"because you don't notice the light without a bit of shadow. everything has both dark and light. you have to play with it till you get it exactly right.”
― libba bray, a great and terrible beauty
light and shadow....such polar opposites....and yet, they can work together in tandem to create beautiful images. light is a beacon of sort, guiding your eyes to take in its glorious shine. at the same time, interwoven in, around and throughout are potential intriguing mysteries and hidden treasures in the shadow. one showcases the star, one understates with subtly.
i'm sharing two images in this blog. in both images, it is my hope that they will help you grasp an appreciation of how light and shadow can help elevate an image; beyond just a pretty image to an image that truly moves you in some way.
this image was taken on st. anthony main street in northeast minneapolis. i think i've said in another blog that this area is one of my favorite places to make images.
i initially was making an image of the tulips in this curbside planting box against the minneapolis skyline. as the sun continued its descent toward the horizon, i became enamored of what was happening deeper into the scene of the scene i was making an image of. this one tulip that was the "runt" of his family began to take on a luminous shine. random leaves and stems were also taking on a glow. equally as captivating was the shadow that helped to lift the luminance of the scene. in another type of light and shadow interplay, i felt the muted colors of the red tulips made a great framing effect to add some additional color "light" along with the lone orange/red petals in the sea of green "shadow".
this second image was made a week later, also in the st. anthony main street area and just a short distance away from these tulips. i was along the mississippi river looking across to the gold medal flour sign, the guthrie theater and the surrounding area. i'll be sharing other images made there in a future blog. i wanted to see what the sunset would look like from there and it was a stunner as well!
once again, the eye is drawn to where the sun is hitting the sign and the buildings in a cool three tiered effect. also popping out are the scrolling sign stacks of the guthrie theater. and yes, it is a scrolling type sign if you are not familiar with the area there. i tried to no avail to make an image where both said "guthrie" in its entirety. in hindsight, i wish i had tried to get "theater" fully exposed on the right one with "guthrie" exposed on the left but that, too, would have a near impossibility.
the light of the sun on the sign and buildings is enhanced by the shadow in the rest of the scene. yet in the shadow of the guthrie theater lies another light and shadow scenario. in the lower left is part of a railing along the sheer drop to the river that is lit up by a lamp post. in the overall shadow in the scene, even as the eye is drawn naturally to the areas of light, there is enough visibility in the shadow to pique interest in seeing what is there. it is harder to see in this small image but click on the image and it will expand into a larger view.
light and shadow work well together. i love finding opportunities where i can make images that incorporate both light and shadow. i'll end this blog with part of the quote from above to remind us all, "you have to play with it till you get it exactly right.”
what do you think? did the images i shared help to reinforce the idea of light and shadow complimenting each other in terms of drawing the eye? your eye specifically? i'd love to hear if i achieved that for you. share your comments in the comment section below regarding that or anything that you wish to share about this blog and/or the images. i love to read the comments and respond to them personally!
these images are available for purchase as wall art or greeting cards. if you are interested, fill out the contact form at the bottom of the page indicating your interest in one or both of them. i'll do my best to help make this ordering process a smooth one for you!
thanks again for reading this blog. i would love it if you would share this blog with others! simply highlight the url address above, right click and select copy. then paste it into an email or any of your social media accounts to share. i post on a regular basis so be sure to check back in periodically for new blogs. i have one more blog related to the theme of light and shadow that i'll be sharing in a couple of days. then i'll be going back to weekly or bi-weekly blog posts as i was doing before the challenge i tasked myself of writing a few theme-related blogs every other day. if this is your first time reading one of my blogs, thanks for checking it out! be sure to check out my other blogs as well on my blog page. you can get there by clicking on the menu icon>blog. i think you'll enjoy them all!
i continue to be grateful for your support of my photography endeavors. i will see you next time with "more images from a quiet world"!
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