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Tim May | all galleries >> :Asian Journeys:: A Collection of Galleries :: >> A COLLECTION OF GALLERIES::China -September 2007 >> GALLERY:: Impressions of Beijing, China - September, 2007 > Wet Tourists -Temple of Heaven-
Beijing, China September 2007
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18-SEP-2007

Wet Tourists -Temple of Heaven-
Beijing, China September 2007

Olympus Evolt E-510
1/15s f/5.9 at 144.0mm iso200 full exif

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Iris Maybloom (irislm)11-Apr-2008 19:03
The blur of humanity, an ever present image etched into my brain as we navigated through China. Whether at a monument like the Temple of Heaven, on the streets, in airports and train stations, rain or shine, you never lose sight of the vastness and motion of China's huge population. Your photo tells that story.
Tim May13-Mar-2008 21:07
I think, Carol, that you have added another example of how the use of blur can be an element of meaning. Here the blur is evocative of rain, which is confirmed by the umbrellas. The actual blur though is created by shooting at 1/15th of a second.
Carol E Sandgren13-Mar-2008 19:08
I love the blur, apparently caused by the falling rain. This image would not be half as interesting without it, and to me, might suggest the scurrying tourists amid the gray, wet day, still enjoying the sites.
Phil Douglis09-Mar-2008 23:59
The frenetic flow of tourists here is an extension of movement. Not only is this about the fast pace of tourism here. It is about the enormous quantity of tourists, too. China, like India, is developing an enormous middle class, educated people willing and able to travel. As you know, almost all the tourists here are Chinese. I remember seeing a "Ripley's Believe it or Not" drawing when I was kid that showed a line of Chinese standing three abreast rising out of the earth and soaring towards the moon. The caption said that if every Chinese person were to line up three abreast they would reach to the moon and back. This image brings back that idea -- these Chinese are the vanguard of millions who will be coming to this very spot -- they flow into the left edge of the frame and out of the right edge of the frame with no beginning or end in sight.
Tim May09-Mar-2008 21:27
For me, it also captures the frenetic feel of sooooo many tourists in the places we visited.
Phil Douglis09-Mar-2008 20:35
Christine is right -- without the blur, it is just a rainy day. With the blur, it becomes a study in movement as well.
Christine P. Newman09-Mar-2008 19:37
The blur adds a beautiful dimension.