By Winter light is some of the most dramatic of the year. It comes in from low angles casting long shadows and making everything look darker and more mysterious. Messay Shoakena did a great job capturing it with this photo. The silhouette of the gentleman in the hat (how could he not be a gentleman wearing such a great chapeau?) against the diffused yellow light of late afternoon (or early morning) is so striking. Reflections in a window, the hint of the drycleaned clothing in the back add interesting detail to the scene. Is the man inside or outside? Where is the photographer in relation? Is he there to pick up something or just happened to be passing by? Where did he get such a great hat? All these questions surround the image and we are left to come up with our own answers.
Tag Archives: silhouette
By Brian Mosley
Featured Photo
If you’ve missed it, the last few days have produced some amazing sunsets. I believe (and if someone with a atmospheric science background could confirm this) that it has to do with the angle the sun is setting at this time of year and the heavy clouds/atmosphere with the storms moving through the area. Whatever the how is, the end product is great to look at, and Erin came away with an amazing shot. Those deep oranges are hard to catch, and she was able to do it while not completely blacking out the foreground. The subtle orange reflections along the ground accent the silhouetted cityscape perfectly. She even was able to capture some reds, pinks, and blues a few minutes later. Simply mesmerizing.
A number of other contributors got shots of the sunset over the last two evenings. Those too are well worth a few minutes to check out.
By Brian Mosley
Featured Photo
A simple and elegant photo today; one which combines a delicate use of color and shadow, light and dark, to please the eye. Paul’s framing of the silhouetted man descending the escalator is positioned just right for the viewer’s eye to catch the flowing lines in the concrete wall. In turn, all of the shapes and designs in the wall are illuminated nicely with pleasing colored lights, balancing out the black of the shadows. Simple and elegant; well done!
By Brian Mosley
Featured Photo
Shadows and silhouettes can do so much for a photograph. They can provide depth; they can help to focus the attention of the viewer; they can provide dramatic subject matters. They can also make for complex photos; ones that force the viewer to take a little extra time to process what they’re seeing.
Stephen’s photo above is such a complex shot. With the predominant color of the photo being this featureless black, it forces the viewer to seek out clear details in order to understand what they are looking at. And once the viewer sees the corner of the sign on the left side of the image, the photo unfolds in the mind’s eye: an underground Metro platform; the black blobs take shape as people; and the blurred gray becomes an incoming train. The central focus of the photo, the sharply defined silhouetted commuter, suddenly stands out and you wonder how you didn’t see it immediately. This is excellent work!