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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Eight: Light and shadow shape meaning > Demo man, Beijing, China, 2006
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15-MAR-2006

Demo man, Beijing, China, 2006

Demolition crews work late, and often with primitive equipment, to smash the old in order to make the new in booming Beijing. I photographed this man at work on and off from various positions for nearly ten minutes, watching the sun swiftly work its way ever downward. Finally the sun reached the arc of his swing. Spot-metering off the sun itself, everything becomes shadow except for the golden sky and white-hot sun. The buildings are abstracted geometric shapes. We have no idea how big or how small they may be. They become symbols of a city, nothing more. Using the multiple frame option, I hold the shutter button down as he begins his downward swing. Three frames are exposed within a second. One of them is dead on – the back of the man and the shaft of the hammer are complementary diagonals, and the hammer slices into the sun itself.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30
1/2000s f/11.0 at 20.8mm iso100 full exif

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Phil Douglis22-Jun-2007 23:34
This image could easily be displayed in my abstraction gallery, Daniel, because it demonstrates the importance of taking away detail and letting the meaning come through. I post it here, however, because it demonstrates the importance of backlighting in expressing ideas. They are merely two sides of the same coin. As for locking yourself in, don't worry about that -- learn from each image whatever you can, in spite of the gallery it is in. I am teaching the use of light and shadow in this gallery, but if, for example, you also can learn something about the nature of abstraction here, or even the importance of time, absorb that as well.
Guest 22-Jun-2007 21:59
You know, I learn the strangest things from your photos. I almost try to forget the gallery they are placed in, because then I end up locking myself to observing / becoming aware of only certain things about the photo. The most wonderful thing about light and shadow (especially silhouettes) is that they take away all the unnecessary details and let the core meaning and significance of the image shine through. Now if only I could do that with all my photos.
Phil Douglis21-Aug-2006 00:22
Thanks, Ed, for taking the time to let me know how much you like the way this image is put together. I did it in two stages -- structuring the image as a geometric abstract with backlighting around the worker, and then shooting him again and again to get that hammer in the right spot. Glad it holds your attention.
Guest 20-Aug-2006 23:45
wonderful composition
an attention holder!
vote
Phil Douglis22-Jul-2006 17:29
Thanks, Dylan, for this comment. You are right -- abstraction removes the specificity from a subject and makes it universal. And doing such a hard job by hand in the age of machine power exalts the individual on one hand, and tells us something about China on the other.
Dylan Cowan22-Jul-2006 17:14
Very impressive... and expressive. This photo empowers the indivugual, but the silhouette - lack of personalizing detail - seems to imply that this could be anyone. Taking on the concrete by hand is so very bold and determined, I love that about this shot. It reminds me of all the things I like about Ayn Rands super-characters.
Phil Douglis16-May-2006 16:29
What you like is the abstraction and symbolism here, Shirley. And you are already doing this kind of thing yourself in your industry gallery -- look athttp://www.pbase.com/wangxh/image/58613622 for example. It might not use the decisive moment in time as strongly as I have, but in terms of mood and meaning, your sunset picture speaks eloquently. Your industry galley speaks expressively when you are abstract and incongruous and humane. And a number of your images are just that!
Shirley Wang16-May-2006 14:27
I like this image! Have been trying to get this kind in my industry gallery.
Phil Douglis28-Apr-2006 19:29
Thank you, Niall. Yes, I see this as a monumental image as well, in the statuesque sense of that word. And yes, there is something Stalinesque about it too -- must be the hammer.
type28-Apr-2006 15:41
Outstanding shot. One could almost imagine coming back to this spot to find this image having become the inspiration for a statue in his place, making this exact motion, meant to represent the march of industry and construction like some favourite worker of Stalin (before getting packed of to a gulag).
Phil Douglis25-Apr-2006 17:27
Thanks, Jen, for this wonderful comment. Indeed -- I have tried to hone this image down to its essence. The spirit. Photography is a subtractive art. It is not what you include that really matters. It is what you leave out!
Jennifer Zhou25-Apr-2006 09:17
You told me about this photo when we were in Shanghai, and now I see it, the picture is just as I imagined.. I really love this kind of photo, it is like you left everything else out except the spirit, which is the very thing that brands in our mind.
If only looking at the man and the sun, I would believed that he is working on his farm, growing food to feeds his family, just like the way most chinese people lived for the past thousands years. But now, it is the cities need them .. China is indeed changing..
Phil Douglis23-Apr-2006 21:01
Thanks, Xin, for this comment. I was able to get this timing because I put my camera on its "burst" setting, and was able to make four images within one second. I did this as he prepared to swing, again and again, until I was able to stop the hammer in the perfect spot. I like your idea of the dialogue between person and city. As for cropping out the back of "another person", i don't see anyone else in this image, Xin. If you are referring to the shape just behind him, that is a broken wall. If there were actually two people in this image, it would have diluted the impact of the perfect swing.
Sheena Xin Liu23-Apr-2006 20:10
Spectacular capture and perfect timing . I love the natural sepia color , the exact placement of the hammer , the abstracted buildings and the silhouette of this man tells a lot human value than I could possible articulate. To me, this capture seems to be a dialogue between a laborious human being and the silent city under him. Phil, do you think it would be better if you crop the back of another person from the image, so to make this person stand out as the ONLY character of this theme.
Phil Douglis23-Apr-2006 04:04
You are very perceptive, Christine. In the 21st century, buildings are rarely broken up with hammers. But Beijing is rebuilding so quickly that such primitive tools as this can still be seen -- smashing the old in order to make the new in booming Beijing.
Guest 23-Apr-2006 03:48
Effective silhouette. His tool seems so primitive and small for demolition, especially in such a modern city.
Christine
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