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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Thirty Seven: As others see me > On Ubin Island, by Melvin Austin Noronha, Singapore, 2007
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On Ubin Island, by Melvin Austin Noronha, Singapore, 2007

Melvin catches a relaxed Phil here. We had been walking and shooting in the tropical heat for the better part of the morning, and I finally enjoyed a much-needed rest at the house of a former village chief. I had just feasted on a cold Coke, and a slice of sponge cake that Melvin had somehow acquired. The local dog was investigating my crumbs. By making this image black and white, Melvin makes the moment timeless. The shoot on Ubin was part of a delightful gathering featuring pbase photographers from three countries. See Melvin’s gallery on the shoot at http://www.pbase.com/1melvin/pbase_meet


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Phil Douglis30-Apr-2008 06:41
Melvin tells a story here, Dan -- he found me at a relaxing moment and made the most of the opportunity.
Dan Chusid30-Apr-2008 06:27
Captures you well Phil.
Very expressive, relaxed portrait that really
speaks volumes.
Phil Douglis12-Oct-2007 17:57
That is what makes this entire gallery work so well, Xin -- the variety of response and perspectives it offers the viewer on a single subject. We are all multi dimensional in life. No one picture can express the entire person. Yet an ever expanding gallery of images such as this one does indeed cast a broader net. It captures me as teacher, traveler, photographer, friend, and human being. In this image, Melvin shows me in repose, which tells a completely different story than Tim's shot of me talking with you at lunch in Salt Lake City. The reason why I set up this gallery was not to glorify myself, but rather, to demonstrate the infinite capacity of the camera to express diverse insights into the character, emotional makeup, and attitudes of a single person, as well as to demonstrate the great variety of approach by many different photographers to a single subject.
Sheena Xin Liu12-Oct-2007 05:31
Compared to the engagingly intense "hands talking " image (by Tim in SLC), this one revealed a relaxed, contented, laid-back and joyous Phil.
Phil Douglis01-Oct-2007 17:55
Thanks so much, Melvin, for adding your thoughts to this image. I thank you for your support on the long march, and for making this image of me at rest. As for the heat and humidity, you are right -- it was not the easiest of shoots for any of us. But I do try to stay fit, rest when I can, and make the best of any situation. And there is always the motivation of that next picture waiting just around the corner to keep us going. Thanks for commemorating this day with this shot, Melvin. And thanks too for your kind words on this site. Glad you find it useful.
Guest 01-Oct-2007 13:46
Thank you Phil for using this image on your gallery and thanks to everyone else for their comments.
Having never met Phil before, I was worried about how the walk around Ubin might affect him because Singapore is not only hot, it is also humid and that can drain even the fittest of people. So you can imagine that I was glad to see him resting and enjoying the cake and coke.
It was indeed a privilege to meet you Phil and see how you work to get those wonderful images that are all over your site. I hope we meet again real soon.
Phil Douglis30-Sep-2007 18:23
Thanks, Patricia. It was a wonderful "shoot-out" with three countries represented, and ten photographers, seven of them with sites on pbase. I enjoyed Melvin's gallery on the event and I hope that Tim May, Celia Lim, Jeremy, Su Fan, and Ai Li will be posting shots on their pbase sites soon.
Patricia Lay-Dorsey30-Sep-2007 06:15
I too was struck by seeing a relaxed Phil...the first such photo I have yet seen of our energetic, always enthusiastic teacher. Yes, I sense your tiredness, but also your total enjoyment of all that you have done, are doing and will be doing in tthe hours, days and weeks of this amazing adventure. Great thanks to Melvin for this and for his wonderful gallery of photos of your 2-day PBasers shoot in Singapore. It looks like it was a real treat for everyone involved.
Phil Douglis30-Sep-2007 00:21
Thanks, Ceci. The reason why I am not wearing glasses is because they are in my pocket. I was wearing prescription sun glasses to shoot, and had to remove them because it was dark on this porch. So Melvin got a rare photo of Phil without glasses. Hemingway I'm not -- but I am, as you say, open for adventures. And this trek around Ubin Island was certainly one of them. I made three of my favorite pictures from this trip on this Island: the lady having coffee athttp://www.pbase.com/pnd1/image/86307880, the Chinese cemetery athttp://www.pbase.com/pnd1/image/86310414 and the faded wedding photograph athttp://www.pbase.com/pnd1/image/86307176
Guest 29-Sep-2007 18:13
Yes, the pose suggests "pleasantly exhausted" but also a lot more. It's the first photo I've seen of you without your glasses, and in full -- if weary -- smile, and the dog pressing up against you speaks volumes: animals sense the true nature a person, and for this animal to be making such an intimate overture signifys a man who is kind, compassionate, to be trusted, one who can give and receive love. There is also a distinct Hemingway feel to this picture -- the image of a man who is NOT letting any moss grow under his feet, who is open for adventure and fully capable of appreciating, capturing and best of all, SHARING it.
Phil Douglis29-Sep-2007 03:58
Thanks, Carol. Melvin caught me in one of my rare relaxed moments on this trip. (Actually, I am pleasantly exhausted.)
Carol E Sandgren29-Sep-2007 01:00
Almost suggests a classic painting with your relaxed pose, and the dog by your side. Nice to see a relaxed Phil!
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