Styx

"Styx" is a sculpture by Deborah Butterfield on the campus of Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA, my alma mater and where I'm now living.  It is cast in bronze, with each piece modeled on driftwood.  Light in the late afternoon was coming between the science building and the library, and the shaded (and vine-covered) wall of the science building provided a dark background.  That's why I chose this time of day.  The exact spot where I wanted to position myself was occupied by a light pole.  My hip joints are held together by a great collection of screws and wires that can only be seen on x-ray, so it was quite a chore to get the low angle and alignment that I wanted.  This is my first attempt.  Your comments and suggestions are appreciated.  Thanks.

Not sure of the correct category; the sculpture is definitely fine art, but I'm

not sure the same is true of the photograph. Still....

Hello Stephan:

Good to see a picture from you! Thanks for sharing the story behind this interesting artistic creation. I agree with you that the inclination of the sun's light produces an even more dramatic effect, that of a skeleton. 

Best regards.

DG

Very good bw work: i like both composition and lighting. Compliments and best regards.

I think you have pretty much nailed this from a compositional viewpoint and also in terms of the light against the dark backdrop.  I think the seperation of the legs is an important aspect of the image, of course we can take it for granted viewing it here, but its been a well thought out composition. The only thing I'm left wondering about is the shadow of the horse, could there have been any advantage in higher perspective from distance using a long lens to capture both horse and shadow?  Just idle speculation and curiosity on my part, certainly not a criticism of this fine B & W photograph.

Best Regards

Alf

Daniel, Federico, and Alf, thanks for the comments.  Alf, that's a good thought, but something I will have to consider next year when the sun swings further south -- Styx is no longer receiving late afternoon light.  The shadows are quite long, so a slightly earlier time would be best.  If I'm still living here then, I'll give that a look.  Thanks for the idea (I was totally consumed by the thought of getting down close to the ground and then, most importantly, being successful in getting back up again without assistance other than climbing up my tripod).

Superb light and clarity.  Love it!

Tony, thanks for visiting.

Very uncanny, I was just about to write the words that immediately came to my mind and then I read Tony's comment. It seems we both had the same exact thoughts come to mind! EXCELLENT LIGHTING! Very well done and I like this in b/w. Thank you for sharing. :)

Trisha, thanks for your comment.  I'm still thinking about other ways this might be photographed and processed.

Very unique.  Impressive.  A lot of texture.  Best Regards,

Wanghan, thanks for your comment.

I like this kind of sculpture: A mix of nature and art. Very well captured against the dark background. Karl

First of all, bravo to the sculptor.  I could have sworn it was actually wood!  It seems to portray the musculature of the horse.  Your perspective is perfect IMO, and the lighting is exquisite.  You really nailed this one, as Alf said.....but he doesn't know that is my favorite expression when I really like something!  :-)  So I say bravo to the photographer as well!

Christal, thanks for your comment.  I biked past this sculpture for nearly three years, almost close enough to touch it, and I always assumed it was wood.  It was only after taking this photo and googling some information about it that I learned it was a cast metal sculpture, with the molds based on driftwood.