Stupa Rainbow, Pakse, Laos, 2005 by Phil Douglis

Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Six: Vantage Point makes the difference > Stupa Rainbow, Pakse, Laos, 2005

previous | next


31-JAN-2005

Stupa Rainbow, Pakse, Laos, 2005

A dozen stupas – Buddhist gravestones -- merge together in rainbow of vivid colors in the cemetery of a Pakse temple. I noticed that the angle of the sun was creating a stripe of deep vertical shadow on each of the stupas. Although the stupas themselves were spaced several feet apart, I was able to use my long telephoto lens to “collapse” them so that they appear to be closer together. The key to this illusion is my vantage point. I kept moving until I found an angle that brought them as close to each other as possible, yet still reveal each vertical shadow.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20
1/500s f/5.6 at 36.7mm iso80 hide exif

Full EXIF Info
Date/Time	31-Jan-2005 08:26:57
Make	Panasonic
Model	DMC-FZ20
Flash Used	No
Focal Length	36.7 mm
Exposure Time	1/500 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

other sizes: small medium large original auto

previous | next

Phil Douglis		03-Oct-2005 01:36
You answered your own question, Yi-Min. The twigs are life, the tombs are death -- context and subject. I also included the twigs to give depth and perspective to the image. A lot of people are not accustomed to foreground information in photographs, so they call it "distracting" -- but if they would stop and think about its purpose, as you did, they would come to think otherwise.

YOP		02-Oct-2005 17:50
Hi Phil, Just wondering if the inclusion of the twigs and leaves(?) on the upper right hand corner was intended. Originally I thought I may be a little bit of a distraction, so I tried to crop it out on my computer. But none of my croppings work as good as the original version. It could be that the aspect ratio of the frame matters, but somehow those twigs give this otherwise very abstract image some context related to the real world. Yi-Min

Phil Douglis		03-May-2005 21:17
You did a beautiful job of summarizing the ideas conveyed by this vantage point, Clara. Thanks.

Guest		03-May-2005 20:11
Your perspective converts the picture into an abstract. It is like many color pencils standing up. Only that they are richly ornamented with Buddhist figures. Interesting meditation: color, form, culture, tradition, faith, transcending life and death.

Phil Douglis		10-Mar-2005 17:30
You put your finger on the single biggest challenge we face in travel photography. We are often so excited by the sheer novelty of what we see before us as we travel to strange and exotic places, that we feel compelled to make a record of it with our camera. But the camera, when used in an unselective and literal manner, does not replicate what you are really feeling about what you see -- it merely records its appearance. It makes, as you say, a exotic document, or post card view that defines only its surface, not its essence. We must force the camera to see interpretively if we want to express our feelings about what we see in a fresh and definitive way. As you note, in this case, I recognized the value and role of light, shadow, and color, and brought them together in a fresh and expressive way. I chose a vantage point and lens focal length that changed the way these Stupas really looked, and turned them instead into a rainbow of color to better express their spiritual energy.

Tim May		10-Mar-2005 16:55
For me, one of the most difficult aspects of travel photography is to move beyond the exotic and postcard view, to create an image that contains enough information to define what I am seeing while seeing it freshly and with feeling. Wow do you do that here! The combination of point of view, light and color make this image sing. Stupas were omnipresent throughout our visit - yet here in an image you have caught the spirit of them.

Phil Douglis		28-Feb-2005 23:48
Mo, I will make a print of this and bring it Belgium with me in June as a gift to you.

monique jansen		28-Feb-2005 12:19
The more I look at this picture, the more I really like it - would love to have it as a print, if you can manage it Phil! It is very abstract, very colorful and there is more to it than what you see at first sight.

Phil Douglis		27-Feb-2005 20:55
Yes, it is one of those "What's It?" pictures. I have taken a very common subject in Southeast Asia, a line of tombs, and changed into a rainbow through my vantage point and focal length choice. The rest is a function of light, shadow, and color.

monique jansen		27-Feb-2005 09:20
This one is an eye-catcher and an eye-teaser, you really have to look at it a couple of seconds before you see what is really in this picture - very incongruous.

Type your message and click Add Comment

It is best to login or register first but you may post as a guest. Enter an optional name and contact email address. Name
Name Email
help	private comment

Type your message and click Add Comment

It is best to login or register first but you may post as a guest. Enter an optional name and contact email address. Name
Name Email
help	private comment