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October 18, 2013
All the world is a stage by ~pwillyams The Suggester says: "With perfect timing, "All the world is a stage" performs the alchemy of great photography: it turns the iron of the ordinary into the gold of magic".
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All the world is a stage

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Description

Street photo in Kashgar. Here's the back story:

I was wandering through the alleyways in the old town in Kashgar, which is way out West in China, on the old Silk Roads. I waited in this alleyway, where the light was amazing, as a few people passed through bombing my stage :-(. Fortunately the kids kept playing, the boy absorbed in his new kite, the girl looking like maybe she'd been promised a turn. I got four frames - I am not into bursts - and got three images I was really happy with. None of these were posed; if the kids had noticed me they would have come running.

This is my favourite because of the sense of mystery, and of course the colours. The way the hands come out, detached from any body, reminds me of a Dr Suess illustration of The Once-ler in the Lorax (a faceless but ultimately remorseful despoiler of the environment). But mostly the kids, caught up in their own theatre of fun.

The composition is an interesting point. I tried a crop to focus on the subject more (40% left, 10% right, 20% bottom) which is the natural reaction of judges, and it just does not work. The foreground provides context, a balance of colour, and creates lines that give the image depth. I know this, but I don't really know why. After trying maybe 50 crops, I know this framing just works.

This part of China, the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, is an amazing and intriguing place to visit and the photography opportunities are amazing. There is more on my website www.pwillyams.co.nz look under Travel then China.

Kia ora
Image size
2849x2033px 3.2 MB
Make
Canon
Model
Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Shutter Speed
1/1600 second
Aperture
F/8.0
Focal Length
105 mm
ISO Speed
400
Date Taken
Sep 4, 2013, 1:04:45 PM
© 2013 - 2024 pwillyams
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