Billboard, Beijng, China, 2006 by Phil Douglis

Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Thirty: When walls speak and we listen > Billboard, Beijng, China, 2006

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15-MAR-2006

Billboard, Beijng, China, 2006

Passers by seem oblivious to the seductive blandishments of this billboard on Beijing's Wangfujing Avenue. The advertisement is for a club in a local hotel. I waited for someone to pass between the golden words and the red lips, and photographed about ten different pedestrians, among them this pair of men dressed identically. The face in the ad is abstract and incongruously large compared to the men walking towards it with unseeing eyes. Their minds are on other things.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30
1/125s f/4.5 at 19.6mm iso80 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto

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Phil Douglis		20-Nov-2007 16:45
There are similarities in the messages these images convey, Mo. In this one, I add the men to create a context for the poster.

monique jansen		20-Nov-2007 13:57
This one reminds me of the photo you helped me with that I took in NYC this year: http://www.pbase.com/trevvelbug/image/78641478

Phil Douglis		27-Apr-2007 21:39
Yes, this is all about temptation, isn't it, Zandra. Only in this case, temptation is commercialized and advertised and as you note, studiously ignored. Those lips may speak. but these men are not listening.

Guest		27-Apr-2007 20:37
Respecfullyt bowed head before the ultimate sin, the temptation of a strangers kiss. Luschious red lips speak out to us, calls for attention. Yet, the men passing by does not seem to see or hear the call. Or perhaps their eyes gaze up, as they try to hid the temptetion to answer the call...

Phil Douglis		16-Aug-2006 00:26
Thanks, Rodney, for echoing one of the most important principles of expressive photography: luck is the residue of design. We must do all we can to improve our chances of getting the right thing in the right spot in the right light and the right time by keeping an open mind, anticipating the kinds of things that might happen, and then make it work. There is a maxim in photojournalism: "f/8 and be there." I might have used f/4.5 for this one, but I was there.

Guest		15-Aug-2006 23:04
A super photo that speaks volumes. I agree 100% with Xin. This is a great lesson not just on how walls speak to us, but also how to be open and sensitive to potential scenes, and to wait for right moments to capture them. :):)

Phil Douglis		17-May-2006 19:33
Thanks, Armin, for coming to this image. You are right. The men may be looking away from the billboard, and the face on the billboard might be able to acknowledge their presence, yet they are interacting just by coming together in time and space.

arminb		17-May-2006 13:01
wonderful compo and interaction!

Phil Douglis		23-Apr-2006 20:15
Thanks for coming back to this image, Xin. You have apparently learned much from this image and discussion, which was what I had hoped. I liked your guess that either or both of these men may have already secretly gazed upon these lips before I made this image. And you are right about opportunities coming to those with prepared minds. I am often asked about the role that luck plays in a photograph such as this. I always answer that luck is really the "residue of design." Is it not true that truly expressive photographers seem to have a lot of luck? It's because they work hard at optimizing their chances of success. They have the patience to stick with an idea, and then make enough images so the law of averages works in their favor.

Sheena Xin Liu		23-Apr-2006 19:50
Actually Carol made the correct observation here, since this image characterizes very well the mindset of traditional Chinese men, who tried to avoid explicit expression (symbol) of sex and free will; But the secret gaze may have already done before they approached it closely. Thank you Phil, I learn a lot from this conversation. Thanks for sharing your experience in shooting this image. Pre-visualizing is really important for shooting remarkable scene and people, even though at times random objects come and change your original plan. In this sense, it conforms to the saying that goes, "chances come with the prepared mind" !

Phil Douglis		18-Apr-2006 18:20
Thanks, Carol, for adding your insights to this image. As I had hoped, it is stimulating comments which encourage learning. You are right -- had one or both of these men looked up at the lips, and had I photographed that look, this image would tell a quite different story. There are always two variables in post visualized imagery -- the actions of the subjects, and the decisions of the photographer. I also thank you for seeing what the dark curved shape in the lower left hand corner is suggesting. It does imply a plunging neckline. It also implies a seductively exotic partial covering of the chin, a stereotypical "come hither" gesture.

Carol E Sandgren		18-Apr-2006 17:45
Interesting dialog on this image, Phil, and let me add that I also am intrigued by this one as well. Before i even read Xin's translation, the thought that immediately came to mind is that these Chinese men were too modest or careful about being seen gazing at a larger than life symbol of sex. Not knowing at all what the Chinese characters say, again my imagination could run wild. Perhaps they did secretly gaze at the sign, made a mental note of what the ad was saying and memorized where this dance club was for a future reference. How would you have felt if these men passing by did in fact gaze upwards toward the sign? Would that have been as effective as this? I think it might have been although could take on a whole new meaning, or translation for your viewer. Adding people in the image of a huge billboard really makes the image have meaning, as I have learned so well from you. It's just what the people are doing that makes it seem different each time. The sign stays the same, the passerbys are all random. It's also interesting too that the shape of the point by the chin made from the dark curved shape in the lower left corner, could possibly suggest a plunging neckline from a little black dress, which also adds to the sex appeal.

Phil Douglis		18-Apr-2006 01:52
Thanks for the translation. I had a hunch it would say something about free will. The club apparently is somewhat like the old dance halls, where men can meet ladies, dance and drink with them, etc. The abstract, incongruous billboard, so rich in human values (love, sex, romance, etc.), is intended to draw customers by stimulating their imaginations. But as I say, and you note, the men are oblivious to what lies in front of them. They are thinking about their own business, not someone else's. As for your question, Xin, about ways of photographing -- there are three basic approaches. I use all three: A "previsualized" image is when you know exactly what you are trying to express before making a picture. That is what happened here. I saw the sign, which was wonderfully incongruous and abstract and then waited for various kinds of people to pass beneath it. These fellows worked out best for me. Then there is the "post-visualized" image -- what you call above an image "spontaneously driven by the moment of seeing." It is an instinctive, not planned, process. Many images in this cyberbook are the result of something I saw and shot on the spot. And last, there is the blend of the two approaches. Sometimes I start out with a previsualized idea, but then something happens and I depart from the plan and take advantage of what has been given to me. In the end, I try to stay flexible, keep an open mind, be aware and alive and passionate. OK? Do I still MAKE the desirous moment happen? Not really. I do all I can, sometimes, to set the stage for a decisive moment. But in the end, I am always at the mercy of who or what comes along. These two men were the perfect answer to my dream for this picture. But did I MAKE them come along? No -- I didn't. But I did have the patience to stick with the idea until they did come along, right?

Sheena Xin Liu		18-Apr-2006 01:14
Let me be a volunteer translator here, Phil. Those Chinese characters mean ¡° Follow your heart and do as you wish~~~¡± . The slogan seems to advocates free will which fits precisely with the sensual lips but contrasts to the two pedestrians who seem to be mindful about their own business or personal matters, without paying a single attention to the seductive, eye-catching lips over their head. Full of incongruity. Also, from your texts, I¡¯ ve learn that at times you wait to capture, not just spontaneously driven by the moment of seeing. You will have to MAKE the desirous moment to happen, am I right, Phil?

Phil Douglis		17-Apr-2006 18:04
You are right, Kal -- the words on the poster almost seem to be originating from those men because of the complimentary coloration.

Kal Khogali		17-Apr-2006 14:23
EXcellent image Phil...I paticularly like how the writing colour matches their skin...it reduces this image to four simple colours,and makes it more abstract. K

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