Shadow Dancer

Minimalist but fascinating work. Best regards, Franz

Another minimal image I feel that I can get behind. The shadow causes our imaginations to awaken and start seeing things. Well seen Jack..............BR, Holger

Hi Jack,

 

I'm really fond of shadows like this one. There often is a marvelous distortion in the way the light creates a shadow that conjures up a new reality. Whether you see a dancer appear or a praying mantis (that was my first impression) is not very relevant. I noticed you mostly use the whole of your photos, i.e. you do not crop your photos (much). That is probably a conscious choice. If this were my photo, I would be tempted to crop it, as the plant of the left of the branches casting the shadow adds little to the image. I like the structure on the wall, creating its own mini-shadows. Kind regards, Vincent

Jack, very well seen and presented!

A highly textured Japanese painting; it must have been created by means of oils. Delicate, simple, and haunting are the orders of the day.

An overwhelming yet minimalistic, wonderful photograph, and even grander with the title you chose. The shadow seems to be another virtual branch, but alive, growing from an unseen pot or patch of soil below. The shadow, for me, plays such a protagonistic role, that it forces the mind to imagine and stretches it to try to find more about this enigmatic shadow. Is it a shadow or another tree, as the nature of shadows somehow slightly distorts the real image. The sharpness of the overall image is astonishing. Onegais shimasu!Respectfully​ and admiringly. DG

Franz, Holger, Vincent, Vlad, Michael, Daniel - Thanks a lot for your comments on this picture. I liked this a lot initially but over time it's fallen back some in my estimation. I think one important consideration is once a picture moves past the initial glow of enthusiasm, how it survives the test of time. This one was good enough to post but I find I pass over it quickly when viewing my pictures. It just doesn't have true staying power.

 

.....Vincent - thanks as always for your carefully expressed comment. Would you have cut that leafed branch on the far left or all the branches, leaving only the shadow? As for cropping my pictures, I'll do just about anything to try to realize the vision I have for any particular photo. I'm certainly not a purist in that regard. ......Daniel - I have a question. Have you seen Roma by your countryman, Alfonso Cuaron? Really a brilliant director and quite a good cinematographer as well (he was the cameraman as well as writer, director and one of the producers). I saw it on Netflix a while ago and was very impressed. Talk about staying power, nowadays I usually can't remember a movie the day after I saw it, but this one burrowed into my memory. Some people might consider it slow but for me it was filled with such authentic detail and characterization that I found the story fascinating. Just curious what you thought about it.

Hi Jack,

Thanks for your response to my comment; I would just cut the leafed branch out. The branch casting the shadow and the shadow have a connection that is interesting. Kind regards, Vincent

Photographic haiku. Well seen.