Looking into Love, Scottsdale, Arizona, 2003 by Phil Douglis

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13-NOV-2003

Looking into Love, Scottsdale, Arizona, 2003

While working on variations of the previous picture, I noticed a child approach Robert Indiana’s “Love” sculpture and I shifted gears and began to investigate a new set of options. I switch my attention from the fellow on the phone to this child’s interest in art. I wait for her to peer into the lower part of the big “E”, and as she leans into it, I align the angle of her back with the golden light reflecting on the side of the “V” just behind her. I don’t show her face – I want to abstract this shot down to the flow of angles. I also want my viewers to imagine the expression on the little girl’s face instead of actually seeing it. This sculpture is so pervasive in our culture that revealing just two of its letters is enough context to make this photograph live up to the title I give it.

Canon PowerShot G5
1/160s f/4.0 at 17.6mm hide exif

Full EXIF Info
Date/Time	13-Nov-2003 01:02:00
Make	Canon
Model	PowerShot G5
Flash Used	No
Focal Length	17.6 mm
Exposure Time	1/160 sec
Aperture	f/4
ISO Equivalent
Exposure Bias
White Balance	(-1)
Metering Mode	matrix (5)
JPEG Quality	(6)
Exposure Program
Focus Distance	2.010 m

other sizes: small medium large original auto

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Phil Douglis		06-Oct-2012 17:46
Thanks, Peppermint, for your comment. Images such as this can prod the imagination -- we all may wonder what this child may see, and think, as she peers into the incongruously large sculpture. Your imagination sees a child looking for love. She seems to be alone, and the scale is daunting. However you also see the red and blue colors embracing the child's white shirt, which certainly could symbolize the country in which she lives. Thanks for these ideas.

Phil Douglis		13-Sep-2006 16:39
This image is one of my own favorites, Jude. Thanks for coming to it and leaving this thoughtfully comprehensive comment. It is the interplay of primary colors, in this case red and blue, that bring this image to life. The more I've looked at it, the more I've come to realize that this little girl is really context for the sculpture, not the other way around. Yes, she is at play. But it is the dazzling energy of those colors that really comes into play here.

Jude Marion		13-Sep-2006 14:13
Phil, this is one of my favourite images of yours. The technical elements that you describe in your caption work so well - the colours, the comp, the light/shadows. You have given the viewer just enough information in this detail - the sculpture is such a recognizable icon that it is instantly identified as 'LOVE'. I really enjoy the playfulness of this image. The little girl appears to be playing hide and seek ... with 'Love'... something we all seek - a very human desire. There appears to be a hesitancy or tentativeness in her pose and clasped had, but I detect a smile on her face. Perhaps Love will find her.

Sue Robertson		08-Feb-2006 04:05
Wonderful

Phil Douglis		19-Nov-2005 20:07
Thanks, Ruth, for the title variation. As far as I was concerned, this subject is in the right place at the right time and in the right position. What more could I ask?

Reflections by Ruth		19-Nov-2005 18:21
Great shot, well composed. A funny title for this could be "Looking for Love in all the wrong places" song :)

Donald Verger		06-Jun-2005 08:58
terrific image Phil! love! voted!

Phil Douglis		27-Feb-2005 06:49
Sorry you find this color overwhelming, River. It is faithful to the original, which is just as rich and full a red as you see here. You are right -- if we stare at it long and hard, it does vibrate. It is a function of your distance from the screen, and image size as well. In smaller sizes, or from a further distance, it does not vibrate as intensely. If I took the red down a peg, the image would be flat and not as true to what Robert Indiana has created. The original sculpture definitely vibrates under sunny skies, a manifestation of red hot love, no doubt. And it was a mid-day Arizona sun shining on that sculpture in this picture. And finally, people react differently to color. You are the first to suggest I cut it back a bit. I can't agree because I think the energy we see here would go right out of it.

Guest		25-Feb-2005 15:47
Phil, this is a difficult picture for me to understand after reading your intro. I will view more and give you more details... for right now, one little comment, the color in this image is overwelming, and it abosorb too much energe and attraction from my eyes. If the color was slighly modest, it might be a little bit easier to "read" this image.

Phil Douglis		01-Dec-2004 00:24
Your comment, Vera, is very valuable to me. You point out that the golden light on the underside of the "V" aligns with the child's back --which was at the very core of my composition here -- but you also note how that golden light works as geometrical abstraction. I love your "negative reasoning" where you speculate on how this picture might look if there was no golden light in the picture. (It's no accident that you are a Philosopher, Vera - it suits you well.) You've made me re-study the geometry of color here, Vera, and in doing so, you've encouraged me to discover what ties this picture together. The bend of the child's back repeats the angle of that golden sunlight on the inside of the V, as well as one side of the red "V" itself. And the golden light on the "V" also repeats the band of golden light on the ends of the "E" at the right hand edge of the picture! This image is organized by both geometric rhythms and repeating coloration. Thank you, Vera, for pushing me to think in these terms. You are making me both a better photographer and a better teacher!

