Picture This

Our Picture This! assignment for this month was “Shadows and Form,” images where the shadow plays an important role in the composition and point of view of the photographer. Shadows can redefine form, create volume and space, and can both echo and abstract form. Readers responded with images of landscapes, architecture, and even portraiture. In all cases the play of light and dark, of detail and deep tone, called the tune.

Transformed Shadow

Karen Boyer Guyton worked with directional light to create a new form from the skull hanging over a door. She photographed with a Sony A900 and a Minolta 28-75mm lens with an exposure of f/6.3 at 1⁄640 sec. © 2010, Karen Boyer Guyton, All Rights Reserved

Havana Sunrise

The slanting rays of light elongated these figures on a Havana street. Lawrence H. Berlin worked with a Nikon D40 and an AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm lens; exposure was f/8 at 1⁄60 sec. © 2010, Lawrence H. Berlin, All Rights Reserved

Old Wooden Barrel

Made at a grist mill in Marlinton, West Virginia, Andrew L. McDonough made this study of volume and shape with a Canon EOS 5D atop a Gitzo tripod with a Really Right Stuff ball head. Exposure with a Canon EF 28-135mm lens was f/5 at 1⁄8 sec (ISO 400). © 2010, Andrew L. McDonough, All Rights Reserved

Self-Portrait

Brandon Lee Markowitz made this dramatic self-portrait with a Kodak EasyShare C663 and an exposure of f/2.7 at 1⁄30 sec. © 2010, Brandon Lee Markowitz, All Rights Reserved

Snow Shadows

Ella Steudel photographed these graceful shadows in the snow with a Nikon D90 and a Nikkor 8-70mm lens using an exposure of f/11 at 1⁄400 sec. © 2010, Ella Steudel, All Rights Reserved

Figures And Wall

Strong color and stark silhouettes mark this study by Jacques Garnier made in Florence, Italy, using a Canon Sure Shot. © 2010, Jacques Garnier, All Rights Reserved

Sunday Morning (9th & Main, Kansas City)

Larry Morgan took this study of shadow and morning light on an urban street using a Mamiya C330 on Kodak Plus-X film. © 2010, Larry Morgan, All Rights Reserved

Sunset At Braddock Bay

These piers became the subject of an abstract composition for Sheridan Vincent. He photographed with a Nikon D200 with an exposure of f/29 at 1⁄125 sec at ISO 1250. © 2010, Sheridan Vincent, All Rights Reserved

Figure And Barn

Self-portrait in the form of the photographer’s shadow is a classic way of including yourself in the frame, and we liked this one from John Fryer because of the crisp background of the snow. Exposure with a Canon EOS 40D and a Sigma 10-22mm lens was f/20 at 1⁄200 sec at ISO 160. © 2010, John Fryer, All Rights Reserved

Shadow Lines

The shadows cast by this Penny Farthing bicycle both abstract and echo the form of the bike’s frame. Robert Fink made this shot with a Nikon D70 camera, then desaturated the image in Photoshop. © 2010, Robert Fink, All Rights Reserved

Thinking Of You

Julie A. Christiansen photographed this still life that included a photo of her son, who serves our country in the Navy, as morning sunlight came through her window. This evocative photo was made with a Canon PowerShot G11 with an exposure of f/4 at 1⁄80 sec. © 2010, Julie A. Christiansen, All Rights Reserved