{"id":32549,"date":"2016-10-20T09:00:21","date_gmt":"2016-10-20T16:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=32549"},"modified":"2016-10-25T02:45:04","modified_gmt":"2016-10-25T09:45:04","slug":"in-praise-of-shadows-by-michael-dees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2016\/10\/20\/in-praise-of-shadows-by-michael-dees\/","title":{"rendered":"In Praise of Shadows by Michael Dees"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Compton,
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Compton, 2016\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Guest post today is by California based photographer and lover of Philosophy, Micahel Dees.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I don’t want to spoil this further with my words, go ahead and enjoy his words and images!\u00c2\u00a0All the photographs and words by Michael Dees.<\/p>\n

I was recently introduced to a quite ugly, but most necessary, phrase: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You gotta kill your babies.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d After having been summarily spanked<\/a> through my recent workshop with Eric, I realized that have a lot of murder to commit. In editing my images, I happened to come across a few recurring themes. Namely, use of doors, windows, shadows, and even feet.<\/p>\n

Paging Doctor Freud, right?! Surely, loving the pursuit of writing with light<\/em>, these are bound to show up once in a while, how could they not?\u00c2\u00a0 They are elements of our world and we use \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcem a lot, especially feet! Shadows in particular, appear quite a bit in my images and I’ve wondered why.\u00c2\u00a0 If I were to recline on a couch and have a shrink draw out my earliest memories would they find untold treasures or horrors pertaining to this absence of light?\u00c2\u00a0 Probably not.\u00c2\u00a0 I tend to think that they show up so much, not only because of their obvious positives for capturing dramatic light, but also because of their cultural and narratival associations. Here, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d like to focus on shadows.<\/p>\n

\"1\"
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Allegory of the Cave, Plato\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\u00e2\u20ac\u0153San
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153San Francisco, 2014\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00c2\u00ad\u00c2\u00adEnter Plato, stage left.\u00c2\u00a0 When I was in high school, I remember going over The Allegory of the Cave<\/em> in a literature class.\u00c2\u00a0 It was a good time, but being a rank materialist at the time, all I could do is see that the enlightenment spoken of was some further scientific truth or something like that.\u00c2\u00a0 To be honest, as neat as I found the tale, I probably didn’t ponder it too deeply.\u00c2\u00a0 For those who’ve never heard of it, here’s the essence of it.<\/p>\n

The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection. \u00e2\u20ac\u201d Michelangelo<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Imagine being chained closely to a wall at your back for your entire existence.\u00c2\u00a0 In front of you is another wall with shadowy figures on it.\u00c2\u00a0 This is all you’ve ever seen, thus the reality you know.\u00c2\u00a0 Hypothetically, if one were to ask you, “What’s the reality of the world?”, then you’d reply, “Well, you see, there are these dark two-dimensional figures that dance around with a glow around them.\u00c2\u00a0 There they are right there!”, as you point to the wall in front of you.\u00c2\u00a0 But as you can see above, in the artistic depiction of the story, there is a higher (or deeper) reality than those two dimensional images.\u00c2\u00a0 It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not that you stated a falsehood by asserting the reality of the dancing silhouettes, but the problem is that is stops far too short to be said to be comprehensive. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s superficial.<\/p>\n

\"\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Quebec,
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Quebec, 2013\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Long
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Long Beach, 2015\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More accurately, there are some folks behind the wall at your back that are holding up three-dimensional figurines and your reality is merely but a faint image of the truth.\u00c2\u00a0 But how could you know this, should it not be revealed to you? This truth is only made known by illumination. That is, the fire casting light on the figures, thus causing the shadows.\u00c2\u00a0 That’s the real final reality, right?\u00c2\u00a0 Not quite.\u00c2\u00a0 If you were to break loose from your (epistemological) shackles, you would not only see the fire pit, but you’d proceed to go to the light even further up the rabbit hole than you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve ever been.\u00c2\u00a0 Up and out of the cave you’d go, making it to a whole ‘nother world.\u00c2\u00a0 That light is that of the sun and its radiance is bouncing off a multitude of created things.\u00c2\u00a0 Thus, Plato had his forms in the Ideal world, and all the things that you and I touch and feel all day all long are not as real<\/em>, to say it loosely.<\/p>\n

