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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Nine: Composition -- putting it together > Under the Ruins, Macchu Picchu, Peru, 1982
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Under the Ruins, Macchu Picchu, Peru, 1982

It was important to me to stay overnight at these famed Inca ruins high in the Andes Mountains, so that I could abstract them in the inevitable early morning fog. I used a grazing llama as my focal point, positioning it in the lower right corner of my frame. I noticed that the shape of its rump rhythmically repeated the rounded shape of the mountain topped with ancient ruins. I organized this picture so that the slope of the mountain, as well as the sloping ground upon which this llama stands, lead directly to the llama itself. (Photographers call these "leading lines.") My final objective was to get the llama to turn his head and look back up at the ruins—completing a corner to corner diagonal flow running from the ruins to the llama. Each time I released my shutter, the llama looked up in response to my clicking sounds. Eventually he looked towards the ruins, completing the organization of this image.

Nikormat FT,Vivitar 70-200mm zoom
Scanned from a Kodachrome transparency. full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis28-Apr-2006 19:30
Fog is an abstracting force, Niall. It is the abstraction that does the equalizing here.
type28-Apr-2006 15:45
Yep, that's a classic. As someone put on one of my galleries: "fog: the great equalizer."
Phil Douglis05-Mar-2006 18:29
Thanks, Mhlau -- a vinatage photo, almost a quarter century old, but timeless.
Guest 05-Mar-2006 11:42
What a gem!
Phil Douglis08-Oct-2005 22:59
Thank you, Lisbeth. I know how much you relate to animals, so it does not surprise me that you fell in love with this image. It's hard to believe, but I made it 23 years ago. It seems like yesterday. I felt the power in the mountain and the ruins upon it, and I also sensed what you sense -- the prosaic nature of a humble llama grazing in the shadows of one of the world's most famous and mysterious ruins. It is that contrast that excites the imagination, and gives the image its meaning.
Lisbeth Landstrøm08-Oct-2005 22:14
Love at first sight! A simple and strong and - for me - a "first time seen" composition. The mountain served in the picture radiates a universal greatness - no matter if it is seen upon as potential grazing ground or (a historically well-nourished) playground for reflections. The impression from the peak seems to be lifted by the "endless" slope to the right and by the attention from the llama that has for a moment even stopped its descent. The humble appearance of the llama contrasts the mountain - but at the same time vitalizes it by beeing such an inherent part of it, and awakens it by beeing such an integrated animal in the daily life in Peru.
Guest 03-Dec-2004 09:21
very nice....
Phil Douglis16-Aug-2004 01:20
This has been in my files for many, many years. Film photography now seems to be so very far in my past. I had some delightful days shooting with Kodachrome, and this was one of them. Thanks, Bruce, for summing up the essence of this shot.
Guest 15-Aug-2004 02:55
A wonderful image - in addition to your composition, I also the abstraction created by the haziness and the silhouette. Having the llama look up at the ruins is just caps it off perfectly.
Bailey Zimmerman19-Oct-2003 21:21
Phil,
Timeless......the three gradations are perfection!!
You captured the moment for all of us!!
Guest 18-Oct-2003 20:47
janer said it all. Thanks for sharing
Guest 18-Oct-2003 15:45
OH ! just perfect
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