Thank you to everyone that participated in the "Leading Light" assignment. I know it was a challenge for some of us to find "leading light" in a week of dreary weather, but I really enjoyed seeing the images you submitted. As a reminder, the guidelines for this assignment were to compose an image using "light" to draw the viewer into and through your scene.
Congratulations to Tanya Mackenzie whose
Morning Spotlight image won the vote for
People's Choice. This was a beautiful example of "leading light" by Tanya. The early morning rays of light led the viewer to the tree in the foreground, which was spotlighted by the sun. I was especially impressed that the rays of light ended in the vicinity of the tree and didn't continue on to the edge of the frame, which might have led the viewer right past the tree and out of the frame. I've awarded this image
Editor's Choice for Technical Merit because it best exemplifies the concept of "leading light." Congratulations Tanya for seeing and capturing the beautiful light in this scene.
Morning Spotlight
People's Choice and
Editor's Choice for Technical MeritPhotographed by Tanya Mackenzie
I've awarded
Editor's Choice for Artistic Merit to Becky Jenner's
After the Rain image. This beautiful and captivating image was the one that "drew me in" the most, and made me want to explore the scene. The lush detail along the road helped me imagine that I was walking along the road, breathing the cool damp air and the rich scent of fallen leaves. The lighter areas on the distant view of the road draw me deep into the scene, and invite me to explore that area in further detail. There is so much detail in this scene that I think the image would have been more captivating if it had been displayed a bit larger. (800 pixels wide is usually the "optimum" size for assignment images, since that allows the entire image to be viewed on a "normal" computer monitor. Uploading larger images than 800 pixels will result in many viewers having to "scroll" to see the entire image, which can destroy the effect of a powerful composition.) Thank you Becky for sharing this beautiful image, I enjoyed imagining that I was exploring this intriguing scene.
After the RainEditor's Choice for Artistic MeritPhotographed by Becky Jenner
Lars'
Cueing Leading Light image deserves an
Honorable Mention. This image was another good example of how light can be used to "draw the viewer in" and add depth to an image. I think Lars did a great job capturing the atmosphere in this cozy little venue.
Cueing leading light Honorable MentionPhotographed by Lars
Thank you to everyone that participated in the "Leading Light" assignment. I hope that actively looking for "leading light" helped you become more aware of the light in your scene, and that this exercise helped strengthen your skill at using light to influence the viewer's perception of your subject.
Keith