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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Forty-Nine: Creating an echo with rhythm and pattern > Tai Chi, Shanghai, China, 2007
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06-SEP-2007

Tai Chi, Shanghai, China, 2007

By moving well below this man doing Tai Chi on a Shanghai monument to China’s revolution, I was able to create an echo effect, linking the interlocked position of his arms to the juxtaposed hammer and sickle on the wall just below him. By moving to my left, I am also able to shift the position of the man towards the right side of the frame, linking the direction of his Tai Chi thrust to the flow of the rhythmic pattern of rays coming out of that hammer and sickle emblem. My low vantage point places him directly between that emblem and the Chinese inscription behind him. My low perspective not only energizes the image by mobilizing its rhythms and patterns -- it also suggests that China’s historical past may be very much alive in this man’s mind. It also demonstrates how critical our vantage point can be in terms of organizing rhythms and patterns as meaning.

Leica V-Lux 1
1/200s f/4.5 at 33.7mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis30-Sep-2007 00:11
I am glad you learned something from this image about the role of vantage point when it comes to creating rhythms and patterns. You are right, Ceci -- vantage point can make or break a shot. And yes, this image does symbolize the zeal for fitness that seems to infect Chinese culture. As for that golden text, it pays tribute to those who died as martyrs in China's revolution. I don't see displeasure on his face -- I see awareness. Probably because I was there, and I also saw him smile several times. I love your whimsical view of the grass supplying this bald man a supply of potential "hair," too.
Guest 29-Sep-2007 18:03
What an amazing and educational photo! Your comments gave me fine insight as to the importance of vantage points, and got me thinking about how waiting for the shot can make or break an image. This picture is full of power, specially the Tai Chi being practiced by a middle aged man who appears to be lean and flexible. It suggests something that we Americans will eventually have to deal with: the discipline and combat readiness of a nation of probably fitter people than ourselves. I would love to know what the golden text says on the wall behind this man. He has obviously caught sight of you, taking his picture, and he doesn't look pleased. The hammer/sickle can still evoke painful memories of the Cold War in me, during a time when the US was obsessed with resisting Communism and had become almost fanatical about it. I also like the juxtaposition of the full heads of "hair" in the clumps of grass, while behind them is a man with a close cropped head. He stands out in all his muscular leanness against the cool grey of the stone all around like a brown flame.
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