Private Story
The Lyricism of Shadows
“I love shadows when they go together with light. Light and shadow are all about photography. It’s like yin and yang, disorder and order, fire and water. The interplay between those elements makes everything interesting. The light gives birth to shadow. And in shadows, we can conjure up what is there.” The Lyricism of Shadows by Michael Nguyen is an ongoing part of his series By the Roadside.
“I thought the most beautiful thing in the world must be shadow.” - Sylvia Plath
Do you leave your shadow behind, or is it cast in front of you?
The Monk: When you go towards the sun, your shadow is always behind you. When you go away from the source of light into the darkness, what you see is your shadow leading the way.
Why do people like standing under your shadow?
The Tree: I don’t know. And I guess not everyone and not all the time. I just always stand there, offering all that I have. My branches, my leaves, the fresh oxygen. When the sun is scorching, the light is too hard, people just come to me. I don’t have to talk, I am just there. For everyone.
Why don’t you have your own shadow?
The Water: Because I flow, I embrace everything, and I am transparent.
The Air: I am nothing.
The Bird: Only sometimes, when I fly high.
How do you even exist?
The Shadow: Because of light.
Why do you like shadows?
The Photographer: I love shadows when they go together with light. Light and shadow are all about photography. It’s like yin and yang, disorder and order, fire and water. The interplay between those elements makes everything interesting. The light gives birth to shadow. And in shadows, we can conjure up what is there. With less information, that’s why a lot of imagination.
What is the biggest shadow?
The Sun: Ourselves.
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