I’ve come to realise that my photography (or photographic eye?), can likely be summed up as ‘shapes and shadows’. I am drawn to beautiful light, who isnt?! But I am particularly drawn to strong, directional, high contrast lighting situations that give bright highlights and cast deep shadows. This dynamic lighting never fails to grab my attention and entices me to turn my camera towards it. Long raking shadows I find particularly appealing, the bright sun patches in between imbuing warmth to an image as though you can feel the sun. Mostly these images are captured in B&W and is one reason I love B&W, but that is a subject for another time.

Equally, strong shapes and good compositions catch my eye, leading your view into and around an image, providing a focal point, providing ‘balance’ to an image (balance – what do I mean by balance? there’s another subject for another time).

Combining the two makes for a potent image. Strong, impactful lighting with rich black shadows providing depth to an image, along with strong (or even subtle) composition and shapes leading the viewer around the image.

Composition and Light. Shapes and Shadows. Sums it up really I think. At least for now.

So where’s the mood and emotion in that? I’d like to think that I capture a bit of that too. That I am drawn to mood and emotion too and can see it ahead of time. Well, I suppose not every image has mood and emotion from a nostalgic or romantic sense, but every image should stimulate an emotion in the viewer even if its “What’s that?!” or “No, not for me”, although hopefully not. Shock, sadness, dreamy, ‘Wow’ or ‘Arrrgh’, are all emotive responses. So is “that’s nice”, although I hope I’m after more than that as a response.

But mood is perhaps a bit different. The portrayal of mood perhaps takes a bit more. What moods am I looking to portray? And remember, mood can be celebratory and business-like, just as much as ‘moody’. This is something I should perhaps try to think consciously about more when I’m making my images. The subject of another reflection, clearly.