Photo Class: Shadowland

Today's assignment for the online photography class I'm taking is "Shadows," so k.d. lang's Shadowland ran through my head all weekend, her plaintive, pure voice lamenting,

I'm a shadow since you've gone

Just a shadow in the dawn

Frustratingly for this assignment, Ottawa was NOT shadowland this weekend. Or maybe it was ALL shadowland and NO shadows! The sun taunted and teased, but slipped away faster than I could grab my camera. The sky was mostly a uniform grey, turning everything monochrome and sad.

Nevertheless, as Brian and I went out to the Museum of Science and Technology on Sunday afternoon, I grabbed my camera.

Like most modern museums, the lighting in the museum is very moody. There is minimal ambient light, but lots of focal lighting. In a sense, the space is flooded with shadows. I did manage a few interesting shots.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of "noise" in all of these pictures because the lighting was so low.

The ramp going up towards the Crazy Kitchen.
Leading lines are powerful in this one.
[Haha! Just had a Star Wars moment: "The Force is powerful with this one."]
f/2.8, 1/15, ISO/1600

One of the final exhibits we saw had this little backlit scene of a woman entering a room.

f/2.8, 1/100, ISO/1600

It's an interesting tableau. I decided to make it a story-telling picture, with a sense of portent.

Are you scared?
Perhaps you should be.
The lock is useless.
What's in the hand she's holding behind her?

I don't know which picture I like better. Do you have a favourite?