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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Fifteen: Making travel portraits that define personality and character. > Life in the shadows, Varanasi, India, 2008
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29-MAR-2008

Life in the shadows, Varanasi, India, 2008

Street portraits often emerge from odd places. I found this woman surrounded by bars. It is as if she is caged. She seems to accept her fate – this is where she lives and how she lives. My portrait allows viewers to come to their own conclusion.

Leica V-Lux 1
1/80s f/3.6 at 26.2mm iso100 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time29-Mar-2008 21:43:42
MakeLeica
ModelV-LUX 1
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length26.2 mm
Exposure Time1/80 sec
Aperturef/3.6
ISO Equivalent100
Exposure Bias-1.00
White Balance
Metering Modemulti spot (3)
JPEG Quality
Exposure Programprogram (2)
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis28-Nov-2008 21:53
Well said, Roland. Thanks for summing up the message here.
Roland28-Nov-2008 19:55
A powerful image which sort of says like or leave it but this is where I live.
Phil Douglis18-Oct-2008 23:47
Thanks, Yves, for appreciating the meditative aspect of this portrait. She does not mask it, either.
Yves Rubin18-Oct-2008 22:35
Beautiful and meditative. Everything is perfect! BV!
Phil Douglis03-Aug-2008 20:09
Yes it does. I think your image is a remarkable example of social commentary. As I noted in my comment one year ago, it is the juxtaposition of the woman, bars, and symbolic national colors of the Indian flag that make your point.
Guest 03-Aug-2008 03:31
Phil, this image reminded me of something I had taken last year -http://www.pbase.com/charukesi/image/84029440
Phil Douglis02-Aug-2008 19:03
Thanks, Charu, for commenting on this photograph. You see the image in very much the same way that I did. A sense of resignation about spaces -- very well put, and thank you. Such validation, in this case coming from someone who lives in India, is always welcome.
Guest 02-Aug-2008 04:34
this is a very moving image, Phil - when I first look at it - the situation, her eyes, the colors - it seems like a social comment on the state of womanhood in the country, especially up North where this pic was taken. a sense of resignation about their spaces...
Phil Douglis21-Apr-2008 19:38
People do seem to seek small spaces, all of their own, in a crowded environment such as India. Thanks for comparing this image with your own, Mo.
monique jansen21-Apr-2008 11:37
Beautiful, intimate portrait, reminds me of this one a bit:
http://www.pbase.com/trevvelbug/image/70679329
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