Hard light
For other examples:
Naoya Hatakeyama p. 41
Fay Godwin’s black-and-white photographs celebrate the ever-changing light and landscape of the British Isles. Avoiding the sugar coated lies of picture postcards, Godwin’s photographs instead show rural scenes interrupted by industry, both ancient and modern. Here a circle of standing stones seem engaged in a solemn meeting which has lasted three and a half thousand years.
Shadows tell us the whole truth about light. They show us where it’s coming from and how intense it is. In this image taken just after a hailstorm, a sudden swath of hard sunlight breaks through the clouds, creating dark shadows with razor-sharp edges.
The strong, decisive shadows that go hand in hand with hard light create depth and three-dimensionality.
The shadows emphasize the jagged shape of the stones and accentuate their angles. It brings the stones to life and gives them more presence. We see that each is different; each has its own character and story to tell.
A few moments later the light would have changed and the shadows disappeared. But you don’t need this kind of dramatic light to create captivating landscapes. In fact, as you’ll see over the page, soft light does something completely different, but equally alluring.
Callanish after Hailstorm, Lewis
Fay Godwin
1980
McLean, Virginia
Joel Sternfeld
December 1978
