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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Sixteen: Story-telling street photography > The Big Hug, Santiago de Compostela, Spain, 2004
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02-SEP-2004

The Big Hug, Santiago de Compostela, Spain, 2004

Europe is full of ancient streets and steps that run through arches. I spent a lot of time shooting people walking through such arches, because the shadows they cast do a great job of framing people within the frame, as well as providing abstraction with heavily shadowed areas. I stood outside of this arch and repeatedly photographed abstracted people as they moved towards me through the shadows, as well as people heading into the arch, illuminated by the sun on their backs. I never counted on three people to suddenly stop before they entered this arch and hug each other. But I was ready for it when it happened. At first, we see only two people in the hug, and then notice a gray leg way down there in the middle of it, so there must a third person, right? Meanwhile, four other people come down the steps at the other end of the shadowed arch to complete the story. Tunnels and arches are passages, much as life, and people come and go, both together and apart, within them. Was this a lucky shot? Some say that all effective street photography is a matter of luck -- just being in the right place at the right time. But I have always claimed that luck, as someone once said, is “the residue of design.” It is not surprising that effective street photographers seem to have more luck than ineffective street photographers. And that’s because they work harder at it. They are patient, and are willing to work the odds – taking shot after shot after shot in a particular place, hoping that just one of them might work out for them. This one worked for me.

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Phil Douglis19-Aug-2006 23:31
There is an old saying in photojournalism, Chris -- "f/8 and be there!" The same goes for street photography. Being there is the most important part of the game. How do you know where to be, how to be at in the right place at the right moment? By being observant. I spend more time looking than I do photographing. I study the movement of people, look at where they are coming from and where they seem to be going. I look for context, like these arches and steps. I look for the light and see how it hides and reveals. Bit by bit, I learn enough to be in the right spot to make an image such as this. And then I work at getting the image I want -- I shoot many pictures to get the one that best expresses an idea.
Chris Sofopoulos19-Aug-2006 19:20
You were in the right place the right moment! I see what you mean when you tell about frames and arches.
Phil Douglis30-Sep-2004 22:32
Lara, you don't have to actually see it. Just imagine it! It's better that way.
Phil
Lara S30-Sep-2004 22:15
It's still driving me crazy that I can't see what she is looking at. But errrr, I think that the point right? I keep wanting to shift the photo to the right to see what's there.
Phil Douglis30-Sep-2004 16:35
Lara, This is a fascinating comment. You miss what I took out. If I had included the people walking by them on the right, this image would lost its intensity and meaning. In my photographs, I intentionally take out things so that viewers will have room to use their imaginations. Instead of thinking literally, I think symbolically. Rather than describe or show, I imply. My images are as much about the viewer as about the subject. I want you to wonder why she is looking that way. Here, in the midst of a hug, she throws her head back and looks away. Why? Rather than show you some guy standing over on the right, I leave it up to your imagination. I also keep in the people on the left, because they important context -- their group functions quite differently than the hugging group, part of an endless diverse flow of people who move through this tunnel together in this moment of time.
Lara S30-Sep-2004 14:54
You know what's missing/ waht she is looking at? and it's driving me crazy? I would have liked the photo better if you had shifted it to the right. Cropping out the people on the left and adding whatever or whoever (wink) she was looking at.
Phil Douglis21-Sep-2004 17:29
Your comment, Marek, pretty much bears out what I had in mind here. As I told Vanessa, I see this as symbolic emotion. It is, as you say, not overflowing, but is more of a mood. It is also, as you remark, a study in contrasts. Light and dark, warm and cool, a unified group and a fragmented group, about to pass each other without notice. Thanks for these observations.
Guest 21-Sep-2004 10:14
I think there is emotion here, it's just that it's not overflowing. Perhaps the better word would be mood. It is one of relaxing and forgetting about your cares. Taking a stroll through history, soaking up the sights. Being together and enjoying life's simple pleasures and moments of rest. It's not a great revelation, just a simple human truth. The image captures this through a subtle contrast of warm and cool, rather than hot and cold. It also makes us slow down. Life doesn't have to be blindingly spectacular to enjoy it ;-)
Phil Douglis17-Sep-2004 23:29
I think what you might be talking about here is the lack of visible emotion, Vanessa. A hug is closed, not open, so we can't really see what is going on here. I see the hug here a symbol as opposed to an emotional moment. I feel as much the same about shot as I do the Rossio Station scenario you commented on. This group is doing its own thing in the tunnel, and here comes another foursome down the stairs in the background that does not seem to care or notice. In other words its the two ships passing in the night thing again. But in a different context. But I certainly see your point --you seem to want to feel the emotion such as I captured in other images in this gallery. Unfortunately, it's symbolic emotion here, and it doesn't stir your juices! And that's the way it goes with some pictures, right?
Vanessa 17-Sep-2004 22:47
Phil,

I'm not entirely moved by this image. I had to read too much of your description in order for it to finally make sense. Had you not pointed out the third person in the happy trio, I don't think I would have noticed it. Yes, I see the symbolism of the passage way - people coming and going, but I'm just not getting this image. Though there are only 2 groups of people in the shot, it's almost too busy for me.

Not sure how to explain it, but it's just not strong enough for me.
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