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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Three: Expressing human values > The reader, Portland, Oregon, 2009
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21-JUN-2009

The reader, Portland, Oregon, 2009

It is disheartening to walk on the fringes of Portland’s downtown – so many along its streets seem lost -- alive, yet without a purpose in life. However this man reads. He seems to read with intensity and deep thought. The well-thumbed book has passed through many hands. I don’t what he may be reading, but I made the image because it expresses two important human values: using the imagination and thinking about ideas. It is heartening to acknowledge that the imagination can flourish even here in a place where so many live in desperation and anguish.

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Phil Douglis20-May-2018 21:45
I am glad that you have added the human values of "intelligence, humanity, and learning" to the two that I mentioned in my caption, Merri -- imagination and thought. And I would never photograph people as "objects of curiosity" but rather as people that reflect and symbolize the values that all human beings share in common. I have always tried to make images that treat others as I would like to be treated. Respect is a human value that has always motivated my approach to photography, and I appreciate your recognition of it here.
Merri 19-May-2018 22:28
Again, another very compassionate photograph. You show here intelligence, humanity, and learning instead of simply creating "objects of curiosity" out of homeless people. These men are relatable to even those people who lack context because their lives have been fortunate.
Phil Douglis05-Jul-2009 20:29
They both wear blue and they both cover their heads with caps and hold their hands forward, yet one is reader and the other isn't.
monique jansen05-Jul-2009 18:19
What strikes me here is not only the book, but the color blue reflected in the second man, the fact they both wear caps, and the positioning of their hands
Phil Douglis04-Jul-2009 23:58
I am with you on this, Tim. That is why made this image -- it is metaphor for hope in the darkest of places.
Tim May04-Jul-2009 19:40
I found the "reader" a sign of hope - much more so than the plethora of "save your soul" missions.
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