Resident, former Westward Ho Hotel, Phoenix, Arizona, 2007 photo

Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Three: Expressing human values > Resident, former Westward Ho Hotel, Phoenix, Arizona, 2007

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28-APR-2007

Resident, former Westward Ho Hotel, Phoenix, Arizona, 2007

We came to the remains of the former Westward Ho, one of Phoenix’s first luxury hotels, to marvel at its faded beauty. Yet the most moving part of our visit was the few minutes we spent talking with one of its present residents who we found sitting in a wheelchair, cradling his dog in his arms. He is one of many disabled people who now live in subsidized government housing here. He graciously posed for me, and I made several images of him with a smile on his face. However the most poignant image I made of him was this one, when he turned from the camera to look through a distant door at the outside world. I underexposed the image to darken the tile floor dating back to 1928 when the hotel was built. I placed him off to one side, creating a sense of distance, and room for remembrance. Meanwhile, he gave comfort to his small dog, just as his dog no doubt gave comfort to him. Distance, remembrance and comfort are all human values that need no explanation.

Leica D-Lux 3
1/80s f/2.8 at 6.3mm iso800 hide exif

Full EXIF Info
Date/Time	28-Apr-2007 09:54:37
Make	Leica
Model	D-LUX 3
Flash Used	No
Focal Length	6.3 mm
Exposure Time	1/80 sec
Aperture	f/2.8
ISO Equivalent	800
Exposure Bias	-0.66
White Balance
Metering Mode	multi spot (3)
JPEG Quality
Exposure Program	program (2)
Focus Distance

other sizes: small medium large original auto

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Phil Douglis		24-Jun-2007 18:19
Thanks, Mo, and glad to help you with your own retirement home images. You are right -- the faded environment adds a great deal of character and meaning to this image, and it is why I opted to shoot here in the first place. However, I don't see a new environment as a huge disadvantage photographically. You must find environmental content that works as communication, and you did just that athttp://www.pbase.com/trevvelbug/image/81043172 Your subject has carried her old life along with her to the retirement home she is living in.

monique jansen		24-Jun-2007 09:37
Came back to these images you took in a retirement home to hopefully help with mine. Where you take your photos in an old, faded building, full of character in itself, I have to make do with a brand new building and attempt to get good portraits in that rather sterile setting. This photo is very poignant, I see in it a man remembering his past, thinking about the life that he has left, not fully aware he is cradling his dog on his lap, it is a very sensitive photo of old age, thanks for pointing it out to me again.

Phil Douglis		01-Jun-2007 04:12
Thanks so much, Rosemarie, for this wonderful comment. It is always a delight for me when someone comes along and puts two of my images together to form a unique story. That concept is called "pairings" -- and perhaps that would make a good gallery subject someday. Not just before and after, but perhaps two sides of the same coin? This image has certainly prodded your imagination as I hoped it would. I look forward to seeing you soon, and shooting with you again.

sunlightpix		01-Jun-2007 01:30
Hi Phil I found this image especially moving when compared to your stained glass image. Have you ever considered having a before and after gallery? In the stained glass I see a 19th century depiction of a man with a beard and his trusty mule; he walks along a path that begins with white glass that goes into dimness, and along the way there's green cactus and golden land. In this 21st century image the man has traveled down a path that starts out white and ends in dimness, and along the way there's a splash of green and golden light (flashes of faded memories from along life's trail). His loyal animal companion is with him as he reflects on warm memories of another time. He's lived a long time and now he's at a crossroads; one is trail's end and his past, yet he looks beyond, down another path towards a distant door into another world.

Phil Douglis		02-May-2007 19:00
Thanks, Tim, for pointing out the symbolic role of light in this image. While shadows are gathering around inert legs of the man in the wheelchair, other legs are striding through the distant doors in a burst of light. Yes, those legs in the light can easily represent the "bright light of memory." When I was making this image, I was did not even see the legs in the light in the far distance. I was concentrating on the man and his dog. When I saw this image for the first time on my LCD screen, I thought the half-body in the background might be distracting the viewer from the main point of the picture and even considered cropping it out. But the more I looked into this image, the more value, meaning, and context I saw in those legs walking into that splash of light. They change everything for the better.

Tim May		02-May-2007 18:24
The dimness of age and the bright light of memory. This is a stunning portrait.

Phil Douglis		01-May-2007 22:10
Thanks, Ceci, for seeing so much in this image. Glad you note the meaning evoked by both the glowing lights on the old floor and the legs entering the image in the background. Some might look at this man with feelings of pity, but I agree that his life seems to be enriched by the spaciousness and beauty of this place and by caring for that little dog that rests in his lap.

Guest		01-May-2007 20:43
Such a poignant and powerful image, Phil, with an exceptionally good "teaching" text, specially about the exposure -- something which I haven't mastered as yet. I love the details in the flooring, the curve of this man's body balanced by the spaces to the left, the shortness of his socks, the reflections of lights on the polished floor, his wistful expression, the loving embrace of his little dog, and best of all, the legs of a figure in the brightly lit background, as though a spirit was either entering or departing -- a spirit that this man seems to note. As for the dog, I felt gratitude towards the subsidy that allows people to have their animals, since it has become painfully evident that they are the ones who give the most and care the best.

Phil Douglis		30-Apr-2007 17:50
I am glad you brought up these aspects, Jenene. I had originally converted this image to black and white in order to make it seem a bit more gritty and photojournalistic. But when I did so, those flashes of color on the floor vanished and his past seemed less alive. So I went with the color version, and am glad I did so. I agree that those golds and greens could represent flashes of vivid memories. He does seem to be drawing on them here. I also feel that the abstracted figure in the background -- a pair of legs in a glowing field of reflected light -- is very important here. You see it as representing his past, when he had full use of his own legs. I agree -- as abstract and distant as those legs are, their symbolic energy offers vital contrast and context for this image.

JSWaters		30-Apr-2007 17:27
I see that long hallway representing this gentleman's past, especially with the abstracted figure approaching him. The reflected spots of light on the floor like flashes of vivid memories he can draw on for comfort and share with his small friend. Jenene

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