Metro, Moscow, Russia, 2003 by Phil Douglis

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23-JUL-2003

Metro, Moscow, Russia, 2003

Rush hour in Moscow's Metro is a spectacle of speed. Crowds surge along its platforms as trains roar in and out of its stations. I wanted to express a sense of speed, and did so by once again shooting at 1/30th of a second. Unlike the previous example, where the subject is entirely blurred, in this shot I contrast a blurred train to the stationary passengers waiting for it to come to rest. By contrasting blurred to non-blurred subjects in the same picture, this moment in time provides a bit of incongruity which helps tell the story. Because it is blurred, the train appears to be moving even faster than it is. And because the passengers are sharp, they appear to be all the more patient as they wait for it to stop. I chose this particular group of passengers because of the "x marks the spot" symbol created by the straps on the back of the woman in the middle of this picture. When will this train stop for her? That's the point of this picture.

Canon PowerShot G5
1/30s f/2.0 at 7.2mm full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto

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Phil Douglis		03-Aug-2005 17:10
You are looking at this image, Zandra, in a wonderfully refreshing way. Instead of just seeing it as a well made shot of rush hour in the Moscow Subway, you are looking it as a metaphor for life itself. When I made it, I was thinking along similar lines, of course, but I did not mention that in the caption. I merely spoke of the image as an example of expressing the passage of time in a photograph in a very special way. I wanted to leave the image totally open to interpretation. You see this train as a symbol for our own lives flashing by, and suddenly it becomes easy to project our own imaginations into the image and become the people who stand before us, waiting to make their moves. Thank you for opening up a whole new side of this image, Zandra.

Guest		03-Aug-2005 06:26
It is intresting that while you readin in patiens to this iamge, when i look at it i get the sence of life is passing them by, they are indesicive. I wanna tell them, don't just stand ther! Jump on that train, and start living. Surviving is not enough and looking at life from the outside will not take you anywhere. But i can see the patiens to, as a matter of fact, the more i look at it, patiens takes over indesicivenes. I can see how they are waiting for the right moment to jump o to that train. I also get the feeling that the two to the right are looking straight at ther lifes, through the windows. Examening it, making their dessision based on what they see when they have a glimps at there life from the outside. The lady to the left is not quit there yet, and her posture seem to me much more tense, she glanze at the, as if she in in ave. The couple to the right on the other hand seem more relaxed, as you are when having made a dession which you are content with. They haver there experiences from life to back it up with, and we are allowed to see what those experiences are by looking through those two windows. Gives me a feeling of sneaking up behind them to take a peek at ther life without thme knowing it, intimate but yet not quit the right thing to do. The two of them will soon jump on the train/life again

Phil Douglis		10-Nov-2004 19:58
Glad you got the point, Zebra. I build this image around those crossed straps from the very beginning.

Guest		10-Nov-2004 19:08
Yes,I notice the "X" in my first glance.This is a well-marked shot and hard to forget.

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