Shadow and Light

Month 4 of the 30 Days Photo Challenge

Month four of the 30 Days Photo Challenge is in the bag! The Hipstamatic equipment used in this set is quite different again to the previous sets, which is certainly one of my objectives for this challenge. Knowing that I will end up with 12 images on each subject is pushing me to try and be imaginative and to think laterally – not literally – every day. Nevertheless, there are still a few occasions where one of the first (or only!) shots of the day ends up the winner.

… each subject is pushing me to try and be imaginative and to think laterally – not literally – every day.

A case in point is this image of my Venetian blinds and filmy curtain: the subject was ‘shadow’ and I snapped off a few pictures early in the morning of these gorgeous stripes. Then in transpired the rest of the day was completely overcast, and nary a shadow was seen again! Shadows are one of my favourite photographic subjects, and this is a particularly photogenic example.

On the opposite end of the spectrum was the subject of the last day: ‘light’. This time I decided to capture an ostrich feather, which happened to have already been a subject of my on-going Lost Things series. I had photographed this on a wet morning commute where it lay soggy on the pavement, and since found objects can have interesting uses for an artist, I decided to keep it.

I was delighted and at the same time terrified that the wind would whisk it off never to be seen again! 

I had decided to photograph it in the air, and it luckily transpired to be a very blustery day. I went out into my driveway and took many, many shots tossing the feather into the air. The final result was caught as the wind took the feather high into the air, past the rooftops. I was delighted and at the same time terrified that the wind would whisk it off never to be seen again! Happily it returned, but not before I got quite a few shots – it was difficult to choose a favourite. The feather is beautifully illuminated in the final, which also gives a sense of height. Considering how quickly I had to shoot, I’m impressed with how well the iPhone 7+ has caught this.

Check out the full gallery here.