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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Three: Expressing human values > A Lao Welcome, Mekong River Village, Laos, 2005
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18-JAN-2005

A Lao Welcome, Mekong River Village, Laos, 2005

As I passed this village house, a woman steered her young son to the front door and encouraged him to warmly greet us. He did. For them, the coming of a group of American visitors to their community was a happy event, and happiness is a human value. This image also expresses enthusiasm and energy – the kid’s hands are blurred as he pumps them up and down in excitement.

Leica Digilux 2
1/60s f/2.8 at 7.0mm iso100 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time18-Jan-2005 23:15:48
MakeLeica
ModelDIGILUX 2
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length7 mm
Exposure Time1/60 sec
Aperturef/2.8
ISO Equivalent100
Exposure Bias
White Balance (-1)
Metering Modemulti spot (3)
JPEG Quality (6)
Exposure Programprogram (2)
Focus Distance

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Lisbeth Landstrøm01-Oct-2005 23:10
I really feel the warmth and excitement of this wellcome! About the vantage point I like the "natural" angle since I think it adds to the idea of wellcoming the viewer. Having a lower vantage point could perhaps shomehow give the feeling of a crawling entry?
Phil Douglis12-Jul-2005 18:38
Thanks, Zane, for your comment. I, too, appreciate shooting children a lower level. That is why I often use a Canon G6, with its flip out LCD viewfinder, at waist level. Here is an example:http://www.pbase.com/pnd1/image/40194383, and here is still another:http://www.pbase.com/pnd1/image/40197673

The Leica I used for this shot did not have a waist level capability. I would not have used it in any event, because as Tim May and I discussed below (and Tim was right there with me as I shot this) the shoes on the ground are crucial to the point here. If I had gotten down the child's level, as Zandra does in her marvelous images, I would have lost those shoes. We pick a vantage point according to the idea we are trying to express. Thanks for the comment, Zane. There really is no way for me, however, to have "improved" this particular image. It says what I wanted it to say, and says it well. If had chosen a lower vantage point, as you suggest, the image would become an entirely different one.
Zane Paxton12-Jul-2005 06:07
Phil,

It's a fine image and the timing I'm sure was tricky as this is an 'opportunistic' shot.

The only possibility for improvement might have been to get a lower perspective, more on the eye level of the child. I love the way Zandra does that in most of her shots of children. That suddenly can give greater importance to the child (and for that matter the mother) as it looks like you are so much taller than they are, or you are stepping down some steps?
Phil Douglis09-Mar-2005 18:40
Another cogent thought from Clara. You make an excellent point. To me, this mother and child meant a meaningful image. To them, to have a western visitor at their doorstep for even a few moments might well have been the most exciting moment of the day! It helps to look at a culture from its own perspective now and then. Thanks for making this point.
Guest 09-Mar-2005 14:51
We still live in a big world. The "far" West and the "far" East. For us to travel to these countries is an adventure, although we can pay for it. For them, they can't even visit us mostly, so when we visit them it is an amazing news and novelty in their daily life.
Phil Douglis07-Mar-2005 18:49
The shoes and broom were as important to me as the warm response. This broom and those sandals, as well as the simple wooden house, is Asia. To crop in on just the response itself would rob this image of its context. I am not sure how much cropping Monique had in mind when she made her suggestion. I did take a bit off the right to make detail in the child a bit more prominent, but I would never remove any of that critical context.
Tim May07-Mar-2005 17:03
The broom and shoes are crucial! In the discussion of your image - Waiting for Noodles" there is a great deal of discussion about "clutter," and while I don't think of the broom and shoes as clutter they multiply the sense of human values here - the porch is cleaned in welcome, and there are already several people in the house - this woman is indeed a welcoming person. These details majorly add to the feel.
Phil Douglis28-Feb-2005 23:25
Thanks for the suggestion, Mo. I did just that. You are right, the hands are now a bit more emphatic. I could not crop as close as you might have, but I want to keep in that broom, the sign, and the sandals, all of which add important Asian context.
monique jansen28-Feb-2005 12:07
In my opinion, it would have worked even better with a closer crop, so you can see more of this kid's enthusiasm and see his hands better.
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