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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twenty Nine: The Layered Image – accumulating meaning > Graves in the weeds, Fairview Cemetery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2005
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16-JUL-2005

Graves in the weeds, Fairview Cemetery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2005

These graves, awash in a sea of golden weeds, express what happens when generations expire and leave their dead to the ravages of time. I anchor this haunting wideangle image with a foreground layer of weeds, broken only by the isolated, tilted tombstone at right. A long shadow leads through the weeds to the stone -- the only spot of shade in the frame. The middle layer is the fenced enclosure – the subject of the image. The fence incongruously protects a gravesite that lies utterly forgotten and buried in the weeds. Meanwhile, the background layer shows a vulnerable fringe of green, soon to join the sea of gold that envelopes these forgotten graves.

Canon PowerShot G6
1/640s f/4.0 at 10.2mm hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time16-Jul-2005 04:23:10
MakeCanon
ModelCanon PowerShot G6
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length10.2 mm
Exposure Time1/640 sec
Aperturef/4
ISO Equivalent
Exposure Bias1.00
White Balance (-1)
Metering Modemulti spot (3)
JPEG Quality (6)
Exposure Programshutter priority (2)
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis07-Feb-2007 20:07
Graveyard imagery affects people in different ways, Ceci. This image has sparked a cross-section of reactions, ranging from Jill's perfect resting place, to your own dislike of being "laid into the ground." Jen sees it as a metaphor of choices, while others use the image to stir their own memories of this haunted place. Thanks for adding to the dialogue.
Guest 07-Feb-2007 07:06
The parent buried on the right, the baby in its crib buried to the left. Or so it seems, looking at this sun drenched picture with the soft grass contrasting so well with those sharply pointed spikes around the smaller headstone. I found this both reassuring and a bit alien, in that this is a nice place to rest, but also that I have no desire to be "laid into the ground." I want to be freed to soar on the wind, in the form of ash. Because eventually everhting will go back to the dust, as is apparent in this simply, stark, warm, beautiful image.
Phil Douglis17-Apr-2006 06:08
It is very moving to know how people connect with my images on a deeply personal level. Thanks for letting me know.
Guest 19-Mar-2006 16:09
Last year I visited Fairview and found a spot where I believe my Grandmother, Ollie May Bell Chase Spaulding , is buried. A young women who died so young and left three little boys. It was nice to sit close to her.
Phil Douglis27-Feb-2006 22:29
Thanks, Joe, for adding context to this image. This knowledge does not affect the meaning of this image, but it does tell us how important water, which we usually take for granted, can be to the character of a cemetery.
Guest 27-Feb-2006 21:41
That grave site is not technically within the boundaries of Fairview Cemetary, but belongs to the Woodman of the World Cemetary right next door to the south. However due to theshortsighetedness of the Water Company of Santa Fe, there is no longer grass at Fairview Cemetary, once a garden spot of the southwest. Joe Roberts 2 26 06
Phil Douglis10-Dec-2005 04:23
And that's the ultimate question that any cemetery image asks. How will I be remembered?
jack 09-Dec-2005 21:51
The best laid plans of mice and men. Time will take us all to the same resting place, somewhere.
Phil Douglis23-Jul-2005 19:30
A wonderful observation, Jen. I never thought about this image before as dealing with choices. But you are right -- the solitary stone could be seen as a symbol of a life lived in full, on our own terms. And the enclosed stone could easily been seen to symbolize a safe but cautious approach to life. Ultimately, no matter which path we choose to follow in life, death takes us all, as nature absorbs not only our bodies but also obliterates our memory. You have given me new eyes to see this image, Jen. Thank you.
Jennifer Zhou23-Jul-2005 07:37
I have to say this is a very emotional image involving life and death, circle of nature. We don't see actual human-being here, but the picture is full of human values. It suggests two kinds of life choice---letting go, and free our own souls to embrace the big, unlimited world, or being cautious about everything, fence ourselves in to a seemingly safe but a very small zone.
Phil Douglis23-Jul-2005 03:05
I know that images from cemeteries play a significant role in your own expression, Jill. I looked again at your memorable Images in Stone gallery, and was struck by the photo athttp://www.pbase.com/jillburhans/image/37116058. You are telling us that life and death are both part of nature itself. It was no accident that you included that small plant emerging from the darkness below the slab of the grave you photographed. In this image, I filled an entire frame with plant life, both alive and dead. I appreciate your comment about this being a perfect resting place, Jill. It gives new meaning to the phrase "rest in peace."
Jill23-Jul-2005 00:04
The perfect resting place.
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