The Chiaroscuro Effect

I basically see the scene as a whole and then dissect it into its separate parts...choosing which parts excite my eyes.  It can be the simplicity of the lines or simply the light falling on the subject that seems to extract it from the scene.  Like most photographers…I follow the light.

 

In this series of photographs the question you might ask is the item in the image the focal point or is it the light?  You might call it the Chiaroscuro effect, an Italian term that refers to intense contrast of light and dark in art.  So, the question remains, what is the main subject of these images?

All images shot using window light with Sony A7II camera…I can be contacted at nymacc@gmail.com

Faces of Exit 270 Part 26

Another collection of street shots of those who occupy this space called Exit 270.  A lot of the images I shoot are either grabbed shots and shots that I have waited for my subject to move into the frame.  However, if someone objects to being photographed I respect his or her privacy.

My basic technique is to preset the camera to f/8 and set my ISO depending on the street lighting I am faced with.  I move in quickly to my subject make the shot and move on. 

The key is to study the subject you are interested in, be patient and wait for the moment and click.  Sometimes aiming your camera at something near your subject and when the moment is right take the shot thereby avoiding confrontation.  These images are basically street snapshots of Exit 270 at a moment in time.

Lines, Shapes, Forms and Light

In this post I explore how light combined with the lines of a subject give it dimension or form.  The understanding of line, shape, form and light is one of the many basic principles of photographic composition.

When we talk about shapes in photography, it is simply the two dimensional outline of a subject.  However, the three dimensional shape of a subject is created through the use of light and shade.   Light coming from the side of your subject creates shadows and they give the shape a form as opposed to front lighting.  However, sometimes it is the lines as opposed to the light that seems to give the subject a form.

I have found that building structures are perfect examples to demonstrate this subject.  The images presented here are an assembly of lines and forms of basically architectural subjects, where lines of the structures combined with lighting take basic shapes and add dimension to the subjects.

I feel that black and white photography gives a much more dramatic effect to architectural subjects.   All of the images here were shot using a Sony A7II camera.  All comments about this post can be addressed to me at my email address:  nymacc@gmail.com.