Main Street, Huay Xai, Laos, 2005 by Phil Douglis

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18-JAN-2005

Main Street, Huay Xai, Laos, 2005

To express the scale and flavor of this rough and rugged Mekong River town on the Thai-Laotian border, I chose a high camera position. Shooting in late afternoon from the second floor balcony of our old hotel, I was able to define the textures of this dusty little place – from it’s rusted corrugated roofs to its street of packed dirt. I contrast the open space of the street to the well-used trucks that flank it, and waited for a motorbike to enter the frame before taking the picture. Without that motorbike, the picture is not as expressive.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20
1/800s f/5.6 at 36.7mm iso80 hide exif

Full EXIF Info
Date/Time	18-Jan-2005 08:56:10
Make	Panasonic
Model	DMC-FZ20
Flash Used	No
Focal Length	36.7 mm
Exposure Time	1/800 sec
Aperture	f/5.6
ISO Equivalent	80
Exposure Bias
White Balance	(10)
Metering Mode	multi spot (3)
JPEG Quality	(6)
Exposure Program	program (2)
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis		31-Aug-2012 18:15
Exactly, Ken. Expressive photography can be dynamic, colorful, and emotional. It can be informative, thought provoking, even spiritual. And yes, expressive photographs can also convey peace, quiet, and even boredom, as you so eloquently describe in your comment regarding the Telluride's "Nothing Festival." Thanks for making this point. For a such a "boring" image, this photograph has certainly earned its keep in these galleries by receiving so many thought provoking comments.

Guest		30-Aug-2012 22:34
Anyway, reading this discussion got me thinking about something I discovered earlier in the summer. It relates to travel and the discussion about excitement vs boredom. What I discovered was a festival in Telluride, CO called the "Nothing Festival". It is a mock festival dreamed up by townsfolk who yearn for a return to the simpler life that they feel has been ruined in recent years by newcomers always looking for excitement. During the Nothing Festival, nothing happens, and the townsfolk like it that way. Boredom is in, excitement is out. Now this relates to the photo and I think any discussion about art. Photography currently seems afflicted by this malaise where everyone tries to evoke the splendor of a July 4th fireworks display in every pic. So my inclination here is to come to the defense of the photographer. Missing from the photo are only the odors, the quiet rustle of leaves, the sound of insects perhaps, and above all, the stillness. If you can conjure up all of those sensations just by looking at the photo, then the work succeeds in fulfilling its purpose. This one does for me. With a tighter crop on the left, maybe all I would conjure up is the sound of the motorbike. But so I'm kind of seeing things from the point of view of the old folks in Telluride. And for any photo to show me exactly what the "Nothing Festival" is like, it would require the same sort of sensitivity to its subject. I'd want something that evokes the dog days of summer, the sound of crickets chirping and old doors creaking in the wind. That would do it for me. What more would you need?

Guest		30-Aug-2012 19:50
thank you for responding. Where you crop on the left is, I think (just my opinion) going to dictate whether the focus is on the jeeps or more on the motorcyclist. The wider you leave it, the more off center is the cyclist. Also, the wider crop would tend to emphasize the more static elements (building, roof, jeep) , and thus contributes more to the lazy day mood. So your point is well taken (i.e. the image says what you want it to say).

Phil Douglis		30-Aug-2012 18:11
Thanks, Ken, for noting the lazy day mood here. That is what I intended. As for your cropping suggestions, I appreciate your desire to perhaps improve the composition of this image, however keep in mind that cropping is always a subjective art. I cropped it to express what I wanted to say. Others might crop it to express what they want to say. Each of us crops to express our own ideas. I feel that this image says what I want to say just as it now stands.

Guest		30-Aug-2012 00:00
The colors imply hot weather which would tend to make your subjects sluggish. They are not going to be dashing around, doing exciting things in the heat. I see a "lazy day" picture here and thus one in which some level of boredom seems appropriate. As for the composition, there are elements on the left and bottom which seem to detract. Cropping in on the left and maybe top might have helped simplify things.

Phil Douglis		21-Aug-2006 21:44
You make a good point, Chris -- it is the motorbike that brings this scene to life and adds human values to the image. You have learned in your own work to use streets like this as context, and instead make people on the into the subject. The more I think about this image, the more I realize the importance of that motorbike. It is the true subject of this picture. The main street of the town becomes its context.

Chris Sofopoulos		21-Aug-2006 08:19
So strong composition again with the diagonal line of the street. I wouldn't think to wait for something to pass but I think that you are absolutely right! Whenever I captured street images without some people or a vivid thing inside, they seem not so interesting.

