Yellow at Dusk, Willemstad, Curacao, 2003 by Phil Douglis

Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twelve: Using color to express ideas > Yellow at Dusk, Willemstad, Curacao, 2003

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15-DEC-2003

Yellow at Dusk, Willemstad, Curacao, 2003

It was near dusk, and as I was walking the streets of Willemstad I noticed a pigeon land on the molding of a brilliantly painted yellow building. The warmth of the late afternoon light dramatically enriched the color of the scene, and created a strong contrast to the darker colors in the cloud overhead. Once again, Willemstad provided me with an opportunity to build a picture around the sheer impact of primary color on the senses. The yellow paint and the warm evening light give this building a sense of prominence it would not have had if it had been painted in a neutral color. It also helped emphasize the scale incongruity of the tiny bird, which stands out against the yellow in site of its small size.

Canon PowerShot G5
1/1600s f/8.0 at 28.8mm hide exif

Full EXIF Info
Date/Time	15-Dec-2003 03:09:52
Make	Canon
Model	PowerShot G5
Flash Used	No
Focal Length	28.8 mm
Exposure Time	1/1600 sec
Aperture	f/8
ISO Equivalent
Exposure Bias	-0.33
White Balance	(-1)
Metering Mode	multi spot (3)
JPEG Quality	(6)
Exposure Program
Focus Distance	5.140 m

other sizes: small medium large original auto

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Phil Douglis		14-May-2005 23:55
You use few words, Anna, but you make all of them count. You are the first to call this color hypnotic, which fascinates me. I think it is not so much the color itself, as the effect of the evening light on the color. The longer we look at it, the more it seem to pull us in. As you say, the simple composition helps, too. It supports the color, rather than competing with it. Two buildings, a cloud, a blue framed window and a bird. That's really all there is. But it is enough to provide a stage upon which the magical primary colors can work.

Anna Pagnacco		14-May-2005 23:14
Hypnotic yellow and wonderful simple but effective composition!Anna

Phil Douglis		01-Nov-2004 04:14
Curacao is idea for primary colors. I never saw as many red, yellow and blue painted buildings in once place in my life. And the warm evening light really helps as ell. A lot of people focus on the contrast between that dark foreboding cloud you mention and the yellow building. I liked the window (and its trim is blue, as you say) and that little bird beneath contrasted to the yellow building -- it is the incongruity in scale that fascinated me. But as you say, Maureen, what we decide to spend most our time looking at is everyone's own choice. I just wanted this image to warm your soul. And I think it does.

Guest		31-Oct-2004 15:14
Another wonderful photograph that uses a primary color to evoke wonderfuly sunshine-y feelings. I believe I pick up a second primary color in the trim of the window, which appears to be blue (at least on my monitor). And in the background we see a vivid blue sky, that is being filled with a dark foreboding cloud. This is the yin and yang of life and what we focus on here is truly our choice.

Phil Douglis		27-Oct-2004 17:32
Your interpretation picks up where Celia's left off, Jen. The idea of hope. Celia saw the little bird as a symbol of escape from the bleakness of the clouds. You see yellow as the key, a symbol of a positive, rather than a negative outlook. I like your added suggestion: always bring your own sunshine. Something every photographer needs to keep in his or her camera bag, right? Phil

Jennifer Zhou		27-Oct-2004 07:13
To me the overhead cloud indications something unpleasant---the rain is coming, the golden sunshine will soon disappear and the bird will fly away....This is very incongruous with this happy color of yellow. But you also bring us very important attitude by using the color here--- no matter what is gonna happen in our lives, keep a positive outlook and be happy..Everything will be just fine.. I recall a quote from Anthony J. D'Angelo which I used in one of my greeding card picture:http://www.pbase.com/angeleyes_zyl/image/20054526 ----Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine~ Jen

Phil Douglis		04-Apr-2004 16:20
Perceptive comment, as always, Anna. The appearance of a color depends greatly on the angle and the color of the light that is falling upon it. This is very low and warm evening light, and it is not only warming the yellow house but also the dark clouds as well. This shot would have looked entirely different on a cloudy evening, or at mid-day under a bright sun. You can see why this time of day is called the "golden hour".

Anna Yu		04-Apr-2004 04:17
In this picture I like the way the dark grey clouds bring out the yellow color, the blue window and the angle of the sunlight. The same shot taken on another day would not have been so stunning.

Phil Douglis		05-Mar-2004 05:35
Thanks, Gary, for the comment and the virtual beer. (Curacao, by the way, is the home of an Amstel Brewery.) The yellow grabs me, too. Phil

Guest		05-Mar-2004 04:48
Holy mother of . . . I'm buying you a virtual beer. DANG! :bow low:

Phil Douglis		28-Jan-2004 04:12
I can always count on you, Cecilia, to bring the right words to bear on my photographs. You manage to instinctively sense what I felt when I made this photograph -- a sense of overwhelming power. The yellow just leaps out us, overwhelming both the pigeon and those dark clouds. You are right -- it is a confident picture.

Cecilia Lim		27-Jan-2004 21:46
I think that the allure of this image owes much to the incongruity of the house bursting with colour and energy against the bleak gray sky. The bird (although small) which is often a symbol of freedom also suggests the possibility of escape from this bleakness. And that cross in the window as Tim May pointed out, definitely takes this meaning to a deeper level. To me, this image is all about confidence and strength.

Phil Douglis		27-Jan-2004 01:50
Thank you, Carol, for sharing your pleasure in this image with me. It was fun to make -- I spent about twenty minutes or so working on this building and a few other nearby structures. All of them were yellow, and all had the same rich dusky light and similar dark clouds overhead. But this one worked the best for me because of the vast expanse of yellow contrasting to the tiny pigeon.

Carol E Sandgren		26-Jan-2004 21:02
Big, bold, bright...you know this is my kind of picture! As Tim says below, the cloudy sky really plays a key in popping the brilliant color of the building with the sun shining against it.

Phil Douglis		26-Jan-2004 03:05
Your eye is incredible! For the second time today, you've astounded me by pointing out details in my pictures that have always been there but that I have never noticed. Not in the moment of shooting, nor later. There is a blue cross in that window now that you've pointed it out to me. I had always looked looked at it as cohesive blue window frame. I also was so focused on the small bird as a detail that I never considered the window as a significant symbol -- until now.

Tim May		25-Jan-2004 21:16
I commented about this image at your wonderful worldisround gallery, but seeing it again I notice the importance of the cloudy gray sky, the dominate lines of the house, and the cross in the window. I really love this image!!!

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