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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Thirty Nine: Juxtaposition – compare and contrast for meaning > To and fro, Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, 2006
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03-AUG-2006

To and fro, Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, 2006

In this image I’ve juxtaposed a group of three pedestrians marching along New York’s 168th Street in single file, with one woman walking against the flow, under an umbrella. The heat was fierce, even in the morning, and the umbrella offered her comforting shade. They move stride for stride in opposite directions – a two way journey delineated by the shadow provided by the overhang of the Medical Center’s emergency room parking area. Nobody makes eye contact in this parade of urban anonymity. These people are islands unto themselves.

Leica D-Lux 2
1/500s f/4.9 at 20.9mm iso80 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time03-Aug-2006 08:28:29
MakeLeica
ModelD-LUX2
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length20.9 mm
Exposure Time1/500 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

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Phil Douglis01-Nov-2006 17:53
Thanks, Giselle -- glad to help you learn new words. And perhaps, more importantly, a new photographic concept! Thanks for coming to this image.
giselle borgwardt01-Nov-2006 13:42
I didn't know the meaning of the word juxtaposition.(It's a fun-ny word for a German ear)
Thanks for the instruction.
Beside the inspiration for deep thoughts, i love the composition of this image.
Phil Douglis06-Oct-2006 03:53
Well said, Xin. Animals hang together for survival, while people usually keep their distances in public. Your image and mine make a useful pairing.
Sheena Xin Liu06-Oct-2006 03:42

Perfect timing and spacing. I have captured the similar spacing rhythm in animal community.
http://www.pbase.com/xinliualbum/image/64218177

However it tells the totally different concept.
The one in the birds queue is all about grouping and natural hanging togetherness, the one you witnessed in New York, is about the spatial and mental disparity.
Phil Douglis26-Aug-2006 03:55
I looked at it in Black and White, Dan, and while graphically austere and abstract, it killed the vitality I was looking for here. This image is all about life on the street, and the color brings that life to a more real, vital mood for me. It comes down our own definitions of "better" and our own choice of mood to match the meaning we desire. You are right, the technology is here for us. We can toggle a checkmark back and forth and see what works and what doesn't work for us.
Dan Chusid26-Aug-2006 03:24
The separation of the four sets of legs is eye-catching. Can't help
but wonder if this image would look better in B&W to heighten the
mood. That of course is the advantage with today's technology.
Phil Douglis22-Aug-2006 17:01
Thanks, Celia, for seeing the dual nature of the juxtapositions expressed in this image. We may think and act as individuals, but we still must follow the rules that keep us from anarchy. Yes -- she moves against the grain here, alone in her determination to march to her own drum. And she is also the only one here who carries an umbrella as a proud, personal banner. Yet as you point out, her path, pace, stride, and shadow are identical to everyone else's. She may not realize it, but we do. As you say, all of this comes down to an instant in light, time, and space. When I saw her coming with that umbrella raised high, I pushed my "multiple image" button, kept my finger on the shutter button, and let the camera do the rest for me. A burst of three frames within one second followed, allowing me to choose the moment that best tells this story.
Cecilia Lim22-Aug-2006 10:01
Wow! The lady with the umbrella pops out because everything across the image - the direction, the lighting, the background - is the same except for her! She does indeed appear to be going against the grain, trying to retain her individalism amongst a sea of clones, but yet it appears that her struggle for individuality is impossible in her world here. She may think she is different but because she exists in this world, she is designed to move only within the confines and rules of this world: As rebellious as she appears to be, she keeps the same pace and distance as everyone else. She stays within the sunlit path as everyone else. Her stride is the same as everyone else. Her shadow falls into the same direction as everyone else. She is trapped in a world of deception where individuality is allowed and perhaps celebrated, but underlying it all, everyone is actually the same, following the same order and mechanics of this urban world.

You taught me much in this simple image Phil. Timing is everything in photography and you use it to great effect here, together with the element of juxtaposition to create ideas that encourage thought. Thanks Phil for this wonderfully though-provoking and reflective image about urban life.
Phil Douglis21-Aug-2006 23:15
Well put, Jenene. Thanks for letting your imagination go beyond the image and think about what happens after I press my shutter. The beautiful thing about juxtaposition is that in most cases it defines something that lasts for only an instant as something that can last indefinitely. This image suspends time for 1/500th of a second, and in doing so, provokes your mind and imagination.
JSWaters21-Aug-2006 19:50
There are as many different paths to take as there are people to take them. The three in single file will eventually split off to follow there own way, abandoning the usefulness of that direction when it no longer serves their purose. The woman walking in the opposite direction is only temporarily going against the grain - for all her apparent individuality, she is part of the urban swarm and blends when she has to. It is all about space - but more deeply, it's about how we move through the space we choose to occupy.
Jenene
Phil Douglis16-Aug-2006 20:56
Thanks, Ai Li, for this wonderful comment. It is all about s-p-a-c-e, isn't it? These people are instinctively keeping their distance from each other. As you say, they are probably each lost in their own thoughts, yet they still keep even spacing between each other. (Almost like they taught us in driving school, right? )The last thing they would consider is interacting. I like the fact that there is always someone who moves against the grain -- as you note, the lady with the umbrella breaks the rhythm of the others, and proclaims her proud individuality by carrying her own shade.
AL16-Aug-2006 07:35
Superb eye and timing, Phil. The first three are like line dancers, so in synch, while the other is such a nice break to the rhythm, a sense of individuality. For the single one, moving in an opposite direction may not always be a bad thing. Many of us physically move in the same direction but are often in own thoughts, seeking different purpose and comforts. Even when we meet someone face to face, how often do we stop and interact? What I also noticed is the almost even spacing between them. Reminded me of my own traveller picture where I quoted that "within this huge world, man creates a small world of his own that he calls s-p-a-c-e"...
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