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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twelve: Using color to express ideas > Blue Man, Shanghai, China, 2007
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06-SEP-2007

Blue Man, Shanghai, China, 2007

Normally I would not have photographed this man sitting in front of his closed shop. However the color coincidence here makes the image incongruous and thereby expressive. He wears a blue shirt, blue pants, and blue sandals. He sits in front of a bright blue door to his shop. Off to the side are blue and white tubs and blue stools. To call him and his environment a symphony in blue would be an understatement. The color makes the image.

Leica V-Lux 1
1/100s f/4.0 at 27.2mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis23-Feb-2010 18:35
Not only is he a slice of life, he is a slice of color as well. Thanks, Marcia.
Marcia Rules22-Feb-2010 23:43
a striking slice-of-life...fine fine imaging :)
Phil Douglis29-Apr-2008 01:20
Thanks, Iris, for seeing so much in this portrait. Your portrait athttp://www.pbase.com/irislm/image/94998794 speaks of relaxed self confidence. I caught him at a more introspective moment, surrounded by his world of blue.
Iris Maybloom (irislm)28-Apr-2008 22:30
In my blue man image I concentrated on the man and the background. Compositionally, by bringing in the blue stools and containers on the left, you expanded the concept of blue. This man has clearly chosen a blue palette...his clothes, his sandals, the door, the items for sale. We don't see any other color, even in the items he's selling. While your image is making a statement, so is this man. We can only guess what that might be!
Phil Douglis24-Feb-2008 00:28
Thanks, Vera -- as I say so often, less can usually be more. The various shade of blue tend to unify and thereby simplify the image. And yes, he sits in his chair as if he were the ruler of this street.
Guest 23-Feb-2008 13:31
This is an excellent example of how color can make a photo. It is so simple and so rich at the same time. He looks a bit like a king sitting on his throne.
Phil Douglis19-Nov-2007 19:25
Given his expression, Mo, he just might be.
monique jansen19-Nov-2007 12:46
Very nicely put together, wonder if he is blue on the inside as well
Phil Douglis17-Oct-2007 18:56
I saw that incongruity as well, Tim, but then realized that if he is going to sell those plastic stools as new, he better not be sitting on them.
Tim May17-Oct-2007 17:35
I like that he is sitting in an old and worn chair, while the newer plastic stools go unused.
Phil Douglis15-Oct-2007 04:33
Thanks for bringing in the symbolic language of blue here, Patricia. With his products stacked to the left, and his easy posture in the chair at right, his life seems well in balance.
Patricia Lay-Dorsey14-Oct-2007 04:21
Yes, Phil, you did well to see the "blueness" in this scene and take advantage of it. Of course, the photo works well not just because of the limited palette but because of your excellent compositional eye. Here the color blue--often seen as a spiritual color--epitomizes serentiy and balance.
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