Wednesday, April 15, 2015

In The Shadows

by Leigh



"In photography, there are no shadows that cannot be illuminated." ~August Sander

As photographers we spend most of our time focusing on light…searching out light…determining the quality of light, the quantity of light…..but the opposite can also be just as intriguing.  Shadow seems magical to me…kind of mysterious.   It's like shadow is it's own spirit living among us, dancing in the light….playing hide and seek in the light.  We chase them and hunt them and try to expose them.  They create intrigue in our photos and tell a story that go beyond the surface of the photograph.  Shadows seem to have a mind of their own and perhaps that is why I find myself so drawn to them.


We so often overlook the potential of photography's dark side and risk missing so many creative opportunities.  They can be used inventively and bring another dimension to photos.  Light and shadow are as linked together as they are in painting and literature.  When is the last time you composed an image using shadow as your core creative concept instead of the quality of light?  Go ahead…try it.  You might find this the creative spark you've been looking for.





5 comments:

kelly said...

I love the way you "see" things Leigh. Thanks for the creative inspiration today!

Dotti said...

It's so easy to overlook the interesting shadows. I position and reposition myself to make sure I'm not casting any shadows and tend not to notice if my subject is casting an interesting shadow. I especially like the photo where we can see just a snippet of the tree that is casting that lovely shadow. When the sun comes out again -- it will, right? -- I'll be looking for the shadows!

heyjudephotography said...

I love shooting shadows, and agree, they bring so much to a photo. Love these photos Leigh!

Kim Stevens said...

Another shadow lover here....I've been know to make my own cutouts for shadows, lol, so much fun!

Ida said...

Shadows are fun and you captured some really cool ones here.

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