Shadow Shots in Black and White

Shadow Shot Sunday
April 3, 2011

Shadow Shot Sunday is a popular meme started by Tracy from Brisbane, Queensland. Her blog is called Hey Harriet and you can see more Shadow Shots and find out the guidelines for participation by checking out the site. I think this is where I'm suppose to say:  Gabba Gabba Hey!

After leaving Chicago for the Northern reaches of Minnesota in 1974, I fell upon hard times as I looked for gainful employment, of which none was around. I did have a benefit from my service in the US Army. Something called the Montgomery GI Bill.

The GI Bill allowed for tuition and some living expenses to be paid to a Veteran while attending school. I took advantage of this in that jobless market and as I continued to look for a job, I attended college classes at Lakewood Community College in the Saint Paul suburb of White Bear Lake, MN. After completing enough classes and earning enough credits from Lakewood for an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts, I enrolled at Metropolitan State University, which was, at that time in history, a fledgling University that was competency based.

It took me a total of nine years of post-secondary education, but I ultimately ended up with a Bachelors Degree in Sociology and Human Services with a Minor in Outdoor Education. My first college class was at Triton College in suburban Chicago in 1970, immediately upon being discharged from the Army. I graduated in 1979 from Metro State University in St. Paul, MN.  One of the elective courses I took for the Outdoor Education portion of my Minor was a photography class.

This photography class was taken long before the digital age. I used a 35 mm film camera for all my assignments. The final exam was based on a Black and White series. I took a couple of rolls of film, mostly at what was then the Federal Reserve Building in downtown Minneapolis. I also carried my camera with me around town and found numerous subjects to add to my portfolio for this final exam.

This is a stock photo of the old Feceral Reserve Building in Minneapolis, MN

 
The Shadow Shots that I submit today were found while looking through piles of old photos, spending time that way during one of those gloomy days we’ve had as we wait patiently for Spring. It was rather unusual as streetlights are not usually seen in this configuration, that is, leaning against the pole. The shadows are subtle. These subtleties are what make the photo stand out in my opinion, the unique subject matter notwithstanding.

I stood back and took a couple more photos of the damaged street light. The black and white film and accompanying saturation of the central image as well as its surroundings draw me into these photos. Can’t remember the settings on the camera and even though I got a passing grade in the class, I didn’t get an “A” because I didn’t write them down.

Here are a couple more shots of the broken light. I'm not sure how it got itself into this compromising position. I could assume a storm or possibly an errant driver hit the pole. Clicking on any photo will give an enlarged view.

Peace