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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Two: Travel Incongruities > Concrete Seat, City Hall, Scottsdale, Arizona, 2010
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12-MAY-2010

Concrete Seat, City Hall, Scottsdale, Arizona, 2010

An image of a man reading a book is, in itself, not incongruous. Yet in this photo, that man happens to sit upon a concrete bench, while leaning as far back as he can against the edge of a concrete wall. A triangle of space appears behind his back as he stretches out to gain maximum stability. Totally absorbed in his book, he seems to defy the laws of comfort altogether – offering me a chance to make a decidedly incongruous photograph.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1
1/640s f/6.3 at 72.0mm iso100 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time12-May-2010 10:02:54
MakePanasonic
ModelDMC-G1
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length72 mm
Exposure Time1/640 sec
Aperturef/6.3
ISO Equivalent100
Exposure Bias-0.66
White Balance
Metering Modemulti spot (3)
JPEG Quality
Exposure Programprogram (2)
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis18-May-2010 17:02
Thanks, Jen, for noting all the compositional relationships within this image. As you say, it is more than just a picture of a man with a book. He appears to be at one with his environment, and despite his seemingly rigid posture, he fits it well.
Jennifer Zhou18-May-2010 07:04
The first thing drew my eyes are the lines in the photograph. How the trees echoes the line of the body in an opposite direction. The image is very well organized by lines and geometric shapes formed by the man's body, the trees, the concrete stones and the doors.

When I opened the image I discovered more secrets here, the man appears to be comfortable sitting in there and sitting as still as he is, he seems to be part of his surroundings. And everything else is almost like showing their greetings by echoing the line of his body.

And the colors play well in this image as well. His dark skin in the shadow matches the color of the trunk, the pants matches the concrete, and the shirt matches the foliage. He does seem to be part of them.
Phil Douglis15-May-2010 19:42
That was my idea, Carol. To give anyone who looks at this image a backache. It certainly prods the imagination and emotions.
Carol E Sandgren15-May-2010 18:53
The man takes comfort in his discomfort. Definitely incongruous. (My back aches just looking at this guy!)
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