This week’s inspiration for Poetry Friday is shadows.
The Spouse and I sometimes take photos of ourselves like this:
It’s interesting to observe our likenesses and dissimilarities. When I gaze at our shadows, he doesn’t seem as tall, but my hips seem unpleasantly accurate..
Sometimes it feels like humanity pays more attention to the shadows people cast that it does to the people themselves. Our brains can get wrapped around the axle of a distorted two-dimensional impression we get of a person, rather than considering the depth and complexity of their entire person. Easily digested impressions require less interaction, and releases us from the obligation to engage ourselves.
The past few years I have been more intrigued by soft shadows. Often these are cast through organic objects like trees or plants. The distance from the light source to the subject lends itself to softer edges which deemphasize the representation of the object and leave behind an abstract dreaminess. An example:
These photos are the basis for a series of abstract paintings. The resulting execution resembles little evidence of the original concept, but the dreaminess remains largely intact.
Untitled
Oil on Panel
7″ x 5.75″
I didn’t know you are married to a one-legged man. Then again, I never imagined you had no arms, so…
I haven’t had the time I hoped I would to indulge in fooling around with photography this fall, but perhaps my interest waned because I was not as successful as i wanted to be in manipulating the light.
De, I like to take pictures early in the morning and late in the afternoon when the contrast is greatest. The light emphasizes elements I wouldn’t notice under ordinary conditions.