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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twenty One: The Marketplace -- crossroads of a community. > In the Heart of the Market, Pakse, Laos, 2005
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In the Heart of the Market, Pakse, Laos, 2005

The power of contemporary advertising merges into the flow of an age-old marketplace at Pakse. I saw several incongruities in this scene – the older women walking below a huge ad targeted at a younger generation, the rickshaw moving past a parked motorcycle, and the nature of the place itself, a city of tents and awnings that looks much the same as it must have looked 100 years ago. Yet it is a booming marketplace, a maelstrom of activity, and I tried to capture that feeling in this image as well.


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Phil Douglis11-Dec-2005 07:21
And that is exactly why I made it, Carol. I am not so sure, however, that people are unhappily buying and selling here to survive. Survival means a different thing in this culture. Survival is a way of life. People adapt, and find their own pleasures in the process. I felt a lot of positive energy in this market place, and tried to bring that energy to this image.
Carol E Sandgren11-Dec-2005 06:07
Thanks Phil, for your comment. To me, this image also show incongruity of the smiling, relaxedness of the modern woman with all of the niceties and conveniences to use, with the hard-working, probably often miserable women who must buy and sell at this market to survive.
Phil Douglis06-Apr-2005 06:43
And thank you, Jen, for learning that lesson. Everything we do as photographers should serve the purpose of the picture, not a set of rules or the expectations of others.
Jennifer Zhou06-Apr-2005 05:41
Don't let the rules get in the way, always think about what message I wanna delivery first. Thank you Phil for the lesson of today!
Phil Douglis05-Apr-2005 19:14
I am glad I've convinced you that sometimes more can be more. And that is when more is the point at hand. As a photographer, you must let the message be your guide. You must be open to any approach, as long as it helps you get across the idea you are trying to express. I know we often discuss clutter and distraction, most of which are accidents. In this case, everything in this shot was there for a reason, and I am glad you now can see why all of it is necessary. This image, as you say, does define Laos -- yesterday and today.

I am not the only photographer who breaks the less is more rule, Jen, in order to express my ideas. Henri Cartier Bresson does it in his shot he made in India at the death of Ghandi.http://www.magnumphotos.com/c/htm/CDocZ_MAG.aspx?Stat=DocZoom_DocZoom&&E=2TYRYDZAJK8T&DT=ALB&Pass=&Total=593&Pic=403&o=

There must be a million people in that image, but it makes his point about the immensity of India's population and the fervor that followed Ghandi's assassination.
Jennifer Zhou05-Apr-2005 13:27
Phil, the critique turns out to be another learning exercise! I always have trouble with busy pictures because less is more/down to essence, something like that always keep ringing in my head. But here in this case, your intention is to show all these interesting details of this market, and they come together to define the character of Laos, yes from this picture of marketplace, we see how laotian live with modern and traditional lifestyle at the same time! It is busy, very busy, but it works! Thanks for convincing me a busy picture can also be a great one Phil!

Jen
Phil Douglis04-Apr-2005 20:52
Thanks, Jen, for commenting on this picture. I always learn a lot from your comments, and your reaction to this picture is no exception. The idea of bringing two complete strangers together in a moment in time and making them "as one" had never occurred to me until you mentioned it. Magical it is -- that's why photography itself is endlessly fascinating.

However, I must disagree your view that this image is a "bit" busy. It actually is VERY busy. Is to too busy, as you may be suggesting? Should I have exercised the selective power of frame and vantage point to isolate various aspects of this scene and make separate pictures out of them? Good question. I well might have done so. But in this case, my overwhelming purpose was to make a scene that was essentially timeless, yet also include several incongruous references to our times as well. That is why the advertisement is there, and why I had to include the motorbike at right as well. The busyness of the scene is similar to the busyness of the Yangon Chinese Market athttp://www.pbase.com/image/40167586 which you have also commented on. Markets, by their very nature, are very busy and I often try to incorporate that into my image. I don't find a busy picture to be a liability as long as there is a strong focal point to draw the eye. In the Yangon market, it was the woman with her hand to her face. In this shot, it is the pair of older women crossing paths under the advertisement. Thanks, as always, Jen, for bringing up these important issues -- you are helping this picture work its wonders as a teaching example.
Jennifer Zhou04-Apr-2005 07:44
Phil, I love how you capture these two women passing by. They look so alike, their hairstyle, their costumes, even their faces. But they are still completely strangers, and then you are here stoping them and make them being as one, how magical is that!
I also see how you show all the incongruities here but this image is a bit busy to me, I know this is a market place and busy is it suppose to be, but photography has this ability to decide what to leave out and what to include in. I think this photo can be divided to several simpler but still interesting ones. What do you think?

Jen
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