The shadow knows

That's me and my shadow with one of my transparent quilts.

I love to take photographs that feature shadows

because of the element of mystery.

Shadows reveal a lot ... 

and they go hand-in-hand with light,

which I love more than almost anything else.

Here are a few of my favorites from the past few months.

My watery self-portrait, taken while leaning

on dock railing in Victoria, B.C.

I wanted to photograph strangers

in the Starbucks in downtown Victoria,

but I didn't want to intrude

or violate their privacy.

I solved the problem by

photographing their reflected shadows.

 

The shadow-story here reveals

the mullions in a window

through which the quilt

-- titled "Light" --

 is glimpsed.

The shadows above let us know

that this quilt is transparent.

(I made it with silk organza

that I painted with Setacolor fabric paint.)

I call these my silk clouds.

After I painted the crisp, sheer silk organza,

I crumpled it and let it dry, sealing in the folds.

I photographed it outside

when the sun was almost overhead.

Only the shadow is seen below.

 

Another silk quilt, above.

I guess this doesn't really show shadows,

but the light coming from behind reveals

layers of fabric and thread tails.

 

Julia and her shadow back in Illinois.
(From 2007.)

 

I saved the best for last:

BUNNERS!

The shadow-story here tells of

the potted philodendron on the window sill. 

Have a bright shadowful day!