Week 07-Behind the Curtain

Behind the Curtain

Besides being everywhere on the internet, cats are creatures of habit. Ours enjoy the morning sun, and most mornings, spend a little time at the window. Through the backlit curtain, their form is dominant. I had photographed this moment before but visualized it in black and white for this project.

Photography is often our recognition and resolution of the tradeoffs in a given scene. So, what are the tradeoffs here? Silhouettes can be engaging, but they are a challenge. They provide shape and shadow but lack depth and energy.

Also, when photographing people and animals, their eyes are critical to the composition. The eyes give a photo life and a connection with the viewer. Not possible with a silhouette.

Here we see whiskers, but not eyes. Something else needs to provide life without this essential visual element. In this case, it is a gesture. The cat's outstretched paw, almost as if she was waving, provides personification and personality in the absence of her eyes.

Capturing gestures requires patience, readiness, and a memory card with space. While the subject does not provide depth, the gradient light and the texture across the curtain enable some foreground separation while adding an impressionist feel.

f8 1/500 sec ISO 200 Feb 19, 2022