The Beauty Of Light And Shadow

The beauty of light and shadow was brought home to me just 50 yards from my front door. The idea of observing light and shadow follows on my previous blog on the observation of sunset lighting on my banks of iris.

Beauty Of Light And Shadow

Beauty Is Sometimes Closer Than You Realize

I have talked before about some of my photo shoots, such as my trip to London in the UK last year. The weather here in Central Italy has been truly awful and I have been looking forward to a couple of future trips where I hope to get some good shots in sunshine. I have fond memories of sunshine…

But the other day I was walking the dogs, literally 50 yards from the house. The beauty of light and shadow in the landscape was breathtaking so once I had got the boys home safely I went back with my camera.

Light And Shadow By The Lake

The first thing I did was break all the rules (well you have to sometimes you know). I photographed into direct sunlight but there was a good reason for it. The scene in front of me was like some dream sequence from a film. The rays of the sun were pouring down to the side of the lake and the seeds of the nearby poplar tree were floating gently in the breeze. It made me think of the film Legend – except there were no unicorns!

Of course the camera was not a happy bunny at being flooded with light but I knew that I would be able to play in the ‘computer dark room’ and create an image that was faithful to not only what I saw but what I felt. ‘Sun Rays On The Lake’ was the result.

A Find Behind The Tractor Barn

There is a tractor barn near the lake where the local farm owner keeps his olive cultivation equipment. There is no room to walk behind it as there is a steep grass bank above it, but Barnet Boy had said I should just take a look because there was a pretty Iris behind there.

Sure enough, when I glanced behind the barn, a beautiful purple iris was growing among the wild flowers and tall grass. But what really caught my eye was the beauty of light and shadow on the flowers. That meant several iris blooms were highlighted and glowing and one was literally dark and in the shade.

The shot was hard to take as I had to stand on one leg and lean my left elbow on the wall of the barn to stop falling over. I must have looked wonderful and I bet my tongue was hanging out too!). It was also at the fullest extent of the zoom capability of the camera and there was a danger of camera shake. But I got the photo and I called the image I created from it ‘Moody Purple Iris’ after the dark one in the shade.

Stopped In My Tracks As I Returned

I turned around from taking the shot of the iris and started to walk back along the side of the lake. I realized that the light had changed completely. Instead of the rays of the sun shining down, the sun was now creating funky shadows with the trees. The shadows looked like they were liquid, pouring down towards the lake. It reminded me of one of Barnet Boy’s mega ice creams with caramel sauce flowing down the side.  Hungry now…

The poplar tree seeds were still floating in the breeze like confetti but these shadows were really something. That photograph became ‘Tumbling Shadow Land’.

What did I learn? Never go far from the front door without a camera! And remember to enjoy the gifts that nature provides.

Before you go

My name is Dorothy Berry-Lound, an artist and writer. You can find out more about my art and writing at https://dorothyberryloundart.com.

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Thank you for reading!