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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Four: Finding meaning in details > Mercedes, Karlovac, Croatia, 2005
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06-SEP-2005

Mercedes, Karlovac, Croatia, 2005

Someone had been working on this car, which I photographed in a back yard near Karlovac. The glove, sponge and tray left on the hood are details that tell us so. I only suggest the scale of the work still to be done on this car – the peeling paint and lack of a headlight speak volumes. I use my frame and exposure to abstract, suggest, and imply, rather than describe its condition – letting these few details tell the story.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20
1/2000s f/8.0 at 72.0mm iso200 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time06-Sep-2005 18:26:40
MakePanasonic
ModelDMC-FZ20
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length72 mm
Exposure Time1/2000 sec
Aperturef/8
ISO Equivalent200
Exposure Bias-0.67
White Balance (10)
Metering Modemulti spot (3)
JPEG Quality (6)
Exposure Programprogram (2)
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis18-Aug-2006 19:55
Thanks, Jude, for taking the time to think about this image and its meaning. You are right. The context changes when we learn that this scene was shot in Croatia, a country torn by war. The task of healing this car is as time consuming as the task of healing the wounds of that war. Yet as you say, one might also look at this task as a metaphor for making the old new again, or restoring mobility to an immobile object. The image certainly asks us to think about the process of renovation itself. Is it being repaired, waiting to be repaired, or abandoned forever?
Jude Marion18-Aug-2006 14:28
I've read Tim's comment regarding the metaphor relating to the healing necessary after the war in Croatia, and have to agree with him, because we know this image is from that area. But I look at this image and imagine it being anywhere, and see it expressing a very basic human trait - facing a challenge. The car is in obvious need of work. It appears that the glove and tray have been used in the past. I'm left wondering if someone has made an attempt at fixing the car and abandoned that notion, or have the glove and try been set there in anticiption of taking on this task. But knowing that this image is from Croatia, I wonder if the car repair had been interupted due to the war and wonder about the fate of the person who left it job unfinished. Will they return to complete it, or are they about to do these repairs.
Phil Douglis24-Dec-2005 20:20
Thanks, Grant. I don't usually use ISO 200, but am glad you feel it contributes to the content here. (I had the ISO set at 200 for some interior shots I made earlier, and must have forgotten to change it back to 80. I certainly did not need to make this shot at 1/2000th of a second at f/8.0!) In any event, I did not find the level of noise at ISO 200 to be an issue with the FZ-20. It's there of course at 100 per cent magnification, but I don't make huge prints, and use my images primarily as teaching examples here on the Internet, so it is a non-issue. But if it helps create a subtle texture that intensifies the dilapidated nature of this car, it's all to the good. A happy mistake.
Grant Stewart 24-Dec-2005 11:03
Using ISO 200, with the resulting grain, seems to accentuate the delapidated nature of the vehicle itself.
Phil Douglis08-Oct-2005 00:22
Glad you noticed the connection, Tim, between this image and the battered wall. This was taken across the street from that wall. The people who work on this car have known hard times and much pain. Perhaps bringing this car back to life is their way of working through some of that pain.
Tim May05-Oct-2005 17:36
This image echos your riddled wall image. I see it as a metaphor for the healing that must be done after the damage of the war. The blood-like red hand also emphasizes that feeling.
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