Silhouette, Reflections on week 9 of #52weeksofWE

Here is the description for this week’s theme:

Have you ever looked at a two dimensional space and thought, that is really for me? Things would be so much simpler… Well we can pretend in this week’s theme, where you can turn aspects of Windsor – Essex that have all the annoying complexity of the third dimension – bulges, curvatures, etc – and reduce them to pleasing, simplistic silhouettes.

 Ice and snow on the course by Frank Shepley

What is it about reducing something, in all its complexity, to a dark simplification that is so beautiful? I was looking forward to seeing the silhouettes of Windsor – Essex since starting the #52weeksofWE photography challenge. You should be impressed that I held back until week 9. One of my favourites this week was