Dan Kelly - Proposal

For my final project, I would like to use shadow and darkness as my theme for my 200 photographs. I want to show an object and its details, but also the shadow that it casts. I want to be able to show how a shadow can change the way an object is perceived and the way a photograph is completely changed by it. Also, since it might not be too sunny this week, I would like to focus on darkness in light or well-lit areas. Shadows are obviously dark, but they shape the light and draw attention to the light around it. I want to show shadows or a spot of darkness in pictures that can either take the viewers eye away from the light or towards the dark. Also, I think it’s interesting how a shadow is usually the only dark thing in a bright photograph, when the sun is casting light on an object. However, when the sun is not out, I will focus on dark objects that are a contrast to the darkness. I am planning to take pictures of shadows from nature, but I will also take photographs of other things I find in nature, that could be inanimate objects. I will attempt to take all of the photographs during the day, to get the best shadows or contrast with the light.

            Shadows or a spot of darkness can sometimes be an inconvenience in a photograph, but I chose to make these my theme because I have never focused on darkness in a photograph, normally just the light. Normally, I try to turn up the brightness or position the photograph so that the shadow wouldn’t be showing because I feel like they are a distraction and can cause the viewer or myself to look away from the main object in the photo. However, for this project, I want to make them my focus. I want to try photographing something I have never really paid attention to or normally do not want in a photo. Also, shadows are always different. When the sun is shining directly down on something it casts a small shadow, however when the sun is not directly above the object it will cast a longer shadow. Darkness is also different in every photograph, sometimes it can be a dark figure, a spot that does not get hit with light, or even at other times shadows.

            For the photographs, I want to make sure that I get the whole landscape and object in the picture not just the shadow or the dark light. It would be confusing to the viewer if it was just the shadow being shown, for it would be difficult to figure out what the object is. Also, for the darkness, I want it to be dark enough that it takes away from the bright light in the picture.