Steps, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, 2005 by Phil Douglis

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03-NOV-2005

Steps, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, 2005

I watched this woman, leaning heavily on her cane, take very slow steps as she carefully maneuvered past a series of houses, each with a set of steps of their own. Suddenly a younger person, wearing athletic shoes, emerged from one of those houses and began to descend the steps just in front of the woman with the cane. I used the top edge of my frame to abstract this person, including only the legs. In using my frame in this way, I create an incongruous symbol of youth and vigor. These symbolic young legs contrast to the infirm legs of the woman with the cane. She never looks up. The person coming out of the door stopped and stood silently on the step as she slowly passed.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30
1/400s f/5.6 at 75.9mm iso80 hide exif

Full EXIF Info
Date/Time	03-Nov-2005 08:37:01
Make	Panasonic
Model	DMC-FZ30
Flash Used	No
Focal Length	75.9 mm
Exposure Time	1/400 sec
Aperture	f/5.6
ISO Equivalent	80
Exposure Bias	-1.00
White Balance	(10)
Metering Mode	multi spot (3)
JPEG Quality	(6)
Exposure Program	program (2)
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis		19-Jan-2008 04:08
You are learning the value of abstraction here, Vera. Less can usually say more.

Guest		03-Jan-2008 18:53
Phil, I think it has all been said here, but just wanted to comment on the fact that this picture captivates me. Once again, I would have capture just the woman. You have brought the scene to life for us so we feel as if we are living in the moment, experience the different worlds they live in. Vera

Phil Douglis		01-Mar-2007 19:10
Thanks, Aloha, for adding a new dimension of meaning to this image. I had overlooked the symbolic meanings of light and shadow here. After rearding your wonderful comment, the symbolic interplay of light and shadow become every bit as important as the contrasting energy levels and ages. You prove a point that I often make to my students: I made this image as an instintive reaction to a generational contrast. Only later does additional meaning appear. And different meanings appear to different people. That is the great strength of expressive photography. It is a process that continues to grow and change. Everytime we look at this image, it is possible to see it in yet another new way. Thank you, Aloha, for helping me point this out.

Aloha Diao Lavina		01-Mar-2007 04:57
I like this photograph for two points, one, as previously discussed, the concepts of the differing motions of the two people. But it also expresses the movement of time symbolically, the youth bounding from darkness into light, the old woman shuffling from light into darkness. I don't know that you intended the second motion, but it adds much to this wonderfully dynamic photograph. Thanks for sharing.

Phil Douglis		17-Apr-2006 06:24
The angle is everything here, Jeremy. Where we stand determines what we say.

Jeremy		22-Mar-2006 13:33
The old woman is oblivious to the young man walking down the steps into the wayof her path. By framing only the young man's legs walking down the steps in the photo, there is uncertainty if the young man would be oblivious to the old woman as well. (Glad to hear from your description that the young man stopped by the steps to let the old woman pass). The expressions of youth and age, converging uncertainly, creates a tension that is palpable in the photo. The angle at which the picture was taken is excellent, accentuating the contrast of youth and age, the convergence of movements, and the 3-dimensionality of the confined space.

Phil Douglis		24-Nov-2005 17:24
I am thrilled that you compare the space between the leg and the step here to the wonderful tension apparent in Henri Cartier Bresson's famous image. The smaller the negative space, the more the tension crackles.

Jennifer Zhou		24-Nov-2005 13:41
I like how you captured the boy's leg hanging in the air, that is a minimal space----as minimal as it can get, haha...Sounds familiar? Well I reviewed my lesson on "Behind the Gare St. Lazare". Yes this picture reminds me of that picture...

Phil Douglis		15-Nov-2005 17:46
But I've left much here to the imagination as well, Mo. By abstracting the person coming down the stairs, I make him or her into a symbolic figure representing youth and vigor. The contrast between old and young is heightened.

monique jansen		15-Nov-2005 15:10
Image full of subdued contrasts, you can tell that the person coming down the steps is young and vibrant, whereas the old lady is tired and worn.

Guest		12-Nov-2005 18:14
I see that this old women gave you some nice shots, Phil. :)) It is true that it seems like the young guy (concept that I also adquired doe to the abstraction, the modern clothing and the dynamism of the leggs) has to roll over the old women. Aniway, this feeleng rises some more philosofical thoughts too. The concept of time, this kind of abstract concept that is reflected in this photo at two different speeds, the slow lingering one of the old women and the fast & impetuous lecture that the young man gives to it.

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