Leading With Light

When composing and constructing photographs, it can be useful to lead the viewer’s eye through the image using light, contrast, and color. The eye first goes to the brightest, the sharpest, and the most saturated areas in an image. Of course, color saturation is not really an issue in black and white imagery.

In this photograph, taken in the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning, I was interested in the interplay between light and shadow. I tried using the light during processing (enhancing what was already there) to allow the viewer’s eye to travel up the stairs, around the corner, and then leave them to wonder where the next staircase that is in shadow leads.

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Staricase © Howard Grill

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