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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Ninety: 101 ways to interpret Bolivia > Silent village, Yotala, Bolivia, 2014
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09-MAY-2014

Silent village, Yotala, Bolivia, 2014

I found myself virtually alone in the streets of this small town. Paved in ancient cobblestones, Yotala was truly a study in silence. And that is how I interpret it here – a scene featuring only a single soul crossing an intersection a block away. My telephoto lens collapses the scene, drawing near into far, and squeezing the sole pedestrian – when she finally appeared -- between the horizontal cobblestones and the continuation of the street that rises into a sheer hill only a block away. Other figures move or stand along this street within the surrounding shadows, yet the scene is virtually silent and empty, except for the woman walking through the intersection. Meanwhile, the morning light gilds the entire scene, etching it into memory.

FujiFilm X-M1
1/640s f/22.0 at 101.2mm iso800 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis03-Aug-2014 19:11
Exactly, Celia. Quiet isolation, indeed. I rarely show rooftops unless they are the point of the picture. Another problem involving rooftops is the inclusion of sky. I try to keep the sky out of my picture unless the sky is part of the idea. Most skies are just blue or gray space that draw the eye away from a scene. My instinct is to always frame a subject tightly, and then very gradually zoom out to add important context for meaning. As soon as extraneous stuff begins to appear at the edges, I pull back and make the shot.
Cecilia Lim01-Aug-2014 20:31
I like how you cropped the image and decided not to show the rooftops. It makes the viewer feel more enclosed and drawn into the silence between the walls. The lone woman crossing the street also emphasizes the quiet isolation.
Phil Douglis20-Jul-2014 23:39
Thanks, Iris. The virtually empty street suggests that silence. And so does the scale relationship, contrasting the distant figure of the woman to the space that flows towards her and past her.
Iris Maybloom (irislm)19-Jul-2014 20:44
Beautiful image. I can hear the sounds of silence!
Phil Douglis13-Jul-2014 00:49
Thanks so much, Steve, for seeing and appreciating what went into making this image. I liked the light, the color, the shadow play, and the wonderful perspective. I waited, as usual, for people to cross the street. Eventually this woman stepped into the intersection, and I was there to make this picture.
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