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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Seventeen: Memories in Metal and Stone: How monuments, sculpture, and tombs express ideas. > Cemetery, Keeler, California, 2006
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16-OCT-2006

Cemetery, Keeler, California, 2006

The graves of a husband and wife rest on a hillside above the distant highway. Someone has taken the time and effort to border both graves with stones. In a way, these borders are more of memorial than the headstones themselves. They show that someone still cares. I made this image with a 28mm wideangle lens, shooting straight into a sun setting beyond the distant hills. A few seconds after I made this photograph, it was dark and we left the occupants of these graves to rest in peace.

Leica D-Lux 3
1/200s f/4.0 at 6.3mm iso100 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time16-Oct-2006 17:46:44
MakeLeica
ModelD-LUX 3
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length6.3 mm
Exposure Time1/200 sec
Aperturef/4
ISO Equivalent100
Exposure Bias-0.66
White Balance
Metering Modemulti spot (3)
JPEG Quality
Exposure Programprogram (2)
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis02-Mar-2007 17:17
Thanks, Ai Li, for noting the role of the sun here. To me, the touch of gold on the graves carries the most meaning. It is a bleak and lonely world they have left behind, but you are right -- the rays of the setting sun does indeed "rest them well." Nicely said.
AL02-Mar-2007 12:18
A sad yet touching sight. Almost abandoned in a remote area but embraced by the one who still cares. Your wide angle gives a vast space which accentuates the sense of loneliness as they only got each other to keep company now. But it also gives a sense of peace as the sun shines on them with warmth and rests them well as it sets.
Phil Douglis01-Nov-2006 18:54
Thanks, Tim, for adding this important bit of context to this image. I did not know that they are shallowly refilling the dry lake bed to hold down the dust so as to cut air pollution. And I did not notice that sliver of water in the distance until you mentioned it. Given this context, I can see how the blazing sun can symbolize not just the human spirit, but also hope for a better, cleaner world.
Tim May01-Nov-2006 17:48
Being in Keeler with you I also see some other things that you have managed to capture here - until recently these graves looked out on the dry lake bed of Owens Lake whose water was taken by Los Angeles. Looking closely at the image I see water in the distance - the lake is in the process of being shallowly refilled to hold down the dust which is the source of major air pollution throughout southern California. This enlightened return of water is symbolized by the bright sun - maybe there is hope for reclaiming our world and countering the mistakes of the past.
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