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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Two: Travel Incongruities > Aged burl, Oak Creek Canyon, Sedona, Arizona, 2006
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05-OCT-2006

Aged burl, Oak Creek Canyon, Sedona, Arizona, 2006

It’s only a piece of old wood by the side of a trail following the meandering of
Oak Creek, yet I’ve photographed it at very close range to reveal what looks like a brain emerging from ancient rocks. It is startlingly incongruous, not what we’d expect to find while taking a hike along a creek. Using a spot meter on the light colored wood, I’ve underexposed this image to abstract it, making it seem something other than what it really is.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50
1/40s f/3.7 at 88.8mm iso100 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time05-Oct-2006 07:41:48
MakePanasonic
ModelDMC-FZ50
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length88.8 mm
Exposure Time1/40 sec
Aperturef/3.7
ISO Equivalent100
Exposure Bias-0.66
White Balance
Metering Modemulti spot (3)
JPEG Quality
Exposure Programprogram (2)
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis20-Nov-2006 02:35
Thanks, Christine -- when we find interesting textures, we must do our best to abstract them in order to involved the imagination of the viewer. The "trick" here comes by removing as much context as possible with a close up vantage point and tight frame as well as by under exposing it.
Christine P. Newman19-Nov-2006 06:06
Playing tricks on us, Phil. Very interesting textures.
Phil Douglis02-Nov-2006 17:11
You are right, Jude. The title gives context that gives the image its reaiity. Without the title and caption, the image becomes open-ended surrealism. Make of it whatever you will. Glad you find the expression in this image of value.
Jude Marion02-Nov-2006 13:33
This is a lovely combination of light and textures. The close range and exposure make the viewer look more closely at the image, trying to sort out what it is we're looking at ... I think if you hadn't titled the image I would still be wondering! BEautiful surreal abstraction.
Phil Douglis01-Nov-2006 18:33
Good point again, Jenene. This hunk of wood is next to a trail we take on our regularly early morning hikes during our Sedona workshops for corporate communicators. It has become so familiar to me that I never really stopped to study it until now. And when I isolated the light colored wood by zooming in on it, it suddenly changed in front of my eyes, and became a brain of burl. You are so right --nature is full of surprises, but we must be able to discover them for ourselves.
JSWaters01-Nov-2006 17:35
It's incredible what nature will show you if you only look. I love finding things like this that become something else once we zero in on them.
Jenene
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