The Shadow Experiement

Early this summer, I filmed my shadow on the beach.  I watched my flattened body roll over stones and textured surfaces.  It took a couple days of filming to get used to where I had to hold the camera and how to avoid getting my body in the way of the shot.  After a while, it didn't seem like I was looking at shadows anymore: it was like I could see into a different world of movement.  This made my mind wander.

I started to compare how shadows are similar of how we present ourselves to others.  A flattened or one dimensional version of ourselves.  The longer you look at the shadow, the more you will see beyond the silhouette.  You start to notice texture and why the shadow looks the way it does. For example, you might see that an arm looks extra long and bent because of a stone that is lying underneath it's surface. The longer you look at something, the more interesting it becomes.

The video I am including here is a collections of shadow experiments I have done over the course of a few months.  All of the footage was captured on a beach that is within walking distance of my office during my lunch breaks. 

I have started to do more interesting things with light and shadows, but I thought it was important to document the earliest stages and make something fun with the footage I enjoyed shooting so much. 

I've had a lot going on this summer and have looked at these lunch break play times as a way to direct my energy and escape the day to day meanderings that go on around me.