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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Eight: Light and shadow shape meaning > Pilgrim, Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, Tibet, 2004
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26-JUN-2004

Pilgrim, Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, Tibet, 2004

Hundreds of Buddhist pilgrims clutching prayer wheels still circle the three-story Jokhang, Tibet’s holiest Temple. They come from all corners of Tibet to circle the 1,300 year-old building in never ending waves. I carefully planned most of this shot in advance, primarily because of the way the light fell on the ancient building and on the plaza that surrounds it. I spot-metered on the white façade to hold detail and prevent “burn-out.” That made the shadows black and the sky deep blue. I then waited until a pilgrim entered the frame and shot him as he stepped into the space between the two shadows on the Plaza.

Canon PowerShot G5
1/1250s f/8.0 at 9.1mm full exif

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Phil Douglis09-Oct-2004 00:28
You have added a great deal, Carol, to the interpretation of this picture. This image is as much about those shadows as it is the man and temple. By capturing this pilgrim running from one shadow into another, he seems to be fleeing from one mystery to another, exactly as you implied when you said that he seems to be in search of a new or different meaning or belief.
Carol E Sandgren05-Oct-2004 19:12
Let me add my little comment here, albeit quite belated. I do love this image as well. The man seems to be running from the shadow to another unknown shadow in the foreground, doesn't he...the power of the meaning of this temple behind him perhaps, perhaps in search of a new and different meaning or belief. The slight tilt of the building suggests a dissatisfaction of perfection.
Phil Douglis06-Aug-2004 22:19
Wonderful interpretation, Linda. And thanks for being the first to recognize this image as worthy of leaving a comment. It is surprising, because of all the images I took in China and Tibet (78 of them posted in these galleries here on pbase and 200 posted in my worldisround.com articles) this photograph is among the most significant. I purposely left any references to meaning out of the caption, because I wanted to see what others would make of it. You are the first person to tell me what it says to you, and I welcome it. He does indeed seem to be struggling against the earth's gravitational pull -- running almost blindly into a future he appears to blindly believe in. Why is he in such a hurry? Can't God wait? Meanwhile, that fellow in those background shadows seems to be in no rush to find his own destiny. I intended to capture the penitent in eyeblink of a second -- caught between the pulls of those two huge shadows that embrace him. Is it much of a leap to conclude that this image could be interpreted as a metaphor for man's race against time? I did not really start out with that idea in mind, but I've found that my photographs often turn out to mean things to others that are quite different from my intentions, yet always welcome.
Bailey Zimmerman06-Aug-2004 19:58
Phil.....thank you for this image......it has come into my life at precisely the right moment!!! The forward lean of the penitent echoing the slant of the building. The earth's recognition of the gravitational pull.
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