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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Eight: Light and shadow shape meaning > City gate, Pingyao, China, 2007
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14-SEP-2007

City gate, Pingyao, China, 2007

This is more an image of light than it is an image of a gate. I use the silhouette of the gate as context, and the light on and behind the clouds as my subject. The light explodes from the clouds in a band of connected rays, which echo and complete the upward thrust of the roof of the gate.

Leica V-Lux 1
1/800s f/10.0 at 88.8mm iso100 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time14-Sep-2007 17:26:45
MakeLeica
ModelV-LUX 1
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length88.8 mm
Exposure Time1/800 sec
Aperturef/10
ISO Equivalent100
Exposure Bias-0.33
White Balance
Metering Modemulti spot (3)
JPEG Quality
Exposure Programprogram (2)
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis12-Oct-2007 18:19
Thanks, Tricia. As I noted to Alina, the color version is more lively, less severe. And those rays symbolize life and energy. I will always shoot in color, and if there is little color in the image, I will convert it to black and white and compare it's meaning to the color version. At that point, I can see which way the image works most expressively for my purposes. I feel sorry for those photographers who routinely reproduce their images in only one way -- either black and white or color. That approach places form over function, and often will keep the image from achieving its most expressive potential.
flowsnow12-Oct-2007 16:28
I think this in colour is perfect, Phil. I like to see the yellow coloured ray and has a better effect than in BW (I think).
Phil Douglis28-Sep-2007 20:08
Good point, Alina. I almost made this black and white, but when I compared the monochrome version to this image, there seemed to be more life in it, and those rays are all about life. I think it is the trace of color in the gray that makes the difference here.
Alina28-Sep-2007 18:08
Beautiful grey palette of colors and interesting silhouette. Cool :)
Phil Douglis28-Sep-2007 04:41
I usually make ten to twenty images of a given situation. In this case, the clouds were in motion, and so was the sun, so I had a relatively limited amount of time to get those rays. Meanwhile, I had to place that gate in precisely the right position. There is always the element of chance at work. I look for the light first, and then find ways to make it express how I feel about what I am seeing.
Patricia Lay-Dorsey28-Sep-2007 03:43
My immediate reaction is a loud, enthusiastic WOW!!! This image takes my breath away. Now I'm curious to know how many shots it took to get this one that is perfectly timed to capture the rays of the sun radiating from behind the clouds. Such perfection! For a light/shadow lover like me, this is like bringing nirvana to life. And the way you placed the silhouetted gate to the right and centered it along that edge so we could see the sky above AND below enhances the subject you wanted to capture, that being the light. So well done, Phil.
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