photo sharing and upload picture albums photo forums search pictures popular photos photography help login
Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Three: Expressing human values > Unknowns, Catholic Cemetery, Silver Reef, Utah, 2006
previous | next
09-FEB-2006

Unknowns, Catholic Cemetery, Silver Reef, Utah, 2006

The ghost town of Silver Reef has two cemeteries. In its Catholic cemetery, most of the graves are marked "unknown." This is one of those images that can take us by surprise. At first glance it is simply an image of seven crosses on the edge of desert cemetery. But when we see the word “unknown” on every one of them, the image takes on an entirely new meaning. The people who are buried beneath them not only died a long time ago, in what has since become a ghost town, but they are anonymous. Lost, forgotten, unknown. One might ask if it even matters. It is certainly an image that triggers thoughts, asking questions and demanding answers about the most fundamental human value --- the meaning of life itself.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30
1/500s f/8.0 at 37.3mm iso80 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time09-Feb-2006 14:21:06
MakePanasonic
ModelDMC-FZ30
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length37.3 mm
Exposure Time1/500 sec
Aperturef/8
ISO Equivalent80
Exposure Bias-0.66
White Balance (10)
Metering Modemulti spot (3)
JPEG Quality (6)
Exposure Programprogram (2)
Focus Distance

other sizes: small medium large original auto
share
Guest 13-Nov-2006 07:25
Exactly, that's why it's an excellent photograph.
Phil Douglis12-Nov-2006 20:08
An expressive photograph should ask questions and demand answers from its viewers. And that is what is happening here, Theodore. I can't answer your questions, but if this image makes you stop and think about such things, it is doing its job. It is possible that those who lie below these crosses once were buried in other, unmarked graves. Both they and their town died a long time ago. As I told Christine, gaves are symbols for the living. The mean nothing to the dead. Whoever they once were no longer matters, because everyone who knew them is dead as well. And that is why I backed off on this shot. As Celia notes, I isolated them, increasing their anonymity. I made these choices for a reason, Theodore. I wanted to make you ask the very questions you ask here.
Guest 12-Nov-2006 13:39
Wow. Brings tears to my eyes that those who lie there 5 feet under dont "have" anyone. It's as though their prior existence meant nothing. How old were these seven crosses? How could anyone be "unknown"? And why were the crosses not just left blank? Was it meant intentionally as a final insult to those who lay there?
Phil Douglis29-Jul-2006 00:04
Thanks, Emi, for coming to this picture. It is not easy to look death in the eye as you have done here. We can not achieve immortality by putting a name on a tomb. All of us want to be remembered. But as you say, death is death, and as time passes, everyone becomes unknown.
Guest 28-Jul-2006 17:00
Agree, known or unknown is no longer important once a person is dead. Not only it is not important to the dead person, but also to those who care and love them, death is death, you cannot do anything like making a beautiful grave to bring the dead people alive.

Emi
Phil Douglis10-Mar-2006 21:36
I am simply awestruck by your words, Celia, and thank you for your kindness. You define here the importance of space to expression. As photographers we make many choices in space. How far to stand from our subject, what angle to take, where to place the edges of our frame, what details to emphasize or diminish, include or leave out.
All of those choices affect meaning. You articulate here precisely how I make use of these choices to tell my story. I am delighted that you are able to feel what I felt, and I thank you for your lucid commentary on this image and on my choices.
Cecilia Lim10-Mar-2006 16:55
You have made many strikingly expressive images about gravestones in your body of work. "Pioneer Cemetery" http://www.pbase.com/pnd1/image/35604242) & "Remembering Jane" http://www.pbase.com/pnd1/image/33921370) are two such that come to mind. Although all of them are essentially about the same subject, you never say the same thing over and over again. What I love about your approach here is how you've distanced the viewer from these unknown graves. By placing the viewer some way back with your vantage point, you create a void and emptiness between us and those unmarked graves, further heightening the sense of isolation and anonymity of these lost souls. It is clear that we will never connect with them, and we will never know. I think the mark of a great photographer is always being able to identify the essence of his subject and knowing how to approach the subject in a way that best expresses what he wants to say about it. You do just that and that is what makes your work so great and diverse!
Phil Douglis19-Feb-2006 22:36
I enjoy your musings on life and death here, Christine. I had hoped that this image would inspire just such thoughts. Graves are symbols for the living. They mean nothing to the dead. What this picture tells us is that nobody knows who is buried here, and given the nature of this desolate place, nobody cares about them, either.
That is what this image said to me, and that is why I made it -- it asks us some good questions, and makes us think about the answers. Just as you are doing here.
Guest 19-Feb-2006 18:03
The tones here are beautiful and rich and yet, it is a desolate place.
We all want to be remembered when we die. Having a nice grave won’t do much to that effect although it is like a symbol. I think we have a better chance to be remembered if we contribute to society in a special way and our doings are recognized officially (newspapers, books, patents, etc.). On the other hand, some people are only hoping to be remembered by their immediate family. Being recognized or not will not make much difference to us once we are dead, but what we have left to the next generations, blood-related or not, is what will continue to live on in one way or the other.
(I am still fascinated by cemeteries, though!)
Christine
Phil Douglis18-Feb-2006 02:21
Thanks, Carol, for picking up on the "random" aspect of their burial. It seems that because they were unknown, they were just tossed into the ground casually, with little fuss or fanfare. This image seems to put into question the value of life itself.
Carol E Sandgren17-Feb-2006 22:55
Powerful image portrayed here! Brings sadness to imagine that these unknown souls will be forgotten in the random order of life...and death.
Type your message and click Add Comment
It is best to login or register first but you may post as a guest.
Enter an optional name and contact email address. Name
Name Email
help private comment