a breath and regrouping from her 'energetic family', but I also see her just relishing a moment of quiet and peace. Many ways to read this image - a perfect example of expressive photography. Jenene

Carol E Sandgren		09-Feb-2009 02:41
I see her gesture as one of relief, perhaps a brief respite due her from hours of her active family who has gone elsewhere for a moment or two. The placement of the woman in your frame, far right suggests to me that she has been left alone by her family to enjoy a well deserved rest!

Phil Douglis		08-Feb-2009 22:17
And that is the beauty of photography. I was there, and I saw the instant before this gesture and the instant after, and she was simply relaxing for a moment. But you only see this gesture, and so your imagination can take it wherever you wish. Thanks for the comment.

Tim May		08-Feb-2009 22:11
She seems to be almost fainting - and her jacket seems to be falling off - I see this more as a scary moment than a quiet one.

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