Duck and friends, Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia, 2005 photo

Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twenty Five: Stimulating the imagination with “opposites and contradictions” > Duck and friends, Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia, 2005

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07-SEP-2005

Duck and friends, Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia, 2005

Eleven carp encircle a single duck in the crystal clear waters of one of the park’s 16 magical lakes. There are a number of opposites and contradictions present in this luminous image. First of all, its 11 against one, but the one has a decided size advantage. They may share the same water at the same moment, but these fish don’t seem to be concerned about the duck, while the duck completely ignores the fish. They could be its wallpaper! There are similarities as well. All seem to effortlessly share a life in this water, and notice how the duck’s tail seems to be formed very much in the same shape as a fish tail. What we see here is nature at work – the fish must find some benefit from hanging around a duck, while the duck does not seem to mind all the company.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20
1/125s f/3.7 at 21.5mm iso80 hide exif

Full EXIF Info
Date/Time	07-Sep-2005 13:02:27
Make	Panasonic
Model	DMC-FZ20
Flash Used	No
Focal Length	21.5 mm
Exposure Time	1/125 sec
Aperture	f/3.7
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

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Phil Douglis		23-Jul-2006 17:36
Totally delicious? I'll take it as a compliment, Ceci. And your Haiku as well. Thanks.

Guest		23-Jul-2006 05:07
A Haiku for Phil: Carp hover, seeking Duck floats oblivious, calm Both fish and fowl fly. Another totally delicious image!

Phil Douglis		14-Jul-2006 16:38
Once again, you honor one of my images by giving it new meaning, Sun Han. I was thinking here of the work of nature itself. Yet you also interpret it as a metaphor for all of us, and how we must deal with a world full of often confusing choices. As you say, the tables have turned, and your comment makes the duck wary, rather than complacent, now trapped within the circle of fish. The image is indeed a paradox. And that is why it is featured in my gallery on "opposites and contradictions."

Guest		14-Jul-2006 15:29
"no big fish dwells in super clear water" another chinese saying has been altered here -are you sure it's not special effect? -no, it's more real than real, more clear than clear -poor duck, it must feel being trapped! this is wonderful picture of paradox, a thought-provoking photo of an abnormal sight in a normal animal photo again, water plays a vital role here, but it's way to clear for these animals to co-inhabit this is the type of photo appear to be normal, but challenge to people's common sense if look carefully it can be intepreted as a metaphor of the human condition/plight in a hyper-real digital post-modern world nowaday cool

Phil Douglis		10-Oct-2005 18:14
The essence of a contradiction is seeing the extraordinary within the ordinary, Kal. Ducks and fish often inhabit the same space, side by side. But rarely is the water so clear and luminous as this, allowing my camera to reveal HOW they share that space. And thus I expose daily life in the waters of Plitvice National Park for what it really is -- a contradiction of our expectations.

Kal Khogali		10-Oct-2005 14:42
A surreal image Phil, not because this is not a situation that exists in reality every day, but because we never see it this way in our ordinary lives. You open eyes to reality through such surrealism. I love it.

Phil Douglis		08-Oct-2005 00:28
In such echoes, we see kinship.

Tim May		05-Oct-2005 17:56
I love this for its color and light. The green water glows in an inviting way. Small detail that caught my eye, the echoing of the crossed fish and the crossed duck tail.

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