Gates, Pedro Miguel Locks, Panama Canal, 2003 by Phil Douglis

Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery One: Travel Abstractions -- Unlimited Thought > Gates, Pedro Miguel Locks, Panama Canal, 2003

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19-DEC-2003

Gates, Pedro Miguel Locks, Panama Canal, 2003

Massive is the best word to define the Panama Canal – everything about this incredible engineering project is big. I used abstraction and scale incongruity here to tell the story of its size. I was shooting from the front of a cruise ship about to leave the Pedro Miguel Locks, the second set of locks that made it possible for us to sail through the heart of Panama from the Caribbean Sea into the Pacific Ocean. I noticed a man standing on top of the gate, an incongruously tiny figure compared to the huge gate beneath his feet. I used my spot meter to expose for the water beyond the gate, which abstracted both the man and the gate. I then waited for the gate to open, and shot just as soon as I saw a sliver of water appear between them. This vertical band of light rhythmically repeats the vertical posture of both the man and the post at upper left. The image is almost monochromatic – the only color is a hit of brown in the water and the yellow rails of the walkway on top of the gates. How massive are the workings of the Panama Canal? This picture may provide an answer.

Canon PowerShot G5
1/1000s f/4.0 at 28.8mm hide exif

Full EXIF Info
Date/Time	19-Dec-2003 02:05:53
Make	Canon
Model	PowerShot G5
Flash Used	No
Focal Length	28.8 mm
Exposure Time	1/1000 sec
Aperture	f/4
ISO Equivalent
Exposure Bias
White Balance	(-1)
Metering Mode	multi spot (3)
JPEG Quality	(6)
Exposure Program
Focus Distance

other sizes: small medium large original auto

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Phil Douglis		21-Aug-2010 18:49
It is wonderful to have you back in my galleries after five years, River King. I am sure that you will see different things in my older images. We all change as we mature and experience life, particularly as photographers and viewers of photographs. And as we change, our way of seeing and thinking change as well. Your perception has shifted -- where you once felt the power of darkness, you now sense the possibilities and meaning in that tiny crack of light. I am delighted that this image, which I made seven years ago, still has the power to affect your perception.

Guest		21-Aug-2010 17:31
When I saw this picture again five years after my first comment, I realized how our different emotions could effect our view on a very same picture. It's interesting how I sensede some sadness, but I understand that mostly reflected my emotion at that time; but now the picture represents much of peace and energy to me. It's interesting the dark shadow occupied the 2/3 of entire image, yet, the feeling of this picture is not dark but bright. I really enjoy this picture.

Phil Douglis		21-Jul-2006 04:43
A very sad interpretation, Annie -- almost suicidal. A lot of black will do that. The blacker the image, the lonelier it can feel. Your metaphor of a whole world cracking beneath him is astounding. Your imagination works here in leaps and bounds to take what is a simple example of powerful scale incongruity and make it into personal drama. I am in awe.

Annie J		20-Jul-2006 23:50
This image shows loneliness. The man is standing there alone on this massive thing, showing his size and how insignificant his size is in the grand scheme of things. I could go even further, this image not only speaks loneliness to me, but the man is weary...his world is cracking underneath him and he feels as if he's alone to deal with it, and is perhaps wondering if maybe he should just jump over the edge and not wait for the crack to engulf him?

Phil Douglis		18-May-2006 20:58
Courage? Yes, I see how this image can symbolize that. He faces a huge task, and perhaps a potentially dangerous one. Abstract images are more likely to suggest such ideas than descriptive images.

Shirley Wang		18-May-2006 19:51
I thought I left a coment but didn't. I see courage of the person in front of a deep gap and a wide spread of water.

Phil Douglis		28-Aug-2005 18:18
What a delightfully whimsical interpretation of this image, Kostas. The Great Gatekeeper himself! I will never think of this picture in the same way again.

