“Me and my shadow”
A very long time ago I was actually young, and I still remember my mother singing along to a 1927 hit song called called, “Me and my shadow”, and it actually continued with…”walking down the avenue”.
Although not actually a quote on its own it’s part of a song that I occasionally think of as I watch people and their shadows strolling down a street, avenue, or as in the photo above which I took from a balcony in the Piazza San Marco square in Venice.
I watched several people walk underneath the balcony and I waited until I could one of them cutting a diagonal from one corner to another. Finally, I saw a woman come walking towards me cutting the exact diagonal I was hoping for. I waited because I wanted her to be leaving the frame as to generate visual tension, as well as implying content outside of it.
Yes, I know some of you have been told to always have someone walking into the frame (the leading in rule) , but where’s the mystery if you know where they are walking? I want the viewer to wonder where they’re going by saying that there’s something more that can’t be seen.
I digress.
I love shadows and make no mistake, they are your best friend. I hear all the time both in my online class with the BPSOP, and in my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I teach around our planet that my fellow photographers fear shadows, find them intimidating, and go out of their way to avoid them; when in fact they should embrace them.
What’s important is the interrelationship between the light, the subject, and the shadow, and when that happens it gives a dramatic edge to your photos; and will often create an abstraction.
Look for shadows and try to incorporate them into your imagery, and when you do you’ll find that your photo has taken on a layers of interest that will propel it to another level. When that happens, and you’ll know it, pay tribute to whatever shadow you’ve included.
For those that are my age or just nostalgia buffs in general, here’s Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. singing it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-4uKgXRnpI
Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com and check out my 2018 workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime. I’ve a couple of openings in my Springtime in Berlin workshop next May 23rd. A fantastic city with so many great locations we’re going to be shooting.
This coming July 29th will be my 30th anniversary teaching at the Maine Media Workshop. I’ve always picked this time as it’s the week of the Lobster Festival down the road in Rockland. This ofers a unique set of photo ops, different from the Maine Coast, fishing villages and lighthouses. The Lobster Festival is all about color, design, light, energy, people watchng and environmental portraits everywhere you look; some people are there in costumes and loved to be photographed.
In conjunction with The Santa Fe Workshops, October 2nd I’ll be leading a group in San Miguel de Allende. A beautiful oasis and artist colony, and the entire city is a UNESCO site.
Come join me for a week of fun and photography…what could be better?
JoeB
