Shadow & Light is a list of curated photography stories, features, techniques, news and inspiration that I’ve come across this month.
In this month’s edition we see stunning black and white images capturing the beauty of wildlife and bold portraits celebrating the rich cultural history of Kenya. We delve into the Musée de l’Armée in Paris war photography archives and hear a symphony created from camera shutter clicks.
So, with no further ado, I give you this month’s Shadow & Light Monthly. Go grab yourself a cuppa and enjoy this month’s selections below. Please let me know in the comments what you think.
Pick of the month – Celebrating wildlife in black & white
If you’re familiar with my approach to family photography you probably already know I adore black and white photography. This month I came across a feature by photographer Kristi Odom and was mesmerised by her incredible work.
I love the photography and cinematography of shows like Blue Planet and am always fascinated by the mini features at the end of the show that really show how much effort goes into a single sequence or shot. Nature photography is hard. To capture it with such an incredible eye for art is next level difficult.
It’s always a pleasure reading about why certain photographer shoot the way they do. I’m always particularly interested by those that see the world in black and white as I tend to.
“I get asked all the time, “Why black-and-white?” There are so many ways I can answer that. My first thought is that it helps me to really focus on the qualities of the light. It brings me back to when and where I fell in love with photography, in the black-and-white darkroom.”
Kristi Odom
You can read the full feature over on Outdoor Photographer.
Kristi Odom: Website | Instagram | Facebook
Additional reads
Bold portraits celebrate the rich cultural history of Kenya through hypnotic patterns
The image above alone should explain why this work caught my eye this month. It’s an incredible series of visually impactful portraits.
Photographer Thandiwe Muriu highlights the rich cultural history of her Kenyan heritage through stylish, maximalist portraits. The images feature models wearing garments resembling the traditional textiles of various African countries and cultures, and they stand in front of backdrops to match. Together, it has a camouflage-like effect; but the brilliant beauty of the patterns and colors is nothing to try and hide. Rather, Muriu’s images—part of a series aptly titled Camo—command attention and have an almost hypnotic effect on the viewer.
You can see more of Muriu’s work from this series over on My Modern Met. They’re incredible.
Thandiwe Muri: Website | Instagram | Facebook
The making of war photography
As a lover of documentary photography I’ve always been fascinated by images of war. It’s always felt like the most powerful subject to document for so many reasons.
The Musée de l’Armée in Paris has offered a first glimpse into its photographic archives in an exhibition that traces the representation of war and the evolution of images of combat from 1849 to the present.
This article over on Blind Magazine goes into more depth into the incredible images that can be found in the archive.
And finally – Listen to a symphony created with camera shutter clicks
To finish on something a little more light-hearted I bring you music created with camera shutters. Thanks to custom hardware and software, talented sound artist Kuntay Seferoglu strung multiple cameras from a range of manufacturers together to create not photos, but a symphonic composition.
The idea to make a composition using camera shutter clicks came up during an internal meeting at MIOPS where one employee said that the company’s camera triggers are akin to a maestro since they can fire triggers with precision.
“There is a message that I always refer to in my own music and other works. Each object has its own unique sound and character, and when we approach them as instruments, there are special ways to play them. In fact, we encounter many of them every day, I believe that all of them can have a place in music.”
Kuntay Seferoglu
You can read more about this piece over on PetaPixel, or you can watch the final result below.
Until next time…
I hope you enjoy the articles above. Don’t forget you can follow my Shadow & Light magazine over on Flipboard if you’d like to see more of what I’m reading if you like what you’ve seen here.
Shadow & Light Magazine
Shadow & Light is a list of curated photography stories, features, techniques, news and inspiration that I maintain on Flipboard. It’s a great way to create myself a ‘read later’ list. Feel free to follow the magazine for updates or keep an eye on my blog where I regularly post Shadow & Light monthly highlights.