\"\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Of
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Of course, this image reverses my point, but you get me, right?!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Do you get the point here? Shadows are not the main thing, they are…well…shadowy at best!\u00c2\u00a0 For example, if you saw the shadow of a hand on the wall, even in our world with all our experience of hands and shadows, you know very little of the reality causing the impression on your retina.\u00c2\u00a0 Is it a small or large hand?\u00c2\u00a0 Is it a male or female hand?\u00c2\u00a0 A young or old hand?\u00c2\u00a0 A black or white hand?\u00c2\u00a0 Rough or smooth?\u00c2\u00a0 You get me?\u00c2\u00a0 Or worse, is it a real <\/em>hand? I mean, is it a cardboard cutout?\u00c2\u00a0 Or to drive my point home to the uttermost, is it the top of a rooster’s head making the shadow?\u00c2\u00a0 If so, I misstated the original scenario, didn’t I?\u00c2\u00a0 It should have been, “If you saw the shadow of what appeared to be<\/em> a hand on the wall…”\u00c2\u00a0 As you saw the truth about an unknown and later matter, it changes your perspective on the original issue that led you to the new and improved truth in the first place.\u00c2\u00a0 Hmmmm. Welcome to the puzzles of philosophy, but I digress.<\/p>\n

\"\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Los
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Los Angeles, 2016\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Long
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Long Beach, 2014\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads? \u00e2\u20ac\u201d Plato, The Allegory of the Cave<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What am I getting at with all this?\u00c2\u00a0 It’s that, there’s an inherent mysteriousness in shadows.\u00c2\u00a0 With shadows there seems to be a disclosure of sorts, but not the full story.\u00c2\u00a0 Thus, imagination is kicked in gear, and the viewer is invited to complete a fitting story.\u00c2\u00a0 Not all images with shadows have the same degree of mystery, nor do all provoke the same degree of story.\u00c2\u00a0 Nevertheless, there’s a prompting.\u00c2\u00a0 This is part of the wonder of art and image.\u00c2\u00a0 Strictly speaking, it’s not propositional in nature. Even if the artist thinks they are really breaking you off some deep thoughts, they are not.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s been said that a picture is worth a thousand words.\u00c2\u00a0 This is only sort of true.\u00c2\u00a0 The way I see it is that, a picture has no words, thus, it’s worth an infinity of words.\u00c2\u00a0 That is, if it’s an inviting one.<\/p>\n

\"\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Compton,
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Compton, 2016\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Long
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Long Beach, 2013\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The idea of shadow and reality is not only employed in visual arts, but as hinted at in our talk of Plato, literature and philosophy.\u00c2\u00a0 In Christianity for example, there is the idea of typology.\u00c2\u00a0 This is where events, persons, places, and institutions can foreshadow, by divine appointment, later things to come.\u00c2\u00a0 So, for example, you have the Passover lamb as a shadow of what would happen in the redemption earned by Christ.<\/p>\n

These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. \u00e2\u20ac\u201d Colossians 2:17<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Not only is there ambiguity and unfinished story embedded in every shadow, but often, a visual leading of the eye to the subject proper.\u00c2\u00a0 Photographers well know of the artistic device of leading-lines. Leading are used since, for some reason, our eye tends to follow lines when looking at images.\u00c2\u00a0 They may be invisible innate reasons (nature) or socio-cultural reasons (nurture), but we do it.\u00c2\u00a0 Any discussion about composition worth its salt will explore, and exploit, this truth.\u00c2\u00a0 What makes shadows such a neat vehicle for the employment of leading-lines, is that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an organic connection between the lines and where it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s leading. That is, without the source, these shadowy lines would not be. With shadows, then, we can get a trifecta: leading lines, a way to express something we’d like to “say”, and via ambiguity, the invitation for further “dialogue.”<\/p>\n

