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Wordless Wednesday #70
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Film, photography and storytelling
Wunderkamera 
Oh my goodness.What an astounding shot. It makes me think immediately of the work of Jeff Wall — except that in this case the scene is real, not posed! A sense of claustrophobia one can smell, a sense of quiet pervading despair, and yet also a sense that this is normal life being lived … where? A school? an office? a cafeteria?
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The last guess is the closest, Barbara. You can see my next post for more information: https://elizabethyeoman.wordpress.com/2014/11/13/a-vegetarian-meal-in-xian/ And thank you for the comparison with Jeff Wall! I’m honoured to be in his company.
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Oops I cut myself off during my last reply as I enlarged the picture to try to identify the objects in the background. This feels more like the clutter surrounding political workers of some sort, dedicated, intense, the alarming looking kneeling figure in the background perhaps actually trying to get a recalcitrant printer to work. Anyway, a very very “atmospheric” shot, with much to worry about! (Just for one, I hate to think what will happen to all those papers on those tables when that enormous fan gets turned on as surely it is about to be!)
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Oh my, this is indeed a winning shot Elizabeth. The editing treatment you gave it enhances the utilitarian feel of the setting and the almost suspicious, but maybe curious look of the woman as she turns to look adds to the fragile mystery.
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Love the yellow hood. Perfect hit of colour. Beautiful shot. The expression, the crouching person, also in a hood; is this outdoors? All the ‘stuff’… and that lone bowl on the table in the foreground. Yours? (:
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Mine was at the restaurant next door, Carin. You can see what I was eating and how it was made in the next post: https://elizabethyeoman.wordpress.com/2014/11/13/a-vegetarian-meal-in-xian/
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I’m going to guess a restaurant in Shanghai. Am I right? I agree with the others — it’s got a compelling atmosphere, under what seem to be overbright lights, and one can’t help searching the shot, picking out the details of the room, all that clutter on the walls and in the room behind. But I think the expression on that seated woman’s face makes it — the one who’s turned around and seems to have caught a glimpse of you (looking at us!). She looks shocked, almost scared. Did you speak to her? And what’s the woman doing who’s squatting over a bowl?
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Allyson, I think this is the only photo I took for which I didn’t ask permission. I was walking by and was struck by the scene, so I just snapped it. Now I wonder if I should have. The photos and video in the next post were taken with permission and show the restaurant next door, which is where we actually ate: https://elizabethyeoman.wordpress.com/2014/11/13/a-vegetarian-meal-in-xian/
Back to the photo here, the restaurant is in Xi’an and the woman squatting was doing the dishes.
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[…] Elizabeth Yeoman (Wunderkamera) […]
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