photo sharing and upload picture albums photo forums search pictures popular photos photography help login
Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Thirty Four: Photographing the tourist in all of us > Riverboat, Li River, Guilin, China, 2006
previous | next
05-APR-2006

Riverboat, Li River, Guilin, China, 2006

Tour groups pack the upper decks of this riverboat as it threads its way down the Li River from Guilin to Yangshuo, a breathtaking scenic journey. What makes this image expressive to me is the incongruous relationship of population density from deck to deck. The top deck is jammed with tourists – that’s where the best view is. The back deck holds just four people at this moment in time. The view may be less exciting for them, but some people prefer to look at what is behind them, rather than what lies ahead. On the bottom deck, which serves as the ship’s kitchen, a lone cook prepares lunch. Nobody on this ship can see all three decks at once. But we can. And therein lies the story here. I made this image from the front of the top deck another tourist riverboat – the situation was exactly the same.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30
1/250s f/5.6 at 14.4mm iso80 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time05-Apr-2005 19:04:44
MakePanasonic
ModelDMC-FZ30
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length14.4 mm
Exposure Time1/250 sec
Aperturef/5.6
ISO Equivalent80
Exposure Bias-0.33
White Balance (10)
Metering Modemulti spot (3)
JPEG Quality (6)
Exposure Programprogram (2)
Focus Distance

other sizes: small medium large original auto
share
Phil Douglis13-Aug-2006 04:34
A tourist is anyone who is visiting anyplace for pleasure, Christine. Your thoughtful comment makes us take stock of our attitudes towards tourism. I always am aware that I am a tourist when I travel for pleasure. When I am marveling at the beauty of the Li River, my reaction is identical to the reaction of the Chinese tourist standing next to me on the deck of our riverboat. The phrase is overused, but we live in a global village, and everyone who travels for pleasure, no matter where they may come from, does so for the same reasons, and follows similar rituals.
Christine P. Newman13-Aug-2006 02:02
Observing tourists can be fascinating and we forget that we are tourists ourselves, even by simply reading your ocmments and looking at your pictures. Sometimes, what fascinates me are photographers from other countries (see imagehttp://www.pbase.com/christinepnewman/image/63754274). I have the tendency to think that because I come from a western country I belong more to the Parisian environment than these tourists. Yet, I don't.
Phil Douglis19-Apr-2006 00:30
Thanks, Tim and Ramma, for seeing the primacy of human values in this image. If "Philesque" means to tell a visual story in human terms, I'll be glad to take the blame.
Tim May18-Apr-2006 20:46
This is classic "Philesque." Yes, you are in the midst of some of the world's most beautiful scenery and, while you show a part of it, your focus is on the humanness of how it's viewed - how humans respond - this "cubifies" the scenery.
Ramma 18-Apr-2006 20:40
again am really impressed by your perspective. 90% of the people in your position would try and capture the view, but u managed to do that and also point out the characteristic of tourists on the decks in your river boat ! by capturing that of another. it sounds so simple, but yet to have the presence of mind, is commendable.
Commenting on this page requires full PBase membership.
Please login or register.