When I take pictures, I like to experiment with light. I love to see the different ways that light can affect photographs.
1. Light can have very striking effects on clouds, creating textured pictures in the sky, such as in the picture below:
2. Light can also highlight the underside of clouds, creating a three-dimensional effect.
3. Taking pictures at different times of day can affect the lighting in the sky, especially at sunset. This can result in some very pretty colors that contrast well with dark objects, such as the buildings in this picture:
4. Light can accentuate a silhouette, highlighting its shape.
5. Light can also give a picture a dramatic effect, especially the role that it plays with clouds before or after a storm. The lighting can affect the entire mood of a scene. In this case, it creates a sense of impending doom that a storm is coming or one of hope that it is leaving.
6. Light can give a photograph a magical effect when it streams through an object, such as in the picture below:
Light can also create a luminescent effect in a picture:
When the sun hits an object or a scene at a certain angle, shadows are created. I've also enjoyed experimenting with the role that shadows play in my pictures.
1. Shadows can add depth to a picture, making it more interesting.
2. Shadows can become the subject of a picture, especially when they have shapes that engage the viewer. Look carefully at this picture. It looks like the shadow on the left of the tree is trying to sneak up on the one on the ground! Both look kind of scary.
3. Shadows can also be funny. (Just think about using your hands to make animal shapes with the light of an overhead projector.) In this picture, I captured my shadow taking a picture. For some reason, it looks like I have the head of a clown!
4. Last, shadows can create striking patterns, giving a photograph texture. I like how the shadow of the banister creates stripes that look like a flag.
In experimenting with the role of light and shadows in my pictures, I have taken risks with the ways that I frame subjects, the angles at which I shoot pictures, and how I crop my photographs. Continuing to play around with my techniques keeps my ideas fresh. Since the environment, the lighting, and the weather are different every time I go outside to take pictures, it is helpful to have a repertoire of different techniques to use. Similarly, in our classrooms, the environment is different each year-- shaped by our new crop of students. Having a wide range of techniques and strategies to experiment with helps us to reach the variety of learners in our classrooms and to keep our teaching new and fresh each year.
Questions to Ponder: How can you take risks and experiment with your art? How can you tweek a technique that you've been using in your art or in your classsroom to make it different this year-- to make an old idea new? What risks will you take in your teaching this year? With what techniques or ideas will you experiment?
These photographs are stunning. I was trying to pick my favorite. First I thought it was the sun streaming through the trees, then I thought it was the tulips. They're all great!
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