Shadow & Light Monthly #74

Shadow & Light is a list of curated photography stories, features, techniques, news and inspiration that I’ve come across this month.

In this edition we look at breathtaking wildlife images and explore portraits of some of jazz music’s luminaries. We visit the glamour of 1960s New York and take a look at the poetic rhythms and patterns of ballet.

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 – 19 Breathtaking Wildlife Images from the International Aerial Photographer of the Year

The International Aerial Photographer of the Year 2025 delivers a breathtaking collection of aerial wildlife images that shift how we see the natural world – from above. The competition received 1,549 entries globally, and as part of the “Top101” selection, many photographers have captured scenes both grand and intimate: sweeping landscapes, seasonal change, and wildlife interactions in patterns we rarely witness from the ground. 

The article features sharks, stingrays and whales, wildlife from ice caps, volcanic landscapes, tidal flats, and dense marine ecosystems. Several images highlight climate change’s effects – melting glaciers, shifting terrain – and diverse ecosystems, from African savannahs to icy Arctic shores. Each image blends aesthetic impact with environmental relevance, reminding us that aerial photography isn’t just about beauty, but about perspective. 

To explore the full gallery and see more of these striking perspectives, see the article on Discover Wildlife.

Additional Reads

What Lisette Model Saw in Jazz

Lisette Model, renowned for her street photography, also embarked on a powerful jazz project in the early 1950s, creating portraits of jazz musicians and their audiences that were full of life, tension, and emotional depth. Born in Vienna and forced into exile, Model brought a unique sensibility to her subjects – she didn’t just observe, she connected. Her jazz series captures both the performance and the moments behind it: the joy, the weariness, the vulnerability. For instance, she shot Miles Davis at Café Bohemia, artfully portraying both his stardom and the burdens he carried.

Though Model planned a collaboration with Langston Hughes and a full book to accompany her images, suspicion over her political leanings derailed the project during the McCarthy era. She was investigated by the FBI and never got to see her jazz images published in full during her life. When she died, around 1,800 negatives from the jazz work remained mostly unseen. Her final jazz photograph was of Billie Holiday – taken post-mortem – after which Model stepped away from the genre.

Model’s gaze in these images is intimate and unflinching. She captures not just the external spectacle of jazz, but the undercurrents: resilience, pressure, identity. Audiences rapture, musicians’ gestures hesitant yet proud. Her own experiences of persecution seems to inform the empathy and urgency in her work. Her jazz portraits don’t simply document; they witness.

For the full essay and to see more of Model’s photographs, read What Lisette Model Saw in Jazz on The Atlantic.

Stephen Shore’s Photos Reveal Glamour and Nostalgia of 1906s New York

‘Stephen Shore’s newly published book Early Work (MACK, 2025) showcases photographs he took between the ages of 13 and 17, between 1960 and 1965, roaming the streets of New York with a Leica and black-and-white film. These early shots capture the romance, charm, and energy of the city in ways that feel cinematic: classic cars, street preachers, faces in the crowd that look like they belong in West Side Story. 

Though Shore doesn’t clearly remember all the moments of taking those photos, he does vividly recall developing them in a makeshift home darkroom in his parents’ Manhattan apartment. Even then, he had a strong sense of framing – not just pointing the camera, but composing scenes so that the world of the photograph makes sense on its own, separate from what was happening around him. 

The images are nostalgic, but they’re much more than that. They reflect a young photographer already aware of social texture – elderly women made graceful, humble subjects; people from older generations who had lived through great upheaval; the city’s architecture and public life in full view. Shore’s early awareness of form, contrast, human presence (or absence), and context is visible in these youthful explorations. 

For the full story and more of Shore’s youthful street photography, read the article on PetaPixel.

And Finally – Dramatic Aerial Photos Visualise the Poetic Rhythms and Patterns of Ballet

Australian aerial photographer Brad Walls has released Passé, a striking new series that reimagines ballet from directly above. Walls first became interested in drones back in 2016 – buying one “out of pure curiosity” – and found that aerial perspective stripped away depth and distraction, reducing his subjects to patterns, shapes, and rhythms.

In Passé, he gathers nearly 60 ballerinas from various schools and companies to perform choreographed sequences on a vast red stage. The colour red, Walls explains, is symbolic, evoking ideas of performance, passion, danger and it envelops the images, creating an immersive, urgent sense of theatre. He carefully stages compositions to emphasise symmetry, contrast, repetition, and form: one photo evokes a giant spine, another embodies the golden ratio, others form spirals or graphic geometries.

Walls sees a natural affinity between ballet and aerial photography, given that both demand precision in movement and form. He describes Passé as not just a set of photographic images, but as a choreographed visual performance. The series was recently shown at a pop-up exhibition in Manhattan, where the red backdrop and immersive lighting reinforced the dramatic impact of the work.

You can read the full interview with Walls about his work over on My Modern Met.

Bonus Watch: Natural Family Photoshoot Behind the Scenes

I’ve just uploaded a new video to my new YouTube channel and I’d love it if you could take a look! It’s a little film I shot at one of Northumberland’s most distinctive landmarks – Outchester Ducket. Filmed on the DJI Mini 3 Pro, this video features drone footage orbiting the historic tower, set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Northumberland countryside. You can watch the video below and as always, I’d love it if you could like and subscribe!

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.