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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Forty-Seven: How using words in pictures can expand meaning > Evening at the pier, Naples, Florida, 2013
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08-FEB-2013

Evening at the pier, Naples, Florida, 2013

This couple is looking directly at my camera through their sunglasses. They remain impassive, neither frowning nor smiling. They are seated on a pier full of tourists and fishermen out for an evening of pleasure and sport. Yet this couple does not seem to overtly enjoy the moment, even if the setting sun bathes them in warm light and the poster just behind them urges them to do so. I only include a corner of the poster – the corner containing the incongruous word that makes this image work.

Panasonic LUMIX G5
1/160s f/4.7 at 75.0mm iso200 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time08-Feb-2013 16:04:16
MakePanasonic
ModelDMC-G5
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length75 mm
Exposure Time1/159 sec
Aperturef/4.7
ISO Equivalent200
Exposure Bias-0.66
White Balance
Metering Mode
JPEG Quality
Exposure Program
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis21-Mar-2013 18:24
Thanks, Iris. As I said, I noticed the sign first, and then saw its relationship to the people. So the sign, as my initial subject, became my ultimate context, and the expressions of the people sitting below it became the primary subject here.
Iris Maybloom (irislm)21-Mar-2013 00:24
Your consciousness of context certainly does make this image work. An excellent lesson to be learned when composing a picture.
Phil Douglis13-Mar-2013 21:50
Thanks, Rose. This image also underscores an important lesson for photographers -- always be aware of context as well as subject matter. It would be easy to focus your attention on only these people, and ignore the background. Yet when I made this picture, I noticed the sign first and how it seemed to rise from the man's hat, almost as a balloon caption.
sunlightpix13-Mar-2013 02:18
Enjoy, LOL. Your composition is perfect! v
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