Guest		25-Nov-2004 01:11
Phil, if I were the one taking this photo, I most likely wouldn't notice the alignment between the girl's back and the golden light! So the presence of the golden light is significant on that regard. Another significance, I think, is that it separates the red surface of the letter V from that of E. If it were absent, we would see a big plain surface of essentially red (although the red still appears in different degrees depending on the lighting). The triangular shape of the golden light also adds geometrical abstraction to the image that are already full of simple and colourful geometrical shapes. I also agree with Cecilia about the significance of the title - it arouses my interest in imagining what the girl is thinking of while 'looking into love'. Vera.

Phil Douglis		09-Nov-2004 01:02
Thanks for the kind words, Xun. This was just one of the fortunate moments. If the child had not bent over to look into the "E," her back would not have repeated the angle of the V, and this image would have never been as effective.

Guest		09-Nov-2004 00:48
nice tittle. wondrous imagery...

Guest		30-May-2004 04:25
It is a beautiful photo, as the rest of your photos are. This moment you got here it`s gorgeus. Besides lovely colors. I like the way you are encouraging photographers who see into your galleries. I going to see one by one all your photos trying to learn from you in order to develope my passio, Photography. Carlos

Phil Douglis		03-Dec-2003 20:00
Ah, Cecilia, your comment made my day. Thanks for expressing so eloquently the purpose of my galleries on pbase. I would certainly agree with you that my captions are just as important as my images. All of my galleries are extensions of my teaching, and I regard the title, the caption, the image, and these interactive comments to be part and parcel of the same effort: to help photographers express meaning through their photographs. I must admit that I have never equated the interplay of my words with the interplay of elements within my pictures -- a fascinating concept. I agree that just as my picture often ask questions and demand answers from viewers, my writing frequently does the same. As a teacher of photographic expression, I have always used words --both written and spoken -- to articulate the principles involved in visual communication. This is not accidental -- I was a journalism major, and have written a column on photojournalism in Communication World Magazine that is about to celebrate its 40th anniversary. I believe that words and pictures can be equal partners in communication -- each doing what it does best. Verbal communication and non-verbal communication in harmony can be a powerful combination. Thanks, Cecilia, for your thought-provoking contribution to my pbase galleries. Phil

Cecilia Lim		03-Dec-2003 12:27
Phil, as much as I love your beautiful images, I also love the way you title your pictures, such as this one. I think these short little captions are as important as the images themselves and give your presentations so much more "body" . They not only give the images a description and an identity, but they also enrich their meaning on a different level. Just as you talk about asking questions of your viewers, using incongruity & rhythm in your pictures, you do the same in your play of words, and it's always a pleasure to read these captions that compliment your visual ideas/expressions so beautifully & captivatingly.

Phil Douglis		24-Nov-2003 02:53
Hey, Tim -- what an eye! I never saw that tiny red and blue hair-tie until called me attention to it. I had to take a look at the original to see it, too. But it's there -- one of those fortunate twists (no pun intended) of fate, I guess. As for hide and seek, her little brother was also playing around in the sculpture as she explored it, so she may indeed by playing hide and seek with him. You have an incredible eye for detail, as always. Phil

Tim May		24-Nov-2003 01:11
Most of the others have captured what I noticed except for two things. One: Isn't it wonderful that she has the red and blue hair tie. What a delightful accent! and Two: Aside from what she may be looking into - I also wonder or project that she is playing hide-go-seek. There is that eager "hiding" hoping to be found quality in this one.

Phil Douglis		23-Nov-2003 20:43
Thanks, Robin, for your excellent comment. You are right -- the relationship of the child's posture to the shape of the letters that surround her is at the heart of this picture. And that's exactly what I was looking for as I shot it -- her back leans as the V leans, her head seems drawn into the core of the E, and her little hand is curled at the edge of the E, creating tension and implying excitement. The face is not needed -- her body language tells the story. I knew viewers would read the word "love" and not even miss the "L" and the "O"...we need only a hint of context, and our imagination fills in the blanks. Phil

robin statfeld		23-Nov-2003 12:52
Phil, I love this image! Everything about it, the colors, the shapes, the shadows, and especially the little girl and the expression she conveys, even from behind. And isn't it interesting that the entire word is not necessary - I read LOVE while looking at the picture, not even realizing all the letters weren't there until you pointed it out in your comment!

Phil Douglis		17-Nov-2003 18:08
You are correct, Carol, in commenting on how different this image is in feeling from the previous picture. And that's why I include both of them in this gallery. To show how we can photograph the same subjects and make completely different points about them simply by changing the frame, and in this case, the cast of characters.

Carol E Sandgren		17-Nov-2003 06:21
Same sculpture, but completely different feeling. The little girl seems delightfully curious as she peers into the empty space. The size difference also provokes curiousity among your image's viewers.

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