Light can change the expression on a person’s face, as well as capture their life’s journey. Through the wrinkled lines of an old beggar man on Robinson Avenue, to the glimmer in that same man’s eye capturing his joy in speaking to me, the bystander.
The light in the early mornings and afternoons, 2-4 p.m., are my most enjoyable times to go shooting. Why? Because there seems to be more dimension, highlighting the textures that speak volumes about the subject.
Shooting a photo when the light is flat across the subject is boring. The story is told through every grain, shadow and wrinkle. It is at this time I feel more confident about shooting. However, the light at around 7 or 8 p.m. is also enjoyable, but a bit more challenging. It was then that I had to truly “see” as a photographer, seeking the perfect tones and textures but most importantly, the highlight of the photo.
The light also dances in the wind, which lucky for me happened quite often today. The shadows created by this “dance” revealed new shapes I would have never seen, stretching and compressing the subject depending on the time the light hit.
Through the viewfinder I found new shapes and subjects I would have otherwise never found using my plain, “naked” eye. I have discovered that the beauty of a photograph is not merely based on what subject you choose, but how you use the light that shines in that moment.
I prefer that light show every detail, every flaw – it is then that the viewer is able to connect; not with a reality, as Bruce Berman has explicitly taught, but these “flaws” provide an abstract photograph that appeals and gets one to ponder.
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