Light arrows on pillars in Zurich Oerlikon, Switzerland
I have just added the photograph above to my Light and shadow theme. I have pondered a long time on the development of this photograph, in particular the shadow detail. As you can see, I have decided in favor of completely black shadows (in agreement with my son). Many people (including my wife) probably prefer less contrast and at least some detail in the shady section of the pillars. However, by looking at my light and shadow gallery it is apparent that I really like black shadows. For me, one value of shadows is their capability to hide detail and irrelevant parts of a composition. When I am attracted to a light and shadow scene, I imagine the shadows as silhouettes that blind out distracting parts and create interesting patterns or shapes (like here fore example). Many photographers avoid conditions of direct and bright sunlight BECAUSE of the harsh shadows and the loss of detail in the shades. With my light and shadow photographs I try to take advantage of exactly these properties: bright sunlight and completely black shadows. In contrast to Billy Joel, I do not see only shades of grey, but rather black AND shades of grey (please note, I do not write "black and white"!). I think it is important to have absolutes, such as absolutely black shadows, because they help to concentrate and emphasize what is considered relevant. Interestingly, at least in photography these absolutes (shadows) change during the day and throughout the year!
The photograph above was taken at a building that I visit regularly on my photo walks (or rather bike rides). In my lightroom catalog it is entitled "not guilty building" because it houses a restaurant with this memorable name (along with other businesses and apartments with less catchy names). The exact same building was already shown in an early photograph (depicted here) and I will post more photographs in the future (I have been working on them over the weekend).
Florian.
The photograph above was taken at a building that I visit regularly on my photo walks (or rather bike rides). In my lightroom catalog it is entitled "not guilty building" because it houses a restaurant with this memorable name (along with other businesses and apartments with less catchy names). The exact same building was already shown in an early photograph (depicted here) and I will post more photographs in the future (I have been working on them over the weekend).
Florian.