Phil Douglis		13-Jul-2006 05:04
Thanks, Sun Han. Your comment reinforces what I was trying to accomplish here. Yes, I was patient. And yes, this image is almost silent. It is that kind of place. Glad you can appreciate what I was trying to accomplish with this overhead vantage point. It places you in the role of an observer. Come sit on this balcony with me. Sip a cup of tea and watch the afternoon slip away with me.

Guest		11-Jul-2006 14:51
with the motorbike, the photo is even quieter i like the mellow tint of sunset and the perfect balance of color and composition good shot takes patience and temparence, well-done!

Phil Douglis		16-Nov-2005 04:31
Thanks, PA. I thank you for enjoying this image as I intended. You are looking it as a curious viewer, and I have been able to stimulate your imagination with it. I agree with the points you make. I thought the motorbike moving through the virtually empty street added a dynamic quality to this quiet image. As for our hotel room, it was small, shabby, linoleum floor, harsh florescent lighting, and no window. The a./c was very loud, the electricity unreliable, and there were large insects flying about. Not the kind of place I would look forward to returning to, but part of the travel experience.

PA		16-Nov-2005 02:19
Some may find this picture rather static, but I see people walking, some kind of small street stands, and get a sense of real life. The parked light trucks hint at dinner or after work time. It may seem quiet on the street, but I am sure it is busy inside the houses. Everything looks quite functional, not like an abandoned place and that is why, to me, the motorcycle, although it adds life to the picture, is not the only interesting element of the picture. I would have also been curious to know what a small old hotel room there looks like.

Phil Douglis		20-Oct-2005 18:19
This image was not made for appreciation by the masses. It a travel photograph intended to capture the essence of a little town that is relatively quite and and static. It does it well, and I use it here to stress the important of vantage point in expressive travel photography.

Denny Crane		20-Oct-2005 09:54
The first three jeeps are the best elements in this photo. I think the roof detracts because there is too much roof in the picture -- it's too dominant, too much weight. You confirmed my feeling that to appreciate this picture "you had to be there". As a reminder of your impressions of this town (boring and static), it's a valid photo. But to those not there, it remains a boring scene, but without the personal memories. So I think it's probably good as a personal photo, but not one for appreciation by the masses.

Phil Douglis		19-Oct-2005 21:39
That's the whole point of this image, Denny. It's all about a static place. Even the motorbike stands still. I built this image on the very things that bore you. It's all about how I felt about this place. Some viewers, such as Clara, as well as Tim, who was there with me, will understand and appreciate my intentions and the way I executed this image to fulfill them. Others, such as yourself, won't. That's the way expressive photography works. This image simply does not meet your expectations or desires. But it certainly met mine.

Denny Crane		19-Oct-2005 18:02
This is a very static picture and rather boring picture. The motorbike doesn't look like its even moving, which adds to the statitcity of the shot. The motorbike is not in the perfect place compositionally. The picture needs an element that excites, surprises or just interests the viewer in some way. If you want to show the lack of activity in the small village, then a person with a distinctive shape or movement might be enough to keep this picture from putting me to sleep. As it is, the picture looks like a blank slate waiting for a subject to make it into a real picture. The point of view and diagonal is fine to use here, but where's the subject, the interest, the thing to make this picture remain in the mind after it disappears from view? These words are to encourage you to go for more. Can you see how this picture might be boring to viewers who don't share your memory of the picture-taking event?

Phil Douglis		03-May-2005 21:16
To get a sense of this street, you really need this kind of a vantage point, Clara. Thanks for this comment.

Guest		03-May-2005 19:57
I like the perspective that your vantage point gives you here, you get the feeling of the whole street, portraying both the roofs and the soil and bottom of buildings, with the shops, the electricity cables, the people walking without rush, the bike. A nice composition.

Phil Douglis		10-Mar-2005 23:49
I agree with you, Tim, that light and color are very important in defining the nature of this place, and from this high vantage point, I get to use both. I also think that this motorbike is anything but static. It is on the move, and will sail right out the picture, exactly where you say it will.

Tim May		10-Mar-2005 17:32
Of course you are right, this is about focal point, but for me, light is the second most powerful element. I love the warm flow of the brownish road that sweeps across the image - and, since I know that the edges matter to an image and to you, in the upper left hand corner there is a bright spot and the road moves on - these people are going somewhere.

Phil Douglis		28-Feb-2005 23:35
The motorbike is intended to be the focal point. It is the only thing moving on this street, which tells us something about the relative degree of activity in this small village. The diagonal flow of the street adds a sense of movement to that bike, the textures and color help define the dusty, rusty nature of this place.

monique jansen		28-Feb-2005 12:18
I am not sure about the expressiveness of this picture - I am not sure the motorbike adds much to it, to be honest, what works for me is the diagonal,and the different textures in the picture and also the overal brownish tint.

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