Pause, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, 2011 by Phil Douglis

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02-AUG-2011

Pause, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, 2011

This delivery truck had stopped in heavy traffic on Brooklyn’s Fourth Avenue. I photographed the driver’s body language as he waited out the delay, abstracting him through backlighting, and filling the background with the urban landscape itself. His gesture speaks of patience and thought.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5
1/400s f/3.3 at 19.2mm iso80 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto

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Phil Douglis		25-Aug-2011 22:24
Your comment is wonderful, Jane. You sense much more here than you can see with your eyes. Instead, you are seeing with your imagination, and that was my intention.

janescottcumming		24-Aug-2011 20:51
Such a fantastic image. The color of the bricks gives it a feeling of warmth and the position of the driver conveys so much without us really even seeing his features. What a wonderful lesson to remember to keep your eyes open even when you are stuck in traffic.

Phil Douglis		11-Aug-2011 17:15
Thanks Carol and Vera for commenting on this image. And yes, he is stopped in traffic, giving me plenty of time to capture a range of gestures and body language. As you both know, silhouettes are a form of abstraction, and by suggesting the nature of this person without revealing his identity, I try to activate the imaginations of my viewers and let them fill in the blanks.

Guest		11-Aug-2011 10:41
I am always amazed at the silhouette images you make. The convey the message without the identity of the individual.

Carol E Sandgren		11-Aug-2011 06:03
I do that too....tend to crop close and then regret it. Here I think the wider frame is appropriate though.... the doors are open, giving us a glimpse of what it must be like to actually drive one of those things. He is probably stopped at a light or some other traffic disturbance. I like the silhouette of the man's head and hand and that seems to emphasize the gesture he does. The wider frame I think gives this image more depth.

Phil Douglis		10-Aug-2011 23:55
Cropping much closer to my subjects has been a sore point with me. I have always ruthlessly edited my images while still in the frame. However, when I look at some of my pictures later, I sometimes wish I had included a bit more context and cropped a bit more loosely. One can always crop an image later in the computer. So I am making an effort to include a bit more in my frame, and in this instance, I think it helps. You are right -- each photographer will edit information according to their own wishes and intentions. The key is to establish WHY we are cropping a particular image, either in the frame, or afterwards.

Tim May		10-Aug-2011 23:14
Interesting image - It, for me, partially speaks to the artistry and vision of the photographer. I would have been tempted to crop much closer in. Our art has many decisions.

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