A pair of lions guard the doors to China’s ancient Imperial Palace. One is female, cradling a cub in her paw. The other is male, grasping an ornate globe said to represent the world. Most tourists dutifully photograph both lions. Others may shoot just one. My own choice was to photograph only the paw of the male upon the globe. The claws are fanciful and massive and the globe is a stylization as well. I place this highly cropped subject matter off to the right of the frame, keeping just a hint of the ornate palace for context at left. My intention: to characterize China’s former Imperial power in a simple and graphic form. Isolating a segment of subject matter for symbolic purposes is a form of abstraction. I don’t do it all the time, but occasionally trying a bold concept such as this can energize your approach to travel photography. Less can often become more, particularly when the strong symbolism is intended.