Working in the Shadows

[Dave (Isle of Skye)]

From a few days ago 

Dave

[sdwilsonsct]

Striking.

[guido]

Nicely seen and executed!

[MattBurt]

I like them! Well seen.

[Dave (Isle of Skye)]

Thanks everyone   

The light at the time I took these shots was about as harsh and contrasty as it could possibly be, as it was close to midday and under a gin clear sky and only a couple of days away from the spring equinox.

Which perhaps goes to prove that there really is no such thing as 'bad light' after all 

Dave

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Nicely seen and executed!

+1.

These really work well.

[farbschlurf]

You made the best out of that hard light. For graphic images I agree it sometimes comes out very good to use it. Also for me I think in hard light B/W works much better than color. Well, the lighter half of year is starting now, there will be plenty of opportunity to deal with hard light ... (I hope ...)

[thierrylegros396]

I prefer the first, because of the contrast and the more unusual subject, shadows look like walking people.

Thierry

[francois]

I like both and I see them as complementary… Sky and ground! As individual shots, I have a preference for the second one, it makes me a bit dizzy!

[Paulo Bizarro]

I prefer #2. The highlights in #1 are too aggressive to me.

[Dave (Isle of Skye)]

Also for me I think in hard light B/W works much better than color.

I totally agree 

I like both and I see them as complementary… Sky and ground! As individual shots, I have a preference for the second one, it makes me a bit dizzy!

Yes Francois, they were taken at almost the exact same point on the same road, with one shot looking down and the other looking almost straight up and I am so glad that you noticed this. And yes I can also agree with the 'Dizzy' feeling, because as I just mentioned, the camera was pointing almost straight up when I took the second shot, so it can feel a bit like that sensation you get when standing near to cliff edge when you look at it I think.

I prefer the first, because of the contrast and the more unusual subject, shadows look like walking people.

You know I hadn't seen that until you mentioned it here Thierry and yes it does, a bit like older people bent over slightly walking with a stoop kind of thing, so thanks for pointing this out for me - and isn't it amazing how other people/photographers can sometimes see things in one of our shots that we did not even see for ourselves?

I prefer #2. The highlights in #1 are too aggressive to me.

I agree Paulo it is indeed very 'contrasty', but on my computer (hang on to your hats folks, here comes the standard cop out response...) it looks just fine to me - there, I said it 

Thanks all, great feedback 

Dave

[Rajan Parrikar]

The first image is especially compelling.

[Dave (Isle of Skye)]

The first image is especially compelling.

Thank you 

Dave

[sarrasani]

Both excellent for my tastes. Really good couple.
also the frames work well.
sandro

[32BT]

Can't believe I missed these. That second one works extremely well, Dave. Would rotate it to landscape though, but it totally captures that particular structural essence of nature. I can totally see it hanging on someone's wall, even in a bedroom, because despite the busy appearance of structure it still conveys that peaceful quality of nature's chaos.

[Dave (Isle of Skye)]

Both excellent for my tastes. Really good couple.
also the frames work well.
sandro

Can't believe I missed these. That second one works extremely well, Dave. Would rotate it to landscape though, but it totally captures that particular structural essence of nature. I can totally see it hanging on someone's wall, even in a bedroom, because despite the busy appearance of structure it still conveys that peaceful quality of nature's chaos.

Thanks Guys 

I took the shot looking up towards the tops of the trees from an almost vertically straight up point of view, so technically that shot could go in any orientation you want it to I suppose, but I did take it as I was thinking in the same orientation as the view looking down the road, so naturally and without really thinking about it, I just kept them both in the same portrait/vertical type of orientation, but yes it could go any other way you want really.

Don't know why, but I was thinking of book covers when I took these shots, so perhaps one day who knows???

Dave