playing with shadow and light

** Photo copyright KEG

So I think you already know I love to write. and create. and make people laugh. smile. and I love to inspire. motivate. and praise those I find uber talented.

I also love photography. Black and white has always been my favourite, but I'm learning to love taking colour shots as well. I adore light and shadow, though sometimes what I see and what translates through the lens are two totally different things. Take, for instance, this past weekend...

I was visiting a dear friend of mine who lives near Houston. We woke early-ish and ventured out in the "cooler hours" of the morning, parked at the edge of the road, and dragged two red velvet chairs and several children into the middle of a large field. (universal haha on us - 9:00am in Houston is NOT cooler - I actually got a bit of a sunburn in the hour we were outside - WHAT!?)

At one point the children were all off chasing bubbles, and the chairs were empty...I thought, hey, that's a great shot! The shadows and sunlight were playing beautifully off the velvet and wood and so I took a few photos of the empty chairs. Well, let me just say, the shadows were much deeper once I saw the photos on my computer screen.  Not at all the vibrant contrast I was looking for. Sigh.

The point is: sometimes, what we envision for our artistry, and what actually comes through, are completely different. For me, learning to accept that my muse sometimes has a different vision than I do can be a bit of a power struggle. I'm fairly stubborn, which means the body of art sometimes needs to be stubborn-er.
Art, aching to be born, will find a way! Sometimes we just have to sit back and let the muse flow through us and see what is created - rather than forcing the creation of something that may not be ready.

This week - write about your own struggles with shadow and light, composition, structure, arguing with your muse. Or simply write about shadows, light or both.
Happy Creating!