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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Thirty Nine: Juxtaposition – compare and contrast for meaning > Emotions, South Street Seaport, New York City, 2006
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08-AUG-2006

Emotions, South Street Seaport, New York City, 2006

In this two layer image, I’ve juxtaposed sharply contrasting figures in size and orientation – the men in the foreground are incongruously smaller than the woman in the advertisement behind them. The men look at each other, while the woman looks right past them. Yet I’ve also juxtaposed similar emotional responses – all three characters in this image appear to be laughing or smiling. Whenever we can juxtapose contrasts and similarities within the same image, the opportunity for expression increases.

Leica D-Lux 2
1/125s f/4.9 at 25.2mm iso80 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis22-Aug-2006 19:17
Smiling faces symbolize pleasure. Advertisements often sell pleasure, so smiles are pervasive on posters and billboards. Often we make images that contrast the smiling faces on posters to the grim reality of everyday life. I thought it might be useful to turn the tables, and juxtapose three smiles. Glad you are smiling too, Celia.
Cecilia Lim22-Aug-2006 18:54
The beaming woman in the advertising promises us warmth and joy. And even if the customers were not having the products that she offers, her smile and her mood infects all those who come into her presence!
Phil Douglis16-Aug-2006 21:17
The woman is the key to the picture. A shot of two men laughing against a plain wall would have juxtaposed a pair of responses and nothing more. But the woman's smile dominates the image by placement and scale and the fact that she is painted and they are not. And it she who is looking at us, not them. So we connect with her first. Thanks, Ai Li, for pointing out her importance to this idea.
AL16-Aug-2006 08:07
A great interaction and conversation between the two men, while the woman is trying to connect with us, the viewer, or least with you, your camera. She made me smile too :-)
Phil Douglis13-Aug-2006 22:19
You are right -- reality and fantasy blend seamlessly in this juxtaposition.
Tim May13-Aug-2006 19:39
A captured moment - here the advertising finds its reality.
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