Working on assignments two and three made me think about the importance of light. This may seem obvious, after all, the term photography comes from the Greek and means drawing with light, however, I think it is only for my two most recent assignments that I have really considered how important it is, with the possible exception of some indoor portraiture using speedlights.
In trying to analyse why I have this new awareness, I think it is mainly due to moving house and being presented with a new environment. The difference in having the main living space with windows on a north/south axis rather than an east/west, along with having larger windows as a result of moving from a victorian property to a new build is quite marked. In addition to having more window area and a change of axis, the impact of living on the second floor of an apartment building is noticable; being at a greater height gives larger views enabling me to see the impact of light falling on different parts of the development.
Another difference between is the layout of the development; despite the buildings being larger in size and taller, the space between them is greater and the layout is much more varied meaning that light falls on the buildings in a much more divese way than rows of terraced houses all of similar scale and laid out in the same direction. Because the area is new and I was not familiar with it before moving, I’ve spent time getting exploring it and have looked at it in a way that I did not where I previously lived, having lived there for over twenty years.
Documentary, Fact & Fiction 