Crouching photoer – shadow selfies

Outside Westminster Abbey, in June of this year:

The first is just the general scene. Big Ben smothered in scaffolding in the distance, beyond Parliament Square. Lots of people standing around, enjoying themselves, photoing each other. And me first noticing a classic croucher photoer, in the middle. Photo 2, I zoom in on the croucher photoer. Photo 4 has me including my shadow in the composition, making three photoers in all. Top left, a photoer’s shadow. Then the croucher. Then my shadow. Nice. Or so I think.

But Photo 3 (2.1), which I believe was something of an accident at the time, is now my favourite, because of what happens to my shadow. Part of it falls on the croucher photoer herself. But the left side of my head’s shadow misses her and hits the ground right behind her, making it invisible to me and my camera and making it look like the side of my actual head has been removed. In some ways, nicer. Or so I think.

Photography is light. And when the light is bright, and when selfie shadows are a feature rather than (as with Real Photographers) a bug, there can be some real fun to be had.

Originally posted at Brian Micklethwait’s Old Blog

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