Your point of view
Congratulation, I saw the pictures and they remember me my country.. i was born in Arica, lived in Valparaiso and spend my holidays in Iquique, La Serena.. Osorno... The pictures bring other point of view of my country.
— Lisa, October 25, 2005

Thanks for the clarification, Christine. I have made the change as suggested. Phil
— Phil Douglis, September 24, 2005

Your photos are very beautiful, but there is one name you have incorrectly spelled, which is the name of the volcano near Lake LLanquihue. It is correctly written as Volcán Osorno, not Orsono. As a Chilean, I'm happy that you have enjoyed your stay in my country!
— christine from chile, January 29, 2005

All just MARVELOUS!! Thanks again! The llamas on the poncho remind me of my favorite joke or poem; "A one-l lama is a priest; a two ll llama is a beast; and a 3 lll lllama is a fire! Please forgive....!
— ellie robbe, August 10, 2004

stunning phil! you are a true inspiration. I feel that by looking at your pictures with the contrast and composition choices that I can better get an eye for a great shot. Truly remarkable. Thank you for sharing your talent here with us.
— katie, July 22, 2004

Color to express ideas
All you say about the use of colors emerges from this pictures; my favourite are "Harbor at dawn", "Rusty facade", Church ruins". I remember very well the dry atmosphere of the Chile northern deserts and at the same time I long to see the places that you shot in the south
— Andrea Rasetti, February 8, 2004

School desks
Another wonderful shot that could easily go in your pbase site. Perhaps in your light gallery? The highlights of sun really play up the abandonment of the school somehow. Empty but could still be used.
— Carol, January 28, 2004

Rusted Wall
The decay of this corrugated wall is sad but yields a striking photograph with texture and strong graphic composition. My kind of shot!
— Carol, January 28, 2004

The strip
Would love to see this one on your Pbase site. I love the guy with the long legs (didn't we see him in another wonderful shot of yours?) walking out of the frame, away from the parked car, obviously headed to one of the drinking establishments. The lines of the siding on the buildings give a real sense of directional motion.
— Carol, January 28, 2004

Church Ruins
This reminds me of what a mirage must be like. The flat light with the colors of the sand, against and through the unworldly green hued shapes of the ruined church...seems quite surreal. I love the composition too.
— Carol, January 28, 2004

tire and thorns
Another shot that completely describes the lifelessness in this desert. How fitting that you have included something organic such as the dead branch, as well as manmade, the rusty wheel. I like that contrast a lot, and to me, it says it all.
— Carol, January 28, 2004

Cemetary
What a desolate place! No life here could survive alone, a fitting place for a cemetery, indeed! The crucifixes look very similar to those in your famous Santa Fe shot that I love so much, am I right?
— Carol, January 28, 2004

Dancers
They look joyful, and your camera angle from above captures their playful movements!
— Carol, January 28, 2004

welcoming committee
What a pretty little welcoming committee to greet you! By the looks of it, these little lovelies are well accustomed to visitors, am I right? And with all the tourism, I'm sure they get plenty of visitors!
— Carol, January 28, 2004

Wonderful pictures, great work! I have planned to travel to Chile in near future, very interesting to see and read your article. Thank you for sharing!
— Marja Konimaki, January 27, 2004

color and contrast
you have made an amazing trip. Thanks for sharing the pictures. I particularly like the one of the statue of Neruda, as I love his poems. It is as if it is really him, sitting there contemplating his next poem.
— monique jansen, January 27, 2004

Nice pictures!
and what a trip! As "small" as Chile looks, it is a big country with such contrasting scenery. I can totally relate to the picture of the woman's hair blowing in the wind ... it reminds me how powerful the Patagonian wind is, having been blown off my feet on a trail in Torres del Paine. Nice job capturing every day life too!
— Tina Moy, January 26, 2004

!!!wonderful!!! ciao
— Paolo Motta, January 26, 2004

MAGNIFICENT!
Amazing! Breathtaking! Gorgeous! And colorful as alwys...
— Jan Sidorowicz, January 25, 2004

Dry to Wet (lV)
"Rusty Facade" Color, color, color. How well color, and, okay, texture, capture the spirit of those who live behind the facade. The rust provides its own color and texture, but the human color gives life. I especially like the red towel on the green rope in the bottom left. "Glacier" I feel power in this image, frozen power in the rocks and the ice. The blue of the ice in the glacier evokes the capture of the sky. "Faces" These strangers in a different land have touched my life because of your eye and skill. I am drawn to the woman's eyes and the mans face. I think I might like to meet her, but I'm not sure about him... "Roses in hand" You said much of what I felt in your comments about this image. I like the fact that even though they must be plastic, the roses and their color adds life to the death so pervasive in the scene. It echos the feelings of "Cemetery, Poncochile..."
— Tim May, January 25, 2004

Dry to Wet (lll)
"Lamp in the Plaza" For me, this image is an example of how juxtaposition creates unity. The lamp is beautiful in its silhouette. It reflects the work of man to create beauty while the trees are nature's beauty. Beauty and intricacy create a unity between man and nature. "Neruda" How well you have used a photographic limitation to capture the spirit of the poet and the place. Neruda is an imposing influence in the world of the arts and you have made him and imposing influence in the image, seen and felt but left to the viewer to fill in the details. Much like poetry. I also love the line of light along the edge of his body.
— Tim May, January 25, 2004

Dry to Wet (ll)
"El Morro" I know that you say that the flag is huge, but your composition dwarfs it. Mountain and sky are much more dominant, and ultimately more enduring. "Silent Shopping Mall" I like the way all lines lead to the woman. The scene evokes the aridness of the area while showing the life that is there. "Rusted Wall" This is a study in color, texture and light. Perhaps the reason that I like abstract photos and not abstract paintings is the fact of light. While paintings can and do have light, light is a potent element of this image because it is there and not added, it is like nature's blessing to a scene.
— Tim May, January 25, 2004

Dry to Wet
After viewing the entire essay, I feel that you could have also called it Dry to Wet - You take us on a journey from the arid, which you make both beautiful and haunting, to the rich, damp, frozen South in which you also see and feel the beauty. "Cemetery, Ponochile..." If this image were on pbase I would vote it a favorite. Why, because it evokes, for me, the bleakness of death while the touches of color speak of warmth and life. It's all there. "San Marcos Church" Yet another excellent example of how you use people to make your images come alive with feeling. A question - was the woman there polishing when you saw it, or did you wait for her to get to the window and begin polishing?
— Tim May, January 25, 2004