Friday, July 04, 2008
Shopping delight - Hongqiao
Comments:
open spaces of a different sort Doug. The bunched up material on the railing is a strong base, almost out of character with the rest of the scene.
There is a lot of infomation to look at here and find out who is shopping for what. One of those pictures that requires a larger footprint on my monitor to fully explore.
The material at the bottom makes this look like a C19 theatre turned inside out so that the occupants of the boxes are now on stage. Oh dear, where is the world headed?! This is certainly a powerful image of China today although, as we are beginning to find out from an increasing number of BBC documentaries, such 'delights' do not extend out into all the regions. But where are all the people, or was this early in the morning as you were off to a meeting and the world hadn't woken up yet? Just the solitary pair of girls and a few individuals in a 'hunt the figure' competition!
This was a Saturday morning in one of the many mini-malls around Shanghai, the items for sale are expensive for most in China. Many times going in and out of these mini-malls to see what was there, I never saw crowds of people inside walking around. I usually became the center of attention as I walkded these, making me self-aware with regard to taking photographs.
If you panned left or right how far would this go? Would the stores repeat? Or would they vary infinitely?
This is looking the right side of the mini-mall, but I could go left more and would it continue to vary. Issue was finding places between the displays to be able to photograph the opposite side. As you can see opposite, every thing is jammed together.
Shopping delight almost anywhere...
I want something more in this to point up the documentary nature of the shot. By itself the shopping centre isn't unusual - it is the location that makes this of interest. I know I may be wishing for something that was not there to see, but would we look closely into this pic without the title?
This image makes me feel very small and a bit lost. It somehow reminds me of the doll houses many people put together and furnish. It feels like a miniaturized world and quite strange. I can't begin to put my finger on it, but the photo is a bit disquieting for me—not unpleasant, but like watching a Twilight Zone where nothing is as it seems. Fascinating and those lights feel like spotlights on the stage. Wonderful illusions.
This could be anywhere and given the only clear sign is in English you would not think you're in China. But then again, if you captured something Chinese in this shot it would probably then just be to easy. Geography aside, there is lots of detail in this to keep you interested. The couple on the lowest level seem to be walking a dog...the escalators that seem to go nowhere. I am always leaving a tiny slice above a major boundary so I have no complaints with the top edge. I do, however, think it could be a little less yellow tinted or is this how they have their lighting in China?
A slice of life, a slice of layer cake.
Apart from the coffee and clothes on the bottom I cannot work out what is being sold. However that doesn't stop me looking.
Colin looks for something to point up the documentary nature of this shot - doesn't the red and gold drape symbolise the Chinese flag?
As Anita said, it seems rather like a miniature model, yet I also had the thought: if this is a mini-mall, what is the size of a regular mall? It seems larger than mini would indicate to me. Maybe because we don't seem to have malls here that are more than 2 levels -- though perhaps they take up more acreage.
A fascinating look at shopping in China, -- has a nice colorful "sparkle" to it.
I wish the word "sparkle" had come to my mind. I wonder if that element is part of the reason this puts me in mind of a children's toy or miniature model. After all, it's bright and shiny and filled with all sorts of tiny delights to discover. (Or, maybe all this just says more about my mind!)
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There is a lot of infomation to look at here and find out who is shopping for what. One of those pictures that requires a larger footprint on my monitor to fully explore.
I want something more in this to point up the documentary nature of the shot. By itself the shopping centre isn't unusual - it is the location that makes this of interest. I know I may be wishing for something that was not there to see, but would we look closely into this pic without the title?
Apart from the coffee and clothes on the bottom I cannot work out what is being sold. However that doesn't stop me looking.
A fascinating look at shopping in China, -- has a nice colorful "sparkle" to it.