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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Forty-Four: Photographing human response – gesture, body language, and expressions > Decision, Ipswich, Massachusetts, 2009
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25-JUL-2009

Decision, Ipswich, Massachusetts, 2009

Folded arms and pursed lips can indicate deep thoughts leading to profound decisions. In this case, it seems to be a matter of choice. The young lady in question is studying a rack of clothing at a village craft fair. To buy or not to buy? This decisive photographic moment invites the viewer to stop and ponder the question along with her.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1
1/400s f/4.5 at 84.0mm iso100 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time25-Jul-2009 09:16:15
MakePanasonic
ModelDMC-G1
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length84 mm
Exposure Time1/400 sec
Aperturef/4.5
ISO Equivalent100
Exposure Bias-0.66
White Balance
Metering Modemulti spot (3)
JPEG Quality
Exposure Programprogram (2)
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis29-Apr-2016 23:30
Thanks, Marisa. Kids rarely hide their feelings. They wear them on the faces and show them with their bodies. She does both. I seem to have caught her between a yes and a no.
Marisa Taddia29-Apr-2016 22:11
I can almost hear her inner dialogue! The grin on her lips and frown join those crossed arms. A moment full of doubts and contradictions ...
Phil Douglis06-Aug-2009 17:00
Those pursed lips are at the heart of the expression here. Glad you noticed her sea motif -- she wears shells and starfish and a whale pendant. Yet maybe she likes flowers when she comes ashore?
Tim May06-Aug-2009 16:30
Don't forget the lips they are so expressive. Also, I am quite sure that she will pass on these - much too flowery for one who so clearly is in a sea motif.
Phil Douglis04-Aug-2009 22:34
The folded arms could also represent frustration. Perhaps she wants to buy, but her parents have other ideas?
It's the kind of image with many interpretations. I loved the muscles moving over the brows, too -- and her facial expression could represent an "if only...." feeling.
sunlightpix04-Aug-2009 16:03
LOL, she's already a highly discerning shopper. What an expression! I see heavy concentration under those brows. I'm guessing from her folded arms that she decided to pass on the clothes.
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