Shadows

March 5, 2008, Harajuku, Tokyo, Japan. I was in the fashion capital of the world, looking at the design of the stores, rather than what they were selling. Walking down Takeshita-dori, looking at the stores, the graffiti, the people. The light, and the lack of it.

The sun, the most common shadow-creating light source, has a significant angular extent and does not create hard shadows. On the wall on the left of the photograph are a combination of harder and softer shadows. The various obstructions at different distances from the wall allow for the perception of depth and 3-dimensionality.

Shadows usually are used in reference to to gloom, inferiority, weakness and perplexity. Yet shadows are crucial in our perception and recognition of objects. These 2-D silhouettes allow us to see the 3-D world.