In my previous blog post, I discussed how light and colours can be used to evoke a peaceful feeling. In this article, I want to show examples of how to use light to create drama. In story telling, drama is often created out of conflict. Good versus evil in action movies. External circumstances opposing the union of two lovers in Romeo and Juliet. In the latter play, Shakespeare uses light and dark imagery throughout. Romeo describes Juliet as being like the sun while Juliet describes Romeo as ‘day in night’. The contrast between light and dark can be interpreted in a metaphorical way as the opposition between love and hate, or youth and age.
In a similar way, one creates dramatic imagery by opposing light and dark. One way to achieve this is with directional light that produces deep shadows. In the picture below, taken in the Meadows park in Edinburgh, the street light creates a shadow of the tree that adds drama to the image.
One can also add a surreal feel to the image by using the technique of light painting. In the picture below, taken on Salisbury Crags in Edinburgh, the light seemingly coming from various directions adds a surreal mood to the dramatic patterns of light and shadows.
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