Talking Pictures
One Final Thought; A Kind Of Metaphor
Shutterbug Staff, June, 2006
A Kind Of Metaphor
After I took this picture of a staircase in the Wisconsin State Capitol, I
became intrigued by the patterns created by its intersecting lines. The more
I thought about it, I began to see the composition as a kind of metaphor for
what takes place in this building. This metaphor can be interpreted in many
different ways, such as:
• The stairs can be seen as an opportunity for the participants in the
legislative process to ascend to greater heights, or to descend to greater depths.
• The interlaced network of forms calls to mind the many competing interests
that influence this activity.
• The repetition of uniform posts suggests an outward appearance
of fairness and equality, even while closer inspection reveals they are bloated
at their base, and rendered unique by the texture of the materials from which
each is formed.
• Brightly lit structures in the foreground are countered by recesses,
subtly obscured by reflections of gold, leading to legislative offices.
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© 2006, Larry Dickerson, All Rights Reserved
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Viewed as a metaphor, this picture could be seen as the complex struggle of
conflicting ideas and issues, or the inevitable result of a democratic process
erected on a foundation of compromise and consensus. Then again, it could just
be a picture of an interesting architectural design!
—Larry Dickerson
Sun Prairie, WI
Technical Info: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, Tamron 18-200mm
lens, ISO 100, f/4.5 at 0.8 seconds. Cropped and corrected in Adobe’s
Photoshop CS2.
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