Shadow of worn metal handrail on a wall
Lens-Artists,  Themed galleries

Gallery: chasing shadows

June 13, 2021 / 34 Comments

Darkness is absence of light. Shadow is diminution of light.

Leonardo da Vinci

Our cameras rely on light to create an image. When that light is diminished, as Leonardo reminds us, shadows emerge, creating interesting and illusive patterns.

In the shadows colours fade, details blur and reality can be distorted. How much of what we see in an image is really there; and how much is simply an illusion, created by that diminished light?

Here is another quote:

The picture of a shadow is a positive thing.

John Locke, ‘An Essay Concerning Human Understanding’, 1836

So with that in mind, here are some photos of ‘positive things’, shared for Ann-Christine’s Lens Artists Challenge theme of Shades and Shadows.

Lamps and lanterns

Black and white photo of delicate metal lamp hanging from ceiling

Ceiling lamp at the lovely Riad Jona in Marrakesh

Light on a bracket on yellow stone wall

Wall-mounted street light in Lucca, Italy

Lantern on a stone wall

At Bauska Castle, Latvia

Foliage

Shadow of leaves on orange pot

In a temple garden in Kyoto

Leaf shadows on pale green wood planks

Shadow of nasturtium leaves on our back garden gate

Seed head shadow on stone

Shadow of nigella seed-head on our back garden paving

Shadow of leaves on yellow pot

In the Majorelle Gardens, Marrakesh

Self-portraits

Shadow of lady on crutches

Self-portrait on crutches (long story!), taken in the main square of Essaouira, Morocco

Shadow on water of couple standing on a bridge

Self-portrait with husband on the Millennium Bridge in Newcastle – and a bridge reflection thrown in too

Shadows of couple on pebble beach

Another self-portrait with husband on the beach at Whitstable, Kent

34 Comments

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