It is said that photography is memories made of shadows. Shadows are formed by light, and depending on the time of day, if we are talking about sunlight, they are shorter or longer.
My favourite time of day for strong shadows is the morning. Nothing beats getting up early in the morning, long before the sun has risen, and getting in position to get a shot. There is something ethereal in waiting in the pitch black of night and then observing the sun beginning to lighten sky, before it rises in a waxy glow on the horizon. It is at that moment I know I have about twenty minutes to take advantage of that magnificent light as it casts long, black shadows across the landscape. If I get just one shot I am pleased. Two is a bonus. Three is the jackpot!
Heading back to base with the thought of the captured image in my mind is akin to hunting and returning home with my prey. It’s a feeling that has always possessed me and I think myself lucky to have experienced it many times.
Of course there are other instances when the light moves me and one of those is when storm clouds gather and the sky turns dark and foreboding. Before those clouds swamp the sun, it often falls with a clarity and intensity that is pure stage lighting akin to theatre. The foreground is brilliantly lit and the shadows stark. Such a time was in Namibia and I took this shot in the early evening.
I was on my way to Sossusviei, famous for spectacular sand dunes, and looking for somewhere to spend the night. From mid afternoon clouds began to creep across the sky, which at first were wispy white streaks that stood out vividly against the effulgent blue sky. Later these gave way to more threatening storm clouds, dark and ominous, with each one fighting to gain dominance in a fading light. The sun would disappear and then re-emerge briefly in vivid shafts that would illuminate selected areas of the savannah, which stretched as far as the eye could see. I stopped often only to be teased and then cheated, as the sun would disappear. Finally, I pulled over and decided to be ready even though there was no guarantee that the sun would break through the increasingly threatening sky.
I set the camera on the tripod, composed my shot and waited, surprised at how cold it had become considering I was somewhere between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Equator! Within the next forty-five minutes or so, the sun made weak forays onto the vista, before piercing through an opening in the clouds, that was large enough to illuminate all the grassland within the frame. It remained sufficiently long enough for me to get the shot as tufts of grass glowed golden yellow, and although only thirty centimetres high maximum, cast long shadows onto the gravel verge. The two lane black top wound its way to the horizon before disappearing out of sight between the gentle folds of the distant hills. The whole scene was drenched in the type of light I crave and just as it is with dawn photography, patience paid off.
Having got the shot, night fell quickly and it took a further two hours of driving, mainly on dirt roads without even the moon to relive the darkness before I found somewhere to stay the night.
While my early morning shots are planned, almost stage managed because I know how the light is going to play, this type of shot is more spontaneous, but I think you will agree that nonetheless for that!
This shot is available as a limited edition print. There will only be 50 copies. Each one will be signed and numbered by John Freeman and will be accompanied by a certificate of authentication together with a unique hologram on the reverse of the print. The overall paper size measures 483 X 329 mm in this edition. Each print is printed on 100% 308 gsm rag paper and is wood pulp and acid free and has archival permanence.
The cost of each print is £250.00. However, as the edition sells out the price increases i.e. after ten prints are sold the price will be £300.00 for numbers 11 – 20. For numbers 21 – 30 the price will be £375.00 per print. For numbers 31 – 40 the cost will be £475.00 per print. For numbers 41 – 50 the cost will be £650.00 per print. The next available print is 1/50.
