The People’s Park, Shanghai, China, 2007 by Phil Douglis

Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Three: Expressing human values > The People’s Park, Shanghai, China, 2007

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08-SEP-2007

The People’s Park, Shanghai, China, 2007

This image expresses the human value of irony. This man finds himself alone in a beautiful park, surrounded by elegant landscaping, yet he seems bored, and perhaps a bit forlorn. Boredom and sadness are also human values, and no doubt other human values can be attributed to this image as well. This photograph leads us to wonder why the man appears so sad. Is he waiting for someone who has not yet arrived? Or is he awash in poignant memories? I want my viewers to identify with this man, put themselves in his place, and think about the human values the image represents.

Leica V-Lux 1
1/100s f/4.0 at 17.2mm iso100 hide exif

Full EXIF Info
Date/Time	08-Sep-2007 09:25:47
Make	Leica
Model	V-LUX 1
Flash Used	No
Focal Length	17.2 mm
Exposure Time	1/100 sec
Aperture	f/4
ISO Equivalent	100
Exposure Bias	-0.33
White Balance
Metering Mode	multi spot (3)
JPEG Quality
Exposure Program	program (2)
Focus Distance

other sizes: small medium large original auto

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Phil Douglis		30-Apr-2008 00:39
That is the story, Iris -- tranquility, silence, meditation are all implied here.

Iris Maybloom (irislm)		29-Apr-2008 20:36
I could easily sit next to him on that rock and feel very much at peace in this beautifully tranquil environment.

Phil Douglis		11-Feb-2008 23:46
Thanks, Sofia, for putting yourself in his place, and identifying with his response. The image functions as a mirror for you -- this man is encouraging you to feel like he feels, and in your case that means relaxed and meditative. Whether or not that is really the case does not matter. What matters is that the image has affected you emotionally, and that is what I intended.

Guest		11-Feb-2008 23:16
I like this capture very much. But before I read that you judje his expression as irony, I had perceived a real pleasure of meditation and a deep state of mind in which this person find himself at the moment of the capture. To me, he seems completely relaxed and far away from all the problems of the material world... The Chinese should be able to absract from reality because of their hard life, I think. Yet, perhaps I saw in his relaxed and peaceful expression my own state of mind :) Thanks for sharing! V

Phil Douglis		30-Jan-2008 00:51
So beautifully said, Vera. Humans are humans, whether they live in Shanghai, Toronto, or Phoenix. And we all share similar feelings at times. I wanted to make you identify with those feelings here, and you have. The fact that he expresses those feelings in such a lovely place adds a dose of irony, which is also universal. Thanks for grasping that.

Guest		30-Jan-2008 00:41
Very interesting to read your response to Cyndy regarding the flip up view finder. For me this picture makes me realize that folks who live in what we cal idyllic settings have the same problems you and I do. Paradise is not a place but a frame of mind. V.

Phil Douglis		02-Oct-2007 18:34
Thank you, Cyndy, for your comments on this picture. First, let me clarify what "17mm" refers to here. That is the focal length of the lens expressed in terms of a digital camera. However, the focal length of lens I used for this image, when expressed in terms of a 35mm camera, which is what we are used to thinking about when it comes to lens selection and usage, is actually 82mm. So this picture was indeed made with a short telephoto focal length. And yes, this fellow could be awash in shopping bags,waiting for his wife to return with more. He has a grumpyish look quite common to males in such situations. As for how I got this shot without him noticing me, that is a matter of both the kind of camera I choose to use and my technique in using it. I use a camera that offers a flip-up viewfinder. I don't like holding a camera to my face as a mask. It makes people, as you note, suspicious and uncomfortable. Holding the camera at my waist, I usually frame my shot and then turn away and look elsewhere as I shoot. I do this again and again. The subject will often think I am photographing a nearby tree or plant. Hope this answers your question.

Guest		02-Oct-2007 17:28
His body language and the expression on his face are pricless. You could drop him in an American mall surrounded by shopping bags and I would say he was waiting for his wife to return. This image is both humorous and though-provoking--and very intriquing.

Phil Douglis		01-Oct-2007 17:58
Thanks for underscoring the scale incongruity of this compact gentleman sitting amidst the huge leaves. Your whimsical sense of humor is always welcome, Ceci. Glad the image sparked this scenario in your mind.

Guest		01-Oct-2007 06:50
Since it's almost impossible to figure out what another human being is expressing -- specially in this interesting case -- I'm going to try for a little humor. I think that this man is simply stunned by these giant round leaves, which weren't there when he sat down, and which appeared as he was pondering why he just spent four hours wandering around the botanical park in the intense heat without his water bottle. He cannot imagine how these leaves could have sprouted so quickly, and without him noticing them! It's a conundrum, which is teasing his brain mercilessly. What on earth is going on??? (I love the picture by the way, and its soft round shapes, with this incongruous man plopped in the middle of them.)

Phil Douglis		28-Sep-2007 04:08
Thanks, Patricia. I try to avoid making judgements with my images. I want the present the facts as I see them and let them speak for themselves. He was obviously not in a happy or animated mood, yet he sits in one of the loveliest spots in Shanghai. Glad he intrigues you. It is certainly a portrait that is rich in both human values and incongruities.

Patricia Lay-Dorsey		28-Sep-2007 02:30
He is defintiely somewhere else. I wonder where? It is not a place that fills him with joy; that is clear. But his expression nis somewhat hard to read. The words that come to mind are pensive, unhappy, reflective, disillusioned, uninterested, or is he simply tired. But I care about him. You have made me do so, Phil, by presenting him with a sense of compassion rather than judgement. I'm sure if I knew his story, his mood would make perfect sense. But whatever his story, he sure is in an idyllic setting!

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