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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Thirty Seven: As others see me > Student and Mentor, by Vera Saltzman, Ottawa, Canada, 2007
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05-DEC-2007

Student and Mentor, by Vera Saltzman, Ottawa, Canada, 2007

When I challenged my new student Vera Saltzman ( http://www.pbase.com/saltzman40 ) to practice by becoming her own model, she not only took me up on it – she also decided to include me in the bargain. She says “this is a standard spot to find me lately; in front of Phil Douglis’ website, studying pictures.” It occurs to me that this is how everyone I’ve met on pbase must first see me –- staring back at them from the front of my cyberbook as an array of colored pixels on a computer monitor. Such is the nature of cyberlearning. The day may well come, however, as it has for many of my other pbase students, when I will get to meet Vera face to face, cameras in hand, as we share a shooting adventure together. Until then, I will imagine her as she appears here, sitting in the darkness wearing an orange fleece, skillfully juggling new concepts such as abstraction, incongruity and human values. Meanwhile, Vera will gradually come to know me through my writings and images, as well as by studying the many remarkable photographs in this particular gallery that have been made of me by other pbase students over the years. This image shows that Vera is a quick learner – she uses color and abstraction to tell the story of learning, which is a human value.

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Phil Douglis30-Apr-2008 06:39
And I have equal respect for the viewer here. She is a remarkable photographer and a quick learner.
Dan Chusid30-Apr-2008 06:23
Much respect shown for you in the viewer's pose here.
Phil Douglis12-Dec-2007 19:46
Thanks, Jenene - be sure to check out Vera's galleries. She has a wonderful eye, and is a quick learner. You can both learn a lot from each other, as you note. This image is full of hope and promise -- a journey begins, for both Vera and myself. I am sure she will be in touch with you -- I urged her to take advantage of this very special network of photographers who share a common passion for expression.
JSWaters12-Dec-2007 06:58
There's an infectiousness to watching the beginning of another of your student/mentor relationships, Phil. Sensing the enthusiasm for this rewarding world of expressive photography by a new student brings memories of where many of us who've been around a while started out. Vera's bright eyes and intense focus on learning from you takes me immediately back to the excitement I felt and the daunting (at least daunting to me) prospect of learning enough so that I could succeed at this. I'm continually learning from you and from your students as well. A big thank you.
Jenene
Phil Douglis12-Dec-2007 04:50
Thanks, Tricia, for commenting on Vera's posture here. You are in a good position to appreciate the imitation, since you and I spent an afternoon shooting together in KL.
flowsnow12-Dec-2007 01:16
A perfect imitation of you!
Phil Douglis11-Dec-2007 19:04
I am sorry I missed your wonderful comment, Ai Li. You articulate in words how others may see me -- just as all of the images in this gallery show us how others see me with their cameras. Learning is a two way street -- I take great pleasure in helping my students come to understand the power of expressive photography and how to harness their own talents to this mode of expression. It is always a joy for me to hear how my students feel about me, too. I have learned so much from them -- yourself included. That small image on the screen Vera is looking at is a symbol of who and what I am -- it functions as a personification of the man behind the images and ideas displayed in this cyberbook. Thanks again, Ai Li, for your commentary -- coming from an artist and friend such as yourself, it means a great deal to me. I think it will mean a great deal to Vera, as well.
Phil Douglis10-Dec-2007 18:15
You are very kind, Chris. It is a joy for me to help people such as Vera and yourself -- you both bring great passion to your work as expressive photographers.
Chris Sofopoulos10-Dec-2007 09:33
Thank you too Phil!
AL08-Dec-2007 02:53
Yes Phil, it's a common screen that many of your students in every time zone on this planet would have! We're not only communicating with your pictures, we're communicating with the picture of you :-) It's an important connection across many miles, for it allows us to see things we'd never have seen if not for your valuable sharing and teaching. Looking at David's comment, I think it's not a bad thought. For one who walks or sits in darkness will find and see great light. In Vera's instance, that's you! It's alright to be alone too, for she's alone yet without emptiness. I'm sure her eyes and her mind are constantly filled with new insight, knowledge and inspiration. Phil, you may be a small head on our pc screen, but to those who regularly interact with you and some who're even fortunate to meet you in person, you're such a big man with a big heart. You got so much to offer to each one of us, especially those who're willing to learn. Your small screen image is always there, watching us grow bigger under your nurture. Thanks, Phil. Truly.
Phil Douglis07-Dec-2007 18:57
I am sure Vera would be pleased with your comment, Monique. It could have been just a boring descriptive of someone sitting at a computer. But Vera chooses to embrace the scene in darkness and shoots herself from behind, abstracting the image and triggering the imagination of the viewer to fill in the details that are not here. It is also incongruous in that her form is large, and my image is so small by comparison. Yet she seeks knowledge from that small head on that computer screen. And as I said before, she may look like she is alone, yet one can feel the ideas going back and forth all around her.
monil07-Dec-2007 12:55
Nice picture.
Phil Douglis07-Dec-2007 03:03
What IS unusual about this image is the Vera photographs both us in the midst of a cyber conversation here. As Vera points out below, she is not alone, David -- the room might be dark, but the room is filled with ideas, and the interruptions frequent. Thanks to both of you for adding these impressions.
Guest 07-Dec-2007 01:03
Interesting! I don't think of myself as "a woman cyberlearning alone." I feel very much that I am having a dialog with Phil and others. It is not a feeling of being alone, or isolation, it is a feeling of being connected with like minded people who share a passion. My husband and our dog Ruby drop by from time to time to see what is going on then saunter off.
Vera
david procter07-Dec-2007 00:03
nothing unusual about a woman cyberlearning alone in a darkened room...
Phil Douglis06-Dec-2007 23:51
Well said. You never waste a word. You are right -- most of us are separated from each other by thousands of miles of space, yet in sharing ideas and feelings about photographic expression, we experience a very special kind of intimacy based on trust and a common passion. I know that I think of all my students as an extension of my own thinking and feeling, and I hope they feel likewise. The internet is a magnificent asset, making friends of strangers, nourishing talents, and exchanging ideas that make us all better artists and people. Thank you for this thought, Alina.
Alina06-Dec-2007 23:42
So distant and so close :)
Phil Douglis06-Dec-2007 22:49
Vera may mimic my gesture, either consciously or unconsciously. And yes, she is having a mental conversation with me here -- that is what teaching is, Kal. It's a dialogue, just as you and I are having here over Vera's image. Good teachers don't seek adulation for its own sake -- they offer their students help, insights, knowledge and inspiration and in return receive the satisfaction of knowing that their support is being absorbed and used well. Exactly as Vera is doing in her own imaging.
Kal Khogali06-Dec-2007 22:36
There is the hint of adulation here...and by mimicking you, she creates a rapport in the image. I imagine a converstaion ;-)K
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