\"\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Los
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Los Angeles, 2015\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Long
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Long Beach, 2010\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shadows show up in a couple of other ways too, albeit, not as imagination provoking.\u00c2\u00a0 For instance, they can accentuate pattern and texture.\u00c2\u00a0 But still, I wonder if there’s some hint of mystery or story provided in such graphic elements of an image. Take a zebra, for example. The pattern is inherent in<\/em> the object.\u00c2\u00a0 But the pattern seen from light hitting a gate, or a crowd, is derivative. That is, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not in<\/em> the object.\u00c2\u00a0 The latter is reminiscent of Plato’s cave, isn’t it?\u00c2\u00a0 An emanating light source must be behind <\/em>the object in order for us to see the created pattern, but in the case of the zebra, light only reveals the, already-there, pattern.\u00c2\u00a0 Thus, we are reminded that the shadowy patterns created by a light source are transient, unlike those of the zebra.<\/p>\n

\"13\"
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153San Diego, 2016\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Long
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Long Beach, 2013\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As the sun runs its course from east to west, the shadows turn.\u00c2\u00a0 Think of it.\u00c2\u00a0 In the morning, the shadows lean long and west.\u00c2\u00a0 As noon approaches, the shadows and pattern disappear, as a vapor.\u00c2\u00a0 But hope is held out, for in a few hours the shadows will lean to the east.\u00c2\u00a0 But they are different shadows and other textures. A new world to be seen, but only for a time.\u00c2\u00a0 You can see them tomorrow, though, right?\u00c2\u00a0 Maybe.\u00c2\u00a0 It may be a bit cloudy and so the diffused light is not direct enough to create shadows.\u00c2\u00a0 Diffused light reveals too much, for the light exposes peaks and valleys equally.\u00c2\u00a0 That’s no fun!\u00c2\u00a0 Even more, as to the transient nature of shadows over inherent pattern, is that the sun strikes the earth at differing angles throughout the year.\u00c2\u00a0 In June, here in the northern hemisphere, we get our longest day and most directly-overhead sunlight of the year.\u00c2\u00a0 Shorter shadows.\u00c2\u00a0 Contrarily, in December, the opposite is the case and long shadows show up throughout much of the day.\u00c2\u00a0 Good times, indeed!<\/p>\n

\"\u00e2\u20ac\u0153San
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153San Francisco, 2013\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Long
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Long Beach, 2011\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I make a proposal: one of irony and overstatement.\u00c2\u00a0 Have you ever heard the term “golden hour”?\u00c2\u00a0 It’s just after sunrise or just before sunset.\u00c2\u00a0 Clearly it is characterized by rich warm hues and, often, crisper light.\u00c2\u00a0 But ya know what else is so wonderful about it?\u00c2\u00a0 Long long shadows!\u00c2\u00a0 Hence, I propose that hereafter and henceforth, because of the aforementioned thus and such, we call that glorious time by another name…shadow hour<\/em>.\u00c2\u00a0 Not that catchy, I suppose.\u00c2\u00a0 Ok, I’ll settle for the established name.\u00c2\u00a0 But what I will not take, is another week going by without us dusting off our cameras and getting out there to snap up the elongated obscurity waiting on us.\u00c2\u00a0 You’ll see them just inside the wonder-inspiring bookends of nature’s library that we call dawn and dusk.\u00c2\u00a0 Go get ’em, and in doing so, elicit the viewer to get involved.<\/p>\n

Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see. \u00e2\u20ac\u201d MLK<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Fore More of Michael’s Work<\/h2>\n

Website<\/a><\/p>\n

And if you love Michael’s thoughts, you might want to check out his blog here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Guest post today is by California based photographer and lover of Philosophy, Micahel Dees.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32554,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_ek_photo_artist_note":"","_ek_photo_thesis":"","_ek_photo_camera":"","_ek_photo_place":"","_ek_photo_human_moment":"","_ek_photo_sequence":"","_ek_photo_question":"","_ek_photo_canonical_claim":"","_ek_photo_ai_summary":"","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[372,17],"tags":[1821,811,1822,83],"class_list":["post-32549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-photographers","category-posts","tag-michael-dees","tag-shadows","tag-thoughts","tag-tips-2"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/2.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32549"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32549\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}