How shadows become an important part of night urban landscapes really fascinates me. Street lights and artificial light give a lot of opportunities to play with shadows.
In the first photo the artificial lights on the ceiling divide the photograph in two parts: the darker left one and the right illuminated one. The subject is walking towards the darker part and his shadow blends in the darkness. Only his back is illuminated and its face and expressions cannot be seen. The shadows here have the only function to add mystery to the subject, nevertheless the photo as a whole doesn't feel flat and soulless, thanks to the different layers: the street, the pavement, the illuminated shop windows and the ceiling compensated by the obscured wall on top. Each layer contributes to an overall symmetry and balance.
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| New Milton, United Kingdom |
In the second photograph I played more with the light. In the skate park the street light creates a very long shadow of a man that reaches the photograph right in the lower-right corner. That creates dynamism and depth. Following the shadow the viewer reaches the subject that's blurred (because of a slow shutter speed) and blends into the very dark shadow behind. The only visible human characteristic is the feet. That gives the picture a mysterious and supernatural look.
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| New Milton, United Kingdom |
Taking this picture I played with shutter speed to achieve blurriness and an unclear subject. I played with different shadows lengths and shapes to achieve a quiet and self-reflection moment, even in a darker and sadder environment typical of night photography.
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