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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Seven: Making time count > Bathing at Mahangandhayon Monastery. Amarapura, Myanmar, 2005
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Bathing at Mahangandhayon Monastery. Amarapura, Myanmar, 2005

A tub of cold water, a pot, and a bar of soap are the essentials for a monk's daily bath. But the bath itself is more than just tools. To make an effective image of the bath, we must somehow express the essence of bathing. I chose to stress the energy this monk brings to his daily bath. I did it by using the fast shutter speed of 1/1000th of second to stop the action as he doused himself with water. The droplets of water hang in space, exploding from the pot onto his body. The stains on the wall behind echo the pattern of the drops suspended in space by the camera’s shutter. By using the camera to stop time in this manner, we not only can express the essence of this bath, but also show a common act in an uncommon way. The camera can see in ways that our eyes can’t. One of those ways is stopping time in its tracks.


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Phil Douglis19-Jan-2008 03:48
I am back from Vietnam now. I read this comment briefly when my travel companion Tim May was on line, and it gave me the idea to produce a gallery all about motion. And that is what I have done. Seehttp://www.pbase.com/pnd1/motion Thank you, Vera, for having this epiphany. There is no such thing
as "picture perfect." Photographs are not measured by either quantitative or qualitative standards. Those
who judge the value of an image based on the appearance of other images are not thinking of expression -- they are thinking only of technical guidelines that have been passed down to us by scientists and engineers, not artists.
Guest 19-Dec-2007 13:24
Another image that caught my eye. That splash of water on a hot day can feel soooo good. And it is the splash that I noticed first. I read the comments on this photo. I never noticed that the hand was not sharp. To me it looked like movement, which is what was happening. To have it sharp everywhere, for me, would make it seem less real. Reading your book is teaching me that photography does not have to be about the science of taking the picture. Isn't it better sometimes to capture the image so it has a life and is not "picture perfect." I am ranting, as I know that is what you are teaching us here. It is first thing in the morning, Ruby went back to her kennel for a sleep, and you are somewhere in Vietnam. Sigh....isn't it a great life.
Vera
Phil Douglis23-Oct-2006 20:35
Thanks, Azlin, for these kind words. Glad this image helps you rethink your own imagery. As photographers we are working in three dimensions simultaneously -- making choices in light, time, and space. This uses all three, but the emphasis is on time, frozen incongruously and forever.
Azlin Ahmad20-Oct-2006 16:22
Phil, I love this! The motion, the cleansing effect of the water, the textures in the background, the contrast between the sun and the shade. It's marvellous! As I (still) try to seek a new direction in seeing things, this is an eye opener. Thanks.

Azlin
Phil Douglis25-Jul-2006 17:41
Bathing as a spiritual force -- what a beautiful concept, Jenene. The cleansing of the body has indeed become a purifying force here. Thanks for seeing the important role that light plays here, as well as time.
JSWaters25-Jul-2006 14:58
What a beautiful image, Phil. Every aspect of the monk's being speaks of his demeanor and devotion to his life's purpose. You can surmise that his act of bathing is performed as gracefully as are his daily prayers. The light shining on him represents the inner light he must surely seek in every act of devotion he completes.
Jenene
Phil Douglis20-Oct-2005 21:25
I see your point here, Denny, but do not agree with it terms of my intentions for this image. A "weakness" to you here is a strength to me. I find that the softer hand and pot place greater emphasis on the sharpness of the water suspended in the air. It is a matter of simple contrast. You think the image would be stronger if everything was equally sharp here, while I disagree. I used a long lens for this one, and as I recall, the lens was closed down as far as it went (the EXIF date on this particular image has somehow vanished so I am not sure of that). I was shooting from a medium distance with a long focal length, focused on the water, and this was the result.
Denny Crane 20-Oct-2005 20:01
The intersection of the two diagonals -- I think that's where the tilting feeling comes from -- and the tension. There seems to be a slight bit of gravity pulling him back, so he's not solidly planted on his feet. The frozen water looks good and does express what you wanted. The unsharpness of the pot and hand remains the only relatively weak element in the picture (that is, it'd be a stronger image if they were sharp). But that doesn't spoil the picture at all. Just a minor complaint.
Phil Douglis20-Oct-2005 00:00
The softer focus on the hand and pot is not an issue for me. It's the suspended water that make the image express what I want to express. I see no tilt in this image. I like the dynamic effect of the diagonal flow of the counter intersecting with the diagonal shadow on the wall -- it adds considerable tension. I routinely correct tilted horizons in Photoshop when it is possible to do so. In this case, I saw no reason for such correction.
Denny Crane 19-Oct-2005 22:05
With the high shutter speed, you lost depth of field, so the water container and his hand got out of focus, which hurts the picture. I feel a tilting to the left, as I do in other pictures I've commented on tonight. If you can't naturally straighten your horizons when you shoot, you might do it with your image-editing software. I think you could freeze the water with a slower shutter speed, and it could be fine if the splashing water were blurred. A bonus of this is you'd get the greater depth of field (unless you up the ISO to get both higher shutter speed and more depth of field). I like the colors and light on the man. The background sets off the man quite well, and the patterns in the wall are nice, but I don't strain my brain to fantasize on deeper symbolic meanings in those patterns.
Phil Douglis18-May-2005 05:06
Thanks, Anna, for noticing the value of the background texture and the way the light brings a sense of dimension to the body.
Anna Pagnacco18-May-2005 01:14
I have a similar one but not taken so well....
On this one besides the catch of the water and sense of movement I like the texture of the background and the light....Ciao, Anna
Phil Douglis12-May-2005 20:57
I can always count on you, Clara, to see things in my images that I did not. Discipline and surrender. Two human values expressed by freezing the path of the water in mid-flight, and the humble posture of this monk as he douses himself with it.
Guest 12-May-2005 18:21
Beautiful and poetic image that shows truly the action of this young man giving himself to purifying waters. It talks about discipline and surrender.
Phil Douglis10-Mar-2005 23:12
Thanks for this wonderful comment, Tim. I agree with all of your observations on this image. His posture does suggest a certain humility, and humility expressed in this way can be quite beautiful. He is cleansing himself, and bowing at the same time. Yes it is a comment event. As expressive photographers, we are always looking for ways to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, aren't we?
Tim May10-Mar-2005 17:27
Why do I love this image so much? That is the question I bring to viewing it - Clearly the stop time, that is vital, but what else it there - I think it's... the way the softness of the figure, the bowing and warmth is contrasted by the light and shadow lines - the circles created by the bowl and head, both with highlighted spots - the balance of the figure and the strong diagonal line of the shadow - the bend of the back and the straightness of the rest of the lines - the way the figure as a whole is centered, yet the weight of the figure is slightly off center - the fact of all this beauty in a common everyday event. That is part of why I love this image so much.
Phil Douglis28-Feb-2005 23:53
Thank you, Mo, for this comment. It means a lot to me because you are so familiar with this subject matter. I felt that simplicity and humility in this image as well.
monique jansen28-Feb-2005 12:26
I actually really like this image Phil, it speaks of simple washing, but also of devotion, the bowed head, the bald head, the simple daily task, the otherwise emptiness of the shot, stark almost in its simplicity.
monique jansen27-Feb-2005 09:40
Very expressive image.
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