photo sharing and upload picture albums photo forums search pictures popular photos photography help login
Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Thirty Nine: Juxtaposition – compare and contrast for meaning > Then and now, South Street Seaport, New York City, 2006
previous | next
08-AUG-2006

Then and now, South Street Seaport, New York City, 2006

In the 18th and 19th Centuries, a forest of masts blanketed the wharves of New York’s East River. Today there are but two sailing ships left, both part of the city’s South Street Seaport Museum. The Wavertree (1885) and The Peking (1911). I juxtaposed them both against the façade of a contemporary office building, appropriately made of green glass, the color the sea itself. I am contrasting two eras in time by placing the ships in the foreground layer and the building as a background layer.

Leica D-Lux 2
1/320s f/4.9 at 25.2mm iso80 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time08-Aug-2006 12:20:41
MakeLeica
ModelD-LUX2
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length25.2 mm
Exposure Time1/320 sec
Aperturef/4.9
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 Douglis16-Aug-2006 23:51
You always manage to give me new ways to think about my images, Ceci. You do it once again here. I saw the modern building as an expression of an era, but did not link it to the nature of glass itself as it relates to the sea and to the sailing ships that once ruled its waves. I enjoyed Master and Commander as much as you did. My fascination with photography is often rooted in its ability to express the past as well as the present and future. You draw a beautiful word picture of contemporary office workers looking through the glass of their clear windows into the spars of an archaic ship. It makes me wish I could go up into some office in that building and make that shot you envision here.
Guest 16-Aug-2006 23:31
I just saw ":Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" for the second time, perhaps the most realistic film portrayal of the harsh, primitive life aboard a tall ship ever made; and can't help but marvel over the massive glass encased building beyond the spars in your photo , symbolic of man's eternal questing and expansion and power. In the days when these ships plied the oceans, glassmaking was an inexact science, often resulting in defects and ripples, giving the viewer a distorted picture of what lay beyond. And in our modern day, those inside this building can gaze unimpeded out upon the sight of wood and ropes and lurching decks, through glass as clear as air. Contrasts, indeed, -- and a marvelous and beautiful time-travel image, Phil!
Phil Douglis16-Aug-2006 20:50
Thanks, Christine for noting the contrast of things that sail and things that don't. And thank you, Ai Li, for stressing the role of juxtaposition in contrasting two different eras in time. Each of you are viewing this image from your own perspective, and each of you will experience this image differently because of it. That is a strength of expressive photography, not a weakness. It is a broad, deep medium. Some feel that photographs should convey a consistent message from person to person. I disagree. To me, the more diverse an image's effect, the stronger it becomes.
AL16-Aug-2006 07:15
Great contrast in color, texture, pattern and most importantly, time. It's really interesting to see how you carefully chose to juxtapose two different structures, two different modes of living, two different eras in time.
Christine P. Newman13-Aug-2006 22:02
At first, without reading your commentary, we see more the contrast between the boats and the building, between sea and land. I do not know enough about boats to make the difference between the two of them.
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