Term 3

Shapes and Shadows

By Max Dupain

This image is one that is compositionally brilliant as well as aesthetically pleasing to the eye. The use of placing the subject matter in the middle of the photo, adds more meaning to the photo rather then placing it somewhere else. It makes us as the audience focus on the way the man is lying down, asking questions such as: What is he doing?, Is he sad? and Why is he lying like that?. The fact that the image is black and white gives us a sense of mystery. The light used in this photo is naturally lit from the sun and aids in the creation of the shadows of the mans body and the contrast of light and dark colours in the photo. The blur of the sand lets us focus on the position of the man on the sand, it also creates a layer of smooth surface so that the patterns in the shadows are clear on the blurred sand. We as the audience find a sense of grief because we do not understand why the man is doing what he is doing.