Shadows and Shape

One of the important aspects of photography, and art is general, is shape. One way to emphasize shape is by having a lot of contrast and a plain background (Hedgecoe 178). While setting up to photograph my incense burner, I chose a white background that contrasted well with the dark brown color. As for lighting, I directly followed Hedgecoe with "side lighting" so "outlines can be emphasized further, and internal detail suppressed" (Hedgecoe 178).

Shape is an enclosed space, and the boundaries are other elements of art, like texture, colors and values. Shape is shown in my photo because you can clearly see the outlined shape of the wooden incense burner. You can also see the details of the wood and the designs, which show the textures, values and colors. Due to the side lighting, there is a long shadow cast behind it, which gives the photo more depth and contrast.

What is the most interesting object you could use as a subject?

Citation:
Hedgecoe, John. The Photographers Handbook: A Complete Reference Manual of Techniques, Procedures, Equipment and Style. New York: Knopf, 1977. Print.