Yellow: The best 20

Green: The best 6

I want my photos to feel more immersive and personal to the viewer, so I eliminated all the shots without a figure in them.

Red: The final 3

I chose these photos because they connect to Fan Ho’s works. They all highlight a figure that is offset by light and shadow.

 

Photo one: Impending Doom

Death. 

Such an abstract concept.

What is it? 

Is it the end?

Or is it the beginning?

Everyone has their impending doom. This is all we know for now. We can’t see or feel it, but we know it is always out there, somewhere. It is only a matter of time. We will all eventually become rotten bones. So, should we be scared or welcome death? I hinted at this message in the photo. The shadows represent the looming death of everyone. But, of course, the world is not black and white because of duality. Just like in every negative thought, there must be a positive side; in every harrowing death, there must first be an exhilarated life. For a shadow to exist, there must first be a light source. 

Techniques used: This photo was originally colored, but I added a black-and-white filter to better highlight the contrast between light and shadow. Another thing I did was to connect the figure with the shadow to create a sense of continuation. It makes the photo flow smoothly from left to right. A gap between the two components would make the photo feel disconnected and incomplete. 

 

Photo two: The Price of Success

Beyond every shadow is a light source; behind every successful story, there is an immeasurable amount of failed attempts. This photo features a figure standing majestically in the spotlight like he accomplished something incredible. Below him, there is the darkly toned staircase that symbolizes the struggles that he went through to reach the top. The fierce contrast between light and shadow tells the story of an adventurer who conquered the shadows and finally reached the pinnacle, being rewarded with the warmth of sunlight. 

Techniques used: I placed the figure in the light to act as a focus point for the photo and add a sense of continuation. The photo would feel blank and incomplete without the figure in the center. In addition, the two lines repented by the sunlight lead the viewer’s attention toward the focus of the photo – the dark figure in the center. 

 

Photo three: Running From the Past

You can’t escape me.

I will be out there.

Somewhere. 

Forever. 

Guilt, Grief, insecurity, and loneliness are a few of the worst feelings humans can feel. They are invisible forces. They are shadows, following you everywhere you go, slowly becoming a piece of you. Walking away simply is not enough to shake off these negative energies. They drain your soul and feast on your heart. As long as there is light, they will reveal their razor-sharp teeth in the shape of you, haunting you wherever you go. The only way to defeat them is first to defeat yourself. Run away from the shadows, run toward the light. Every negative must have a positive that opposes it because of duality. Every shadow is formed from a light source. 

Run away from the shadows.

Run away…

Techniques used: I deliberately cropped the figure’s head off to encourage the viewers to use their imagination. It is a headless body. We do not know who that body belongs to. It could be anyone in these Nike shoes. It could be me, it could be you, it could be anyone’s body. It inspires the viewers to imagine their own version of a face that fits onto the body. On the contrary, if I have revealed who the body belongs to, it limits the viewer’s imagination because they already know what the face looks like.