Chaos, Belmont Amusement Park, San Diego, California, 2004 photo

Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twelve: Using color to express ideas > Chaos, Belmont Amusement Park, San Diego, California, 2004

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16-APR-2004

Chaos, Belmont Amusement Park, San Diego, California, 2004

An amusement park is a bizarre place. It is designed to jar both the body and the senses. The colors of an amusement park compliment the experience. They are invariably gaudy, bright, and often clash violently. In this image of a violent ride called “Chaos” I express that point by emphasizing the ride’s primary colors of red and yellow, against a deep blue sky. The purple accents are a bonus! I threw all of this chaos against the amusement park’s famous roller coaster for context, increased the saturation a bit, and we have a picture that lives up to its name!

Canon PowerShot G5
1/800s f/4.0 at 7.2mm hide exif

Full EXIF Info
Date/Time	16-Apr-2004 05:29:52
Make	Canon
Model	PowerShot G5
Flash Used	No
Focal Length	7.2 mm
Exposure Time	1/800 sec
Aperture	f/4
ISO Equivalent
Exposure Bias
White Balance	(-1)
Metering Mode	multi spot (3)
JPEG Quality	(6)
Exposure Program
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis		05-Apr-2005 05:33
Good point, Shermeen. It was not easy to make this picture because amusement parks are in themselves chaotic subjects. And this ride was even named "chaos" because of its clashing outrageous color scheme and it violent actions. I had to find a way to isolate this ride from the random chaos surrounding it and make sense out of the picture. I found a vantage point that integrated the flow of the roller coaster tracks with the spinning wheel of the Chaos ride. I got down low and shot up, to place most of that wheel against the clear blue sky at the point where the tracks intersect. This gave me a very simple structure upon which to hang those vivid primary colors. As for riding on it, Shermeen, be my guest. Can you keep your stomach calm while turning upside down and spinning round and round at the same time?

Guest		05-Apr-2005 03:56
this image makes me want to ride on it! hahaz... warm colors on a cool background makes the ride inviting i guess. other than the colors, the primary shapes; triangle that leads to the circle, plays a part too. to be able to shoot this in a chaotic amusement park is not easy right?

Phil Douglis		05-Dec-2004 20:37
Good to have you back in my gallery, Denise. It's been a while since you commented. Glad this picture makes you happy, but do keep your lunch where it belongs!

Denise Dee		05-Dec-2004 16:20
fills mei with joy, and makes my stomach slightly queasy just like being on the ride thanks, denise

Phil Douglis		14-May-2004 20:07
Thanks, Hockkai, for this comment. Colors can work as expression both individually and in combination. As you say, it is the combination of colors here that convey the essence of this bizarre ride known as Chaos. You use colors in combination to play a major role in your own galleries as well.

Guest		14-May-2004 10:01
What should I say. Great colour combination :)

Phil Douglis		01-May-2004 02:51
You are right about the angle of the sun, Anna. If you are going to shoot color as color, there is nothing like those first few and last hours of the day. I made this shot late in the afternoon, when the sun was positioned to give maximum warmth and bring out the subject in bold relief. As for the composition, I deliberately drew the eye into the picture with the arrow-like form of the roller coaster pointing directly to the subject, which I placed off center for maximum tension.

Anna Yu		30-Apr-2004 22:31
The blue sky really brings out the colors and I think the angle of the sun is also important here. As well as composition.

Phil Douglis		27-Apr-2004 22:12
You are right again, Tim. I could have used this image in either my composition gallery or the color gallery. I was very conscious of the roller coaster as both context and as a "pointing device." I elected to use it in this color gallery because of the linkage between the subject -- an amusement park ride -- and the vivid nature of primary colors. Phil

Tim May		27-Apr-2004 21:26
Yes, it is color - I especially like the blue of the sky and the fact that your exposure leaves almost no white - but composition plays a great deal for me in this image. I love the way the line of the roller coaster leads to the chaos, and the way the two tracks of the roller coaster point to the circle.

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