December 2018

Spent Beauty #27
Nanjing, China
2018

Spent Beauty #26
Nanjing, China
2018

Still Life With Books
Nanjing, China
2018

Things You Can’t Unsee
Nanjing, China
2018

I took this photo because the shape of the door was so unusual. Then I noticed the face with it’s tongue sticking out. Now that’s all I can see.

Tack Room
Nanjing, China
2018

Tool Shed
Nanjing, China
2018

Barcode
Nanjing, China
2018

The Boss’s Office
Nanjing, China
2018

This was the office of an official of some sort in the old Presidential Palace. But not a top official I don’t t think. Cranes, like many things in China, have significant symbolic meaning. If a crane is depicted flying towards the sun, as in this image, it signifies a desire for social advancement. A crane that is shown perched on a rock and looking at the sun stands for an important authority who can see everything. I imagine the person occupying this office was hoping to move up in the world, eventually warranting a change to the mural in the background.

Late Night Old Nanjing
Nanjing, China
2018

This is another from the recreated old town that I visited in Najing. While certain neighborhoods in Chinese cities still have this kind of look, one clue that this is a recreation is that there are no people around–a rare site on the streets even at night out in the real city.

The Value of Dirty Windows
Nanjing, China
2018

If the movie Girl With the Pearl Earring is to be believed, the Dutch painter Vermeer was obsessed with keeping his studio windows dirty, preferring the diffuse pearly light that they cast. This photo of an early Chinese photography studio, complete with props and backdrops, certainly supports that idea. It was taken through a dirty window and contained a fair amount of reflection as well. The gauzy effect it created lends the perfect atmosphere to this old-time scene.

This old town recreation in Nanjing made an effort to merge modern commerce with historic appeal. Off to the right of the scene in this photo was some modern studio lighting equipment, indicating the studio is still being used.