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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twenty Seven: Bringing far to near with the telephoto lens > Antiques Market, Place du Grand Sablon, Brussels, Belgium, 2005
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10-JUN-2005

Antiques Market, Place du Grand Sablon, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

Shoppers at Brussels' Place du Grand Sablon Weekend Antiques Market make good photographic subjects in themselves. This woman's hand gesture speaks of decision-making. She seems to have just stepped out of the painting behind her, which also makes use of hands. I was standing about 20 feet away from this scene, and used a medium telephoto focal length of nearly 200mm to make the photo. Although my point of focus was on the woman’s gesture, the painting is sharp enough to register detail as well. The depth of focus at 200mm from that distance was substantial enough to define the painting in reasonable detail.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20
1/125s f/4.0 at 32.6mm iso200 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time10-Jun-2005 12:36:18
MakePanasonic
ModelDMC-FZ20
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length32.6 mm
Exposure Time1/125 sec
Aperturef/4
ISO Equivalent200
Exposure Bias-2.00
White Balance (10)
Metering Modemulti spot (3)
JPEG Quality (6)
Exposure Programprogram (2)
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis27-Dec-2005 02:22
Yes, I noticed the similarity in clothing color immediately. If the woman who is the subject of this picture was not wearing black, this image would have never worked as well as it does.
Lara S27-Dec-2005 00:29
Not only the play of the hands is interesting. But even though centuries apart, they are dressed alike. Dark, severe clorhing.
Phil Douglis10-Dec-2005 04:16
To buy or not to buy? That is the question.
jack 09-Dec-2005 21:28
Is she thinking, a penny for your thoughts? Such a questioning look.
Phil Douglis03-Aug-2005 17:29
Thanks, Ana, for interpreting her expression as a "what the hell happened" look. I felt it as well. I think what this image is really telling us is that people are really pretty much the same, no matter when they may have happened to have lived. Costumes, technology, and knowledge changes, of course. But underneath it all, genetically and physically, the 18th or 19th century people in that painting were no different than the woman who stands before them.
Ana Carloto O'Shea03-Aug-2005 11:28
This was definitely a very well caught moment! The woman looks indeed like is part of the painting... or better, it looks like, for some freak accident in space time continuum, she was catapulted into the present just at the time you were taking the photo :-) Her face and body language suggests that she's wondering what the hell happend to her and the figures in the painting are left there wondering the same and they sure look a little worried...
It's a fine work, full of oportunity and with a surprising harmony of hues, that definitely changes our vision of the photo completely and surely is thought provoking at least when it comes to our imagination.
Phil Douglis23-Jul-2005 22:07
As I said in the caption, she looks as if she has just stepped out of that painting into the present day. Now that you mention the genes and DNA, they could indeed be distantly related. The set of the mouths, fingers, and skin tones match well. The fact that all wear dark clothing helps bring these similarities out. Thanks, Tim, for the observation.
Tim May23-Jul-2005 19:00
The people in the painting represent, for me, her ancestors looking grimly from her past - through genes and dna into her present. She even seems to be carrying the stance of watchful seriousness, although there is a little bit more delight in her eye.
Phil Douglis04-Jul-2005 17:45
Thanks, Mo, for the comment. The more I look at this, the more I see her as part of the part of the painting as well. I think its because the color of the painting -- basically black and flesh tones -- is the same as her coloration. And, of course, the hands.
monique jansen04-Jul-2005 07:17
she really is part of the painting, very strange to look at, very interesting as well
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