It's all about the light.

Ordinary stairs are only ordinary when there is nothing to see. Look for the light and see the shadows turn the mundane into something to look at.

Matthew G. Beall  Shadow Geometry  2011

As I have said, I don't have to go very far to get photographs. I only have to look around my apartment.

Writing with Light is Photography

Light creates shadow and shadow creates interesting photos out of the mundane.

Matthew G. Beall  Shadows on a Wall  2011

A photograph is usually looked at - seldom looked into.  ~Ansel Adams


Light & shadow can take the every day thing and make it less ordinary.  Is it just a bag? Is there more to the bag than meets the eye? Leave a comment.

Matthew G. Beall   The Bag in Light   2011

Matthew G. Beall  The Bag in the Corner  2011

Matthew G. Beall  The Bag Later  2011

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The ordinary bookshelf. The ordinary book. The mundane for some.

As  have said, I don't have to leave my apartment to find subjects to shoot. I am surrounded by interesting things. I have light. Beautiful, wonderful morning and afternoon light. I have shadows created by my light. Yes, it is my light.

Books can tell you a lot. 

Matthew G. Beall   Books Can Tell You A Lot   2011

What is on your bookshelf?

Matthew G. Beall   The Wonderful Place  2011

 What story do these tell?

Matthew G. Beall  Gone with Books  2011

In my previous post, I said that everybody sees what they see. Sometimes what I see at the moment, isn't really as it appears. The ordinary, the mundane isn't always what it appears to be. 

Look, See, Think

Matthew G. Beall Photography   As It Appears   2011

  "Hey, look at that," is something we often say when we see things that somehow stand out. I think that's the point where we start to think about the thing we are looking at. It could be for a split second, but that's  enough for some to ponder the thing. Shadow has that affect on me.

I'm always on the lookout for interesting light and shadow. Very often I don't have to go far. I don't even have to leave my apartment.

Matthew G. Beall         2011

Matthew G. Beall Photography         2011

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 I was looking at older posts and came across this one from May 11, 2011. It is well worth revisiting. I see that I made them dark to make the subject of the mundane really focused. I wonder how I would approach that if I were to make these today ... but that's truly the beauty of creative photography and visualization, isn't it. 

Everybody sees what they see. I'm always on the lookout for interesting light and shadow. Sometimes it is found where most people tend not to look or, rather, don't look at. I am talking about the mundane. 

 “I see no reason for recording the obvious.” - Edward Weston

The Mundane

Matthew G. Beall  The Sink   2011

Matthew G. Beall  The Pipes  2011

Matthew G. Beall  The Box  2011

Look, See, Think

Keeping it Simple                                       Please follow this blog

Patterns, textures, angles, tones, shadows and light, perspective all contribute to a dynamic photograph.

In black and white photography shadows and light creates mood. It is dramatic. The photograph is often more dynamic. For example, a photograph with dark tones tends to be somber and/or brooding, and a picture with light tones seems to be more delicate and even upbeat.


A lot of light means shadows. Shadows and light create a range of tone. A black and white photograph is tonal.

Matthew G. Beall

Matthew G. Beall

Matthew G. Beall

Matthew G. Beall

Matthew G. Beall

Continuing my Looking Up adventure, I went out on yet another nice, sunny day to take a few shots, looking up. Again, you sometimes find things that you never noticed before such as a clock at the top of a building around the corner from my place. And, to make it even more interesting, there's a chicken, or is it a rooster, sitting atop the clock.

Then I walked over to a circular parking garage and, for the first time, actually looked up from the bottom to the top. The sun beating down on the architectural elements of the structure from this perspective is perfect  for a black and white photograph.

Tip:  Look Up!

Please take a look at my art

Matthew G. Beall  Atop the Clock,  2011

Matthew G. Beall  Elements  2011

Matthew G. Beall  Elements 3,  2011

Today I walked to the camera store to take my camera in for a good ol’ fashioned cleaning (it really does need it). The owner said, “der Techniker  ist im Urlaub.”  So the tech is on vacation this week and I can bring it back on Monday. ‘Scheiße’ I thought to myself and then I thought, hey, I can go out and take a few pictures. It’s such a blue, sunny day after all. And so I did.

We often go out and about without ever looking up. I decided to look up. Looking up can sometimes lead you to discover things you’ve never seen before. Looking up can make a picture more interesting. 

Matthew G. Beall  Shadows on the Wall,  2011

Matthew G. Beall  The White Stripes, 2011

Matthew G. Beall  The Windows, 2011

Matthew G. Beall  The Contrast, 2011

Matthew G. Beall  Irgendwo in der Mitte, 2011

Matthew G. Beall  die Ecke, 2011

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