…and the Mystery of Shadow
Since this is a series, start with Part 01 in which we talk about the Magic of Light and Mystery of Shadow. If you did not catch it, start at http://goo.gl/YXj5vJ, then go forward to Part 02, and finally here to Part 03.
We continue with more examples.
Some images are monochromatic, and in order for them to work, it is essential that they contain the magic of light. Otherwise, they are a whole mega-bunch of insipid pixels.
This week, we will look at four such images, starting with the one at the left that was made during Super-storm Sandy.
The seas were angry, and the skies disappeared into a black abyss of nothingness. The wind howled, and we were in heaven. This was Mother Nature at her strongest. Never doubt who will win here.
I love architecture of various sorts. In New Orleans, there is nothing like the wrought iron that one sees everywhere. There are intricately-patterned railings, wonderful fences, and fancy gates. Here, the early-morning light streaked through a row of gas lamps, making these long, extended, angled stripes. Without the light, there would have been nothing.
For our first workshop in Yosemite a few years ago (we’re headed back later this year), we were lucky to have the snow that I had hoped for and that echoed my first visit to this amazing place years ago. With the snow comes the ground fog that rises off the snow as the sun hits it. Often, Arnie goes in for deep blacks, but here, it would have ruined the ethereal nature of this scene, a tree standing ghost-like in the swirling mist.
There is something magical at the shore when the sun first comes up and gently tips the ridges of the sand patterns. There is an elegant simplicity to a scene such as this one. It is all about line and form … and of course, the magic of light! Once the sun gets higher — and not too much higher at that — the magic goes, and the scene flattens out.
While the magic of light can happen outside the golden or magic hour, and one should always be ready for it (as was Arnie in the first photograph above), it is more likely that you will find the magic of light at the ends of day and beyond when the sun is gone. Next week, you will see examples of both.
Next: More magic of light…
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