oldies Shadow - Ball

Bright evening sun made this possible.

... original & fine ... hi

The bright, evening sun does make this an evocative shot and really gives an ethereal quality to the whole composition. The shadows feel like cutouts of reality and it's like the story is taking place in two worlds, the positive and the negative. I love that the positive world, the ball, is in motion and I love how the strong green is imbued with a bit of red. There's dynamic tension in the fact that the ball is not quite touching yet just about tangent to its shadow as well as the fact that the figure gets cut at the edge. Sometimes, cutting feet off is a problem of quick shooting and moving subjects. Here, it seems to work in that it leads me out of the frame right to the person who's making the shadow.

many thanks for your insightful comment! It's always a pleasure to read your thoughts about photos posted here (not only mine).

A word to the cut-off feet: they are on the raw frame but I chose to crop them because I felt they were a too distracting part of 'reality' competing with the ball for attention. The other elements like the ball just about to touch the ground were rather a matter chance - or selection of the right shot from the series, which was quite a short one - in fact this was the only shot I liked - so an easy decision.

Great: inverse ... . BR Joerg

Wolfgang, you have managed to engage my senses with this sparse photo. You made it all so tangible. I can smell the grass even feel it under my feet as the smack of the ball drifts away and is replaced by the whoosh of the running feet. Spontaneous with a touch of formality.

 

a standout shot Wolfgang and a gift as all great pictures are. As you say of the series, ‘this was the only shot I liked’. Mr. Wood describes it perfectly as ‘spontaneous with a touch of formality’, and spontaneity is something that cannot be willed into being – we are always chasing after it but its elusive magic and we rarely get it. But here though, everything aligns.

Cropping the feet was the right choice; enriches the pic and adds to the sophistication/simplicity of the comp.

this is a photographer’s photograph.

 

big thanks for picking out this not too recent photo and for commenting so favourably - I highly appreciate them!

Indeed it was a playful moment - we were kicking around the ball and by chance I had my camera in my hands (well, maybe I sensed the late afternoon light could provide a chance for some photos)...

A happy new year to all of you!

cheers, Wolfgang

I love it without the ball shadow. I also love the timing for both the boy shadow motion and the ball position. Very playful and simple.