I’m no expert but to me photography is all about light and shadows. The goal is generally to achieve a balance between the surrounding shadows and your subject so that they can both be seen in a better light (pun intended).

This is especially challenging when photographing landscapes. There is generally too much light and too much infinity . It’s hard to focus on both the foreground and the background at the same time, especially in sunny conditions. The best times to take photo’s are in early morning or early evening when the sun in low and the light is diffused .
At those times you can play with the reflected light and the shadows created by the low slant of the sun .
Finding a good contrast between the light and the dark  creates energy and drama and makes a picture dynamic.

The rising sun casts long shadows on the emerald lawns of the Gardens.

Light travels in one direction, in a straight line from its source. Changing the direction of the source relative to your subject, whether back-lit, front-lit or side-lit, changes how we view the subject and the mood it evokes. This back-lit photo silhouettes the subjects and allow them anonymity and intimacy while highlighting the flowing water of the Victoria Jubilee fountain.

The low light and light winds allow the waters of Griffins pond to perfectly reflect the sky.

The diffused light creates a light contrast allowing you to see the foreground as well as into the distant shadows.

I love the mystery evoked by the deep shadows in the alleé by Summer St.

This little miss brought along her valet to protect her from the sun. Not quite a Victorian parasol but it does the job.

White is the hardest color to photograph (at least on my camera). It generally shows a mass with little definition, but the low diffused light of morning allowed me to capture the interesting flowers of this Aesculus glabra (Ohio Buckeye).

The often overlooked tropical bed pops out of the shadows cast by the Ulmus (Elms) on the Grande Alleé.

Sheldon decides it’s time to limb up the trees to allow more light to reach the beds around the lower stream. This may not help me, but the plants will be happier.

In the harsh glare of the noon-day sun the colors seem to bleed into each other and there is a flat, one-dimensional quality to the subjects of my admiration. While the quality of the photo isn’t the best, the subject matter is.

All copy and images copyright © Serena Graham-Dwyer,  2013. If you wish to use any part or whole of an image, in any manner, please contact us.