Kostas		28-Aug-2005 17:18
Finally an end ? When I look to this photo, I feel like leaving all my troubles behind and gettin ready to enter a heaven of emotions and relaxation. Though I am afraid that the gatekeeper might not let me exit routine / enter joy (it depends from which side you are seeing it) It reminds me, mom saying: "Be a good boy otherwise Santa may say, Kostas you have been a bad boy so no present for you this year" and since Santa never told me that, maybe it's time to hear it from the gatekeeper :\|

Phil Douglis		06-Jul-2005 17:55
Thanks, Marek, for pointing out the effect of liquid pressure here -- there is a funnel-like thrust to this image, and it all focuses on the break in the yellow fence. I did not notice the color shift from green to pink until you mentioned -- it probably was an effect of a passing cloud. It does vanish when I convert this image to black and white, however so does the yellow in the fence. The black and white conversion solves one problem, but also reduces the tension in the "funnel effect." Since I do not have the skills to change the slight green color cast on the right hand edge to pink, I will just have to let nature take its course here.

Guest		06-Jul-2005 17:06
I like this image very much and agree with most of the comments, regarding the sense of scale etc. I think the amount of opening is inspired and in an abstracted way it makes me imagine a kind of funnel, with the the sea above pouring down in a long thin line, the kind of image you see in a steelworks with the molten metal pouring over the side of a cauldron. So it definitely has the feeling of liquid pressure for me -- and the tension you describe. However I am somewhat bothered by the drifting of the sea colour from green on the left to pink on the right. I would be tempted to try this one in B&W, blowing out the sea to brilliant white.

Phil Douglis		09-Mar-2005 23:22
Thanks, River, for this heartfelt comment. The power comes from the scale incongruity. The quiet stillness comes from the abstraction of the gate itself. On the other hand, I feel this image also expresses tension -- the thin white line between the imperfectly aligned doors simply crackles with energy. It is interesting to me that this tension makes you feel sad. Perhaps because that space makes it somehow appear that this gate is broken, and broken objects can trigger negative thoughts? The greater the degree of abstraction in a photo, the greater the range of feelings and thoughts it can express. That's because there is plenty of room for us to enter this image, and let our imaginations do the rest. I am delighted that this has happened to you here, River.

Guest		09-Mar-2005 20:47
This picture brings me a lot of deep thoughts and different feelings... The shadow (darkness) of this picture is so significant compared to the lighter area (river), but the light come through the line... a person is standing on top of the tall, huge and dark gate, he seems so small, but it creates a sense of hope and peace. At the same time, the gate is not fully or perfectly closed, so the light comes through, leaves an weird line and square hole shape, gives me a sense of brokeness and sadness. The gates is so still, and with this darkness, it also gives me a sense of power and quietness, its a powerful and strong peaceful feeling... Amazing picture! It gives me very different feelings and thoughts, very deep and rare.

Phil Douglis		04-Jan-2005 19:29
Thanks, Dandan, for coming to my candy store. Get taste of each gallery and then come back for more. And be sure to leave comments and ask questions as you go through my learning examples. I welcome your thoughts on this image -- all that black does suggest intimidation, and the abstraction of the gate and its scale incongruity can suggest that the job is much larger than man can possibly handle, hence your feeling of powerlessness and intimidation. But someone else can come to this image and see the abstraction and scale incongruity as a metaphor for man's ability to control things much larger than himself. The answers, Dandan, are not in this picture. They must come from viewers, such as yourself. As I often say in the cyberbook, expressive photographs should ask questions of the viewers and demand answers. I think this one does. You prove it.

Guest		04-Jan-2005 15:37
Phil, I just discoved your site today and felt like a kid in a candy store. I am pretty new to photography, and I found here is what I need to get me start ... I am slowly browse through your pictures, comments from everyone, it's truly like a different lesson for each picture. I am here trainning my eyes on creativities, challenging my mind for interpertation, got totally lost myself in your imagines! I found this picture is striking! I feel the fear, the sense of forbidden, and intimidated and powerless. I am totally obesorbed in it!

Phil Douglis		22-Dec-2004 04:36
You have made a new image out of this for me, Vera. Every since I made it, I've always focused on the canal as the canal. You show us how to take a leap far beyond the thing itself, and make an image out your pure imagination. Your imagination, by the way, is childlike -- in the very best sense of that word. Thank you for this interpretation.

