photo sharing and upload picture albums photo forums search pictures popular photos photography help login
Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Five: Using the frame to define ideas > Doubling up, Beijing, China, 2004
previous | next
17-JUN-2004

Doubling up, Beijing, China, 2004

I saw the corrugated metal fence first, with its great red arrow directing pedestrians around a major construction site. Then I noticed a tree spreading its leafy canopy over the sidewalk. And finally, I saw how the stairs, curb, and sidewalk pattern complemented the thrust of the arrow. I photographed a number of different people walking through this frame, but none of them told a story until this man and woman came along, each of them carrying a child. China, now the world’s most populous country, has had a “one-child per family” policy in effect for over 20 years now, particularly in its urban areas, yet this couple had two kids in hand (assuming of course, that they were actually their parents, and not just friends out for a walk with their children.) In any event, it makes a provocative picture because it focuses on China’s family planning policies, and it’s the nature of my framing that makes the picture work.

Leica Digilux 2
1/200s f/4.8 at 13.4mm iso100 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time17-Jun-2004 18:51:01
MakeLeica
ModelDIGILUX 2
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length13.4 mm
Exposure Time1/200 sec
Aperturef/4.8
ISO Equivalent100
Exposure Bias
White Balance (10)
Metering Modemulti spot (3)
JPEG Quality (6)
Exposure Programprogram (2)
Focus Distance

other sizes: small medium large original auto
share
Phil Douglis01-Mar-2005 04:03
Thanks, Dandan, for your interpretation of these characters. I knew I had not changed anything here. But apparently others were not as sure. Thanks for clearing it up. Hope you like the picture, too.
Guest 28-Feb-2005 16:08
This picture is not reversed. The Chinese characters are the way they are.
That’s the beauty of the Chinese language. There is no strict rules on how they should be written, it could be right to left and left to right, or up to down. It all depends on context. In this case, those red and the black characters are all written from right to left, they match the direction that the two arrows pointed to. The characters on the black board in the middle are written from left to right, which is follow the normal way of writing Chinese. See, how great this image is, it is even expressing the Chinese language culture! :)
Phil Douglis27-Feb-2005 04:36
Junwu, I do not read Chinese. I had no idea what it said. I did not reverse anything. Whatever it says in the picture is what it said on that wall. Maybe the sign painter was dyslexic?
Jun Wu13-Feb-2005 20:43
Phil, are you sure you've not got the photo in reverse? The four Chinese characters on the right, meaning business open as usual, are written in reverse order, which is something most unlikely to occur.
Phil Douglis06-Jan-2005 21:36
You bring special context for this picture, Dandan, since you come from China. If you look at this couple as two single parents, the political and social context for the image changes as well. Thanks for adding the context given by those Chinese characters as well. "Business as usual" could refer to family planning as well as the carpet market, right? Life does indeed go on!
Guest 06-Jan-2005 09:16
Phil. The two adults in the picture don’t appear to be couple to me. They are not communicating to each other, neither did the kids…They look more like two single parents caring their only child and just happen to be walking down the street together. The big red Chinese characters can be translated to “business as usual”, the red arrow is pointing to a carpet market.
I interpret this picture as this: With divorce rate increasing in China, there are more and more single parent families. But no matter how tough the single parenthood is; life goes one….
Phil Douglis21-Dec-2004 20:57
This image has done its work for you, Clara. It has made you think of many of the same things that were going through my mind as I waited for someone to enter this space. I was very fortunate that this quartet happened to come this way. And yes, this image is quite political in nature. You can read whatever you want into it. I am not sure if you will be seeing that Western style democracy in China any time soon, but you are certainly seeing the emergence of an economic giant that may well dominate the 21st Century as Western countries dominated the 20th. Which means your question about the English language is a very relevant one.
Guest 21-Dec-2004 20:27
The image of new China. A young couple walking the street as if they were European or American, in a care free way, wearing trendy clothes (past the Mao uniform) and natural about their children (not restricted to just one). Is is only a matter of time for the Communist dictatorship to yield before a Western-like democracy. Now, who among us dare to read the ideograms on that wall? Is the English language going to remain the most common communication tool for all planet Earth residents?
Phil Douglis16-Jul-2004 20:08
Thanks, Tim. I try to make photographs that speak of things that matter to me, and hopefully will to others as well. I rarely make an image as an exercise in photographic technique or form for its own sake. To make substantive images takes a good deal of thinking. My mind works as hard as my eye and my shutter when I photograph.
Tim May16-Jul-2004 17:35
I always enjoy the "mind" behind your images - to think of the single child family policy is an example of the depth of thinking you bring to your images - I, also, like the fact that the woman is wearing red high heels - a modern touch in a country with a history of foot binding.
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