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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Fourteen: Expressing the meaning of buildings and structures > Viewpoint, Three Gorges Dam Project, Sandouping, China, 2004
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01-JUL-2004

Viewpoint, Three Gorges Dam Project, Sandouping, China, 2004

Hundreds of tourists make the climb each day to Pickle Jar Hill, where they ascend a massive circular viewing platform to view the largest dam on earth.
I shoot into the sun here to make use of backlighting, allowing me to abstract the top of the platform, and emphasize the body language, rather than the appearance of the tourists, as they gesture, make photographs, and videotape the scene before them.

Canon PowerShot G5
1/1600s f/8.0 at 28.8mm hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time01-Jul-2004 05:51:01
MakeCanon
ModelPowerShot G5
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length28.8 mm
Exposure Time1/1600 sec
Aperturef/8
ISO Equivalent
Exposure Bias0.33
White Balance (-1)
Metering Modemulti spot (3)
JPEG Quality (6)
Exposure Programshutter priority (2)
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis05-Dec-2005 17:00
Thanks, AJ, for the comment. You point out a technique I often use to bring a fresh approach to my images. Instead of taking the expected vantage point, I try to take a position exactly the opposite of what we would normally use.
Thanks for noting this.
Guest 05-Dec-2005 14:55
ah, this takes thought: to NOT go up the view tower and take a shot of the view, but to take the viewtower itself and use that as an expression of where and what --- very well done --- it's shots like this which make me think twice of where I am standing and why I am pressing the button: THANKS!
Phil Douglis11-Oct-2005 03:27
Yes, you are right. That, too, was part of the imbalance I was looking for. It is a matter of choice. Some photographers like to balance images precisely. Others prefer to seek imbalance. Neither is right or wrong. Balance gives a touch of formality to an image, while imbalance provides, as I noted earlier, emphasis and sometimes even tension.
Guest 11-Oct-2005 03:14

I'm referring to the tapered line on the left side -- it's a bit longer than the right side's. Also, there's more sky space on the left side. But it's just me, Phil. I guess I like to see things symmetrically in an image like this.
Phil Douglis11-Oct-2005 00:44
I am not sure what you mean by imbalance, Ed. Is the fact that there are more people on the right than the left a problem? Not for me -- I always prefer imbalance to balance, unless the point I am trying to express is a very static and formal one. Unbalanced subjects create stronger emphasis and often tension.
Guest 10-Oct-2005 23:16

I like the silhouettes ... it's the imbalance that doesn't appeal to me somewhat. Perhaps, this image could have been cropped better?
Phil Douglis09-Oct-2004 00:34
You and I have always been kindred spirits, Carol. We see the world in very similar ways. Your own images reflect your passion for abstract design, and mine often do as well. You are the first to notice this image, and the excitement these tourists must feel why viewing the world's largest dam. Thank you.
Carol E Sandgren05-Oct-2004 19:38
As a fan of silhouettes, I do love this image, and the abstractness of its nature appeals to my sense of design. Little people lifted on high into the sky for a brief moment to "see". I love it!
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