Guest		22-Dec-2004 01:39
"Faraway, so close!" -- that's what this image expresses to me. The other side of the gate is right in front of him, but it is also as if miles away as the gate is opening -- he has no choice but to wait with patience for it to close again. But what if it never closes? The other side will then forever be in sight but unreachable. He can try to jump across, but what if he fails? He will fall to the unknown depth. Vera.

Phil Douglis		22-Dec-2004 01:07
Thanks, Vera, for the structural analysis of this image. I am thrilled that your find it both interesting and expressive. I agree-- that pole is critical. It not only balances the image by playing against the downward thrust of the gap, but it also echoes the posture of the upright man. I never noticed the significance of the small horizontal gap before -- having never imagined that man would fall off the gate and need something to grab on to. You make an excellent point as well about the role of color here --it does add a touch vividness to this monochromatic image because there is so much black and so little color. What we have here, and thanks for pointing out to me, is a double scale incongruity: little man played against the big gate, and that small touch of color played against a vast amount of black. I am glad you found this image to be a fascinating study in form, Vera. To me, however, the soul of this image is in its message, which answers the question: how massive are the workings of this great canal? The form you mention certainly plays a part in telling this story.

Guest		21-Dec-2004 22:10
This really is the kind of images that I love the most - very minimalistic yet richly interesting & expressive! :-) I was fascinated by this image so much that I actually downloaded it and applied my favourite 'negative thinking' technique -- I tried to clone out the vertical pole and that little horizontal gap, because I wondered how the image would become then. And what differences their presences make! The vertical pole balances the image -- it points up while the vertical gap points down; Also, it harmonizes the drastic (and somewhat uneasy) contrast between the dark gate & the light water, in part because it echoes the vertical gap below. The horizontal gap is as if a connector between the left & the right portions of the gate. You may also say it echoes the horizontal rails. I like its presence because I imagine that if that person for some reason falls down the vertical gap when it gets wider, he still has a chance to survive by holding on to the horizontal gap. Apart from the yellow, I also think the red colours of the man's shirt & on the 2 corners of the opening gate add a little bit of vividness to this largely monochromatic image. A big cheer for this brilliant image of yours, Phil! Vera. :-)

Phil Douglis		14-Dec-2004 22:46
Thank you, Mikel, for your thoughtful comment. Scale incongruity, combined with the magic of abstraction, can indeed reflect the immensity of this canal. How small we are are, indeed, when we are confronted with the rigors of overcoming nature, or the staggering size of our own creations. Both of which are certainly implied in this abstraction.

Guest		14-Dec-2004 22:35
a very loveley and impressive image it reflects perfectly the inmensety of the channel with just a detail of it after having seen several reprtages of it's building showing the hard labour conditions and the high malaria death rates there were to achieve this mighty construction only in a fraction of a second you can figure it out with the doors and that tiny man untop of it. How small are we sometimes not only enfront of nature but even enfront of some of our own creations.

Phil Douglis		11-Dec-2004 20:09
Thanks, Alister, for another insightful observation regarding the role of context in photographic expression. I thank you for grasping how my pictures function within the context of my cyberbook, something that others often misunderstand because of the nature of pbase itself. Probably every other gallery on pbase is posted so that photographers can display heir work and share it with others. Their pictures are usually intended to rise or fall on their own merits. You seldom see captions. Everything depends upon what is going on in the image itself. My cyberbook, on the other hand, is probably the only series of galleries on pbase specifically designed to be viewed and used as an instructional resource. My captions are always extensive, providing context, explaining the concepts and ideas I use to express my feelings about what i see. Often, long threads of comments appear as well, adding still more context to my teaching images. I intend for my pictures to be studied with those captions and comments in mind. That is how I am teaching here on the internet. This is an interactive site, constantly growing as I add new images and comments such as yours flow in from all over the world. As you say at the end of your comment, you feel there are some images that work very well to prove points or explain a concept but may not be strong enough to stand up in their own right. You are right -- I am not posting these images as art, even if they happen to be art. I am posting them as instruction, and use words to explain them in that context. Everyone now and then someone who is used to viewing those other, stand-alone, images on pbase will come into my galleries and fail to take into account my purpose when looking at my images. They skip the captions and comments, look at the pictures and come up empty. Every one of my images, Alister, has been carefully selected to help others learn how to express themselves with their cameras, and they must be looked at in that context. To take them out of context, and look at them as stand-alone images, will sometimes work, but ever now and then will not. (I thank you for giving me an opportunity expand on that point. Only yesterday, I was embroiled in a long series of comments with one of my viewer/students who was apparently oblivious to this important distinction and made erroneous judgements because of it. See my final comment under the "Beachcomber" image at:http://www.pbase.com/pnd1/image/33922893)

alibenn		11-Dec-2004 17:02
Ha, the debate between Clara and yourself has made me smile. I always look at the picture first to get my overall impression, thus seeing it as a stand-alone piece. Then I read your caption, then I read the comments, and if I feel I can add to what has been said, I'll comment. There is no doubt that this image stands up on it's own. My first impression was one of fear, as I thought the figure was on a bridge that was broken, so drama was my first instinct. With the caption, comes understanding of the reality, but I still look at the image as I first saw it, and in many ways like it more for that. In your galleries I feel there are some images that work very well to prove points or explain a concept, but may not, in some cases, be strong enough structurally to stand up in their own right. ( not many though Phil!!) This is sweet though...

Guest		02-Dec-2004 22:33
Yes, I agree. The image is powerful by itself, regardless of data about it.

Phil Douglis		01-Dec-2004 23:46
Thanks, Clara, for responding to my comment. I always rely on captions and titles for context because my pbase site is a learning resource, not a personal art gallery. However I certainly agree with you that when it comes to art as art, a work must stand by itself, and never be limited by words. Give it a title, and let it go into the viewers imagination from there. I can't agree with you, however, that this image can't stand on its own merits if seen without a caption or title. It is a man standing on a huge black object with a tiny crack in the middle of it. We don't have to know this is a Panama Canal lock to get meaning from this image. It is man on the edge of a symbolic abyss. The world is cracking below him and he does not even see it. You see -- without words, this image does exactly has you wish. It goes beyond reality, and becomes a symbol for a larger truth. Do you agree?

Guest		01-Dec-2004 23:07
I understand your point, Phil. In the context of this photo classroom, your texts are fundamental. However, I bring your attention to the photo itself, to question what kind of information provides by its own means. I also use titles in my photos, to add context, but sometimes words limit the meaning of the image instead of increase it. I like that an image is able to stand by itself, regardless of words to possibly enrich it. Love. Clara.

Phil Douglis		01-Dec-2004 22:36
Clara, I always assume that people looking at my photos know what they are looking at. I give them context in my titles and my captions. To me, such verbal context is essential. Without context, you are left with pure abstraction and must make of it whatever you want. I post my galleries as an instructional resource -- and context is essential if people are to learn from these images.

Guest		01-Dec-2004 17:47
Phil, I think you tend to suppose that people watching your photos know its subjects or that they are easily deductible. It does not happen to me, if not for your explanations, I had no idea what the actual subject is, so I could only interpret the image formally, as pure abstraction (which again happens to be beautiful and well solved).

Phil Douglis		30-Oct-2004 23:02
An excellent point, Nut. I abstracted this image by exposing for the sky, making he gates black and even more massive.It is incongruous because the gate is huge and the man is small. And It is rich in human values because it defines the challenge faced by this man. He must control this massive thing. And it is a huge responsibility.

nut		30-Oct-2004 16:16
Yes, massive but under control by human.

Guest		06-Mar-2004 12:39
Le moment juste!

Phil Douglis		29-Jan-2004 21:35
Lisa -- in this shot, I combine the scale incongruity you note with abstraction, which strengthens the contrast between the large gates and the small man. By removing all detail, and leaving only shapes, the image defined for me the majesty and power of this great engineering achievement. All this massive size, yet it is casually controlled by human beings such as this man. He may appear here to be small in size, but he wields great power.

Guest		29-Jan-2004 19:46
Wonderful image, almost abstract. I love the sense of scale given by the small figure.

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