The interception of light . . .

"Find beauty not only in the thing itself but in the pattern of the shadows,

the light and dark which that thing provides."

- Junichiro Tanizaki

Welcome to a new month and to our new theme . . . sunshine and shadows.

I'm not sure if there is a photographer that isn't driven by the light. That beautiful, elusive, golden light. The kind of light that makes one get up early, or miss dinner (sorry family) in pursuit of that perfect light. In fact it's the light that has really become my subject and for me the challenge is to find something to photograph with it.

When we have the interception of that light . . . it creates shadows. And light, and the absence of it, plays a huge part in determining the mood in our images.

Sometimes the very object that creates the shadow can't be seen . . .

And sometimes it's very necessary for it to be visible.

It can feel cheerful . . .

 . . .  or a little on the dramatic side, adding details, where the shadow can also become a reflection,

and maybe even a little mysterious?

The play of light and shadow can help us put depth in our images . . .

. . . . and sometimes the subject becomes the shadow in the form of a silhouette.

And by the length of the shadows we can get a sense of time, as in the morning and late afternoon when the sun is low in the sky, we get longer shadows. (who doesn't love being a little taller)

Shadows can even be fun to create, just ask the rabbit! ; )

 "The other day when I was walking through the woods, I saw a rabbit standing in

front of a candle making shadows of people on a tree."

- Stephen Wright

So, your mission, should you choose to accept (and I sure hope you do), is to play with the light and dark

through your viewfinder. Let's compose a little fun, add a little drama, evoke some emotion. Show us some sunshine and shadows . . . . and then add them to our Flickr group to be considered for our weekly InFocus selection and featured here on our blog!

Happy Tuesday!