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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Three: Expressing human values > Nightfall, Portland, Oregon, 2006
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12-JUN-2006

Nightfall, Portland, Oregon, 2006

This is still another image without visible people, yet it is entirely focused on human values. I was with a photo tour shooting a sunset, and found that the man-made portion of the scene to the left of the setting sun provided a more expressive subject than natural beauty by itself. I juxtaposed a lone car against an incongruous contradiction – a golden sky punctured at intervals by utility poles, its natural colors competing with those of a glowing gas station sign and traffic signals. This photograph expresses the human values of loneliness, greed, and ugliness, set against a backdrop of nature at its most beautiful.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30
1/40s f/3.7 at 88.8mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis03-Oct-2006 05:53
The more simple an image is, Chris, the more it leaves to the imagination of the viewer. Glad it stimulates yours.
Chris Sofopoulos18-Sep-2006 20:03
As I was reading your comment for this photo I had the same thoughts on my mind, for loneliness of people. A simple image like this can be so strong sometimes!
Sam Bliss29-Aug-2006 19:03
"Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive!" (Sir Walter Scott, Marmion, Canto vi. Stanza 17)
What I am seeing in this image is a 'tangle web' of power lines that we are caught in. We have deceived ourselves into thinking we are in control and this photograph speaks loudly of the human need to control and have order. So, some questions come to mind - Is this 'nature' in man's image? Is our value system one of taking? Are we still so much like children that we do not understand there are consequences to our actions?
Phil Douglis16-Aug-2006 00:39
Thanks, Rodney, for picking up on the symbolic green lights, and for offering the Chevron station as a metaphorical lighthouse. Safety, security, familiarity are all human values, and yes, I see them in this image just as you do.
Guest 15-Aug-2006 23:24
Something I forgot to mention: I'm not certain if the green traffic lights are before or after the Chevron sign, but they say to me "it's safe to go there..." Another human value (personal safety).
Guest 15-Aug-2006 23:23
This colorful photo speaks to me of hope. The roads are dark, I do not see the begining or ending of them. I immediately got a feeling of "where am i?" Then I see something familiar, something I can go to (for gas, for directions, for even a drink). The Chevron sign, to me, is a beacon, like a lighthouse would be for a ship lost at sea
Phil Douglis28-Jul-2006 23:50
Thanks for being the first to notice the human values here, Emi. The entire landscape has been consumed by man's needs and greed. Ambition is a good word for that human value.
Guest 28-Jul-2006 16:33
The human value I see here is the ambition of man kind. Humans, living on the ground, but try to dominate and challenge the upper world(sky). With this ambition, yes, we gain a lot, we also disturb the order of nature - the sky, supposed to be a place for birds, clouds, sun....,etc.

Emi
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