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| five o'clock shadow |
I have been scouring my world for good shadows this week. And, hoping to find something lurking in one. The most colorful shadows come out just before sunset. The footprints in the snow come alive with blue and pink depth. Inside the house, the low sun projects images on the wall with a golden hue.
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| last bite of the sun |
The first effort at catching the shadows on the wall was pitiful. I snapped one shot of the fruit bowl's projected silhouette, and the sun's intensity suddenly vanished. The window of opportunity was gone. But now I had an idea that could steep, like a good tea. The image was too flat. It needed layers. More shadows. Then it dawned (eveninged?) on me that I could place something "in the shadows" myself! I am generally passive when it comes to photography. I don't know who told me that it's cheating to alter what you discover naturally in order to make a better picture. There is something superior to me about a site left untouched, though, perfect just the way I found it. But nothing was going to conveniently get in the shadows for me at exactly the right moment. So the next time the sun was playing it's lighting game on the walls, I grabbed my camera, a few pieces of fruit, and manipulated the situation for my benefit. If you are staging the shot, I guessed there's simply no limit. I could try to fool the eye by mixing up the order of the fruit. The fruit on the island could be placed in a different arrangement than the pieces set on the counter top. A complete visual conundrum! Well, I expect no one's socks are going to be knocked off by my shadow puzzle, but at least there's dimension to the piece. And, something in the shadows. Goal accomplished.
