At Tomb of Unknown Soldier, Moscow, Russia, 2003 photo

Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Three: Expressing human values > At Tomb of Unknown Soldier, Moscow, Russia, 2003

previous | next


23-JUL-2003

At Tomb of Unknown Soldier, Moscow, Russia, 2003

A visit to a somber site can be mystifying to a child. In her face I saw confusion and impatience. She does not understand the symbols before her, representing the enormity of Russia's huge losses in the Second World War. She wears special clothes, but the visit seems more bewildering than educational. This photo draws its meaning from how we interpret the human values that both she and this national shrine represent.

Canon PowerShot G5
1/160s f/4.0 at 7.2mm hide exif

Full EXIF Info
Date/Time	23-Jul-2003 13:16:05
Make	Canon
Model	PowerShot G5
Flash Used	No
Focal Length	7.2 mm
Exposure Time	1/160 sec
Aperture	f/4
ISO Equivalent
Exposure Bias
White Balance	(-1)
Metering Mode	matrix (5)
JPEG Quality	(6)
Exposure Program
Focus Distance

other sizes: small medium large original auto

previous | next

Phil Douglis		11-Oct-2005 22:03
It is with much joy that I welcome you to my galleries, Galina. I am a big fan of your galleries, and I love your own image of the wall for its abstract qualities -- it expresses, in a very subtle but memorable way, the tension of history. I know how much you like to build your images around life -- so do I. But you manage to express an opinion of life in Russia (and indeed anywhere in the world these days) with your subltle juxtaposition of security cameras and the beauty of the Kremlin's historic architecture. As you say, I am juxtaposing the incomprehensible story of death and war with a child's bewildered reaction. The wall here is, as you say, context instead of subject. But it is every bit as important to my picture as it is to yours. And as you can see, I love the "distorting" qualities of the wideangle lens. To me, such distortion is a positive, not a negative. I call it emphasis. Thanks again for coming to my galleries, Galina -- you have much to say, and you manage to find the word to say it well.

Galina Stepanova		11-Oct-2005 21:08
Phil, after reading your comment to my "Wall" http://www.pbase.com/image/49391147), it was very interesting to see this picture. The same wall, but such different message! I love to have people in any image I take, but there is not always a choice... On your picture the most valuable for me is the girl's expression, her pose, supported with well-balanced composition. The wall is there, but as background. The fence (one of my favorite subjects in photography!) is a symbol of limitations and brings additional meaning to the picture, especially if history of Russia is taken into consideration. The picture, which makes viewer think. A great example of thoughtful travel photography. Even lens distortion work well, visually increasing space around. No doubt, I prefer your version of the wall! It is life here. Best reagrds and many thanks again. Galina I will be back :)

Phil Douglis		12-Jan-2005 02:16
OK, you had me going there for a moment. Yes, I see the similarity between the precise world of the soldiers and the more casual world of the civilian.

Guest		11-Jan-2005 22:10
Sorry Phil, I ment this image of Checz: http://www.pbase.com/pnd1/image/20740984

Phil Douglis		11-Jan-2005 22:06
Thanks, Mikel, for these comments. I was attracted to the contrasts you mentioned, because strong contrasts often produce incongruity and reveal human values. Contrasts in scale, costume underscore the points you are making here. But the key to the image remains the bewilderment of the child --she simply can't grasp the meaning of what she has just turned her back on here. It is an utter alien world. I don't understand your reference to tourists and soldiers in Poland, however. I have never been to Poland, so you must be thinking of another photographer's image.

Guest		11-Jan-2005 21:47
First of all, what shocks me a bit is the contrast between the dressing the the shrine behind the girl. That it's self denotes a great contrast and confusion. Her face denotes what you say in the caption, confusion, who can understand... not even us, about 3.000.000 dead russian soldiers! if I am not mistaken. The other thing that contrasts here is the incongruity of the dressing with the solder behind, similar to that picture you have of the tourists and the soldiers in Poland if I don't remember wrong, and the scale incongruence in the background? I think that it shows the barbarity though I see little flower rings arround... perhaps people are starting to forget it? or are they to worried with their daily lifes as to remember the harsh past?

Phil Douglis		24-Dec-2004 17:12
Well said, Matthias. I am playing with scale relationships here, and I intentionally used the fence as a symbolic barrier between those who exercise power, and those who do not. This image can be read as a contrast of costume and body language, or it can be read as a symbolic contrast between the state and those it controls. Have it your own way, and thanks for this insightful comment.

Matthias		24-Dec-2004 11:53
Very nicely composed. The wide-angle view makes the child in the foreground appear much larger than the soldier. This gives it a slightly comical touch. One can also read the picture as a comment on institutionalized memory: The post of the fence is centered in the image. It strongly separates the forground (that is the common peoples' domain) from the middle and background (that is the official domain, not accessible to the public). The main subject of the scene, the tomb, lies tiny at the very edge of the picture. So maybe this memorial is only partially about remembering the victims of WWII? Maybe it's also about power: How an all-important state claims the deads and separates them from the less-important public? Reading the image like this, it becomes scary.

Phil Douglis		05-Dec-2004 00:49
Very well said, Clara. That's probably exactly what's running through her mind.

Guest		04-Dec-2004 17:37
"Do I have to grow to get there, to be like this? This is what being an adult is about? Well, no thanks!".

Phil Douglis		20-Nov-2004 23:48
Hi, Nut. I am glad you can identify with the human values associated with this image -- confusion and impatience.

nut		20-Nov-2004 23:30
I knew her feeling. I did the same thing when I was young.

Phil Douglis		04-Nov-2004 03:57
Larry, Zebra was saying that his instinct would have been to crop out the shoes, but he implies, as I read it anyway, that after reading my explanation, his instinct would be wrong. I would never crop the shoes -- they compliment her dress and make her the innocent child she is. And innocence is the point of the picture. The emotions are strong, too, but would not work without that innocent context. Besides, you can't just crop out the shoes or you would have a picture of a child without her feet. You would then have to crop from the waist up and destroy the entire base of the composition of the picture. I hope you will see my point and revisit this picture with new eyes.

Guest		04-Nov-2004 03:05
I agree with Zebra on this one...the bright yellow shoes end up becoming the focus of the picture and take away from the human emotions. I too think it would work better if the shoes were cropped out.

Guest		23-Oct-2004 13:16
If I took it,I would crop from the girl's knee.Obviously it was wrong.

Phil Douglis		28-Sep-2003 00:43
Denise -- once again, you read things into my picture that I did not consider when I made it. The fact that you see both the bewildered child and the distant soldier as each guarding something, brings another dimension of meaning to this photograph. The body language of the child, her hands crossed before her, can be interpreted as self-protective, an indicator of how she may feel at the moment. The soldier in the distance stands rigidly before his guard station -- ever watchful, as guards are supposed to be. Both self-protection and watchfullness are very basic human values that support the overwhelming values represented here -- loss and remembrance.

Denise Dee		27-Sep-2003 22:27
i love her and the guard, each a guard in their own way. great shot! thanks, denise

Type your message and click Add Comment

It is best to login or register first but you may post as a guest. Enter an optional name and contact email address. Name
Name Email
help	private comment

Type your message and click Add Comment

It is best to login or register first but you may post as a guest. Enter an optional name and contact email address. Name
Name Email
help	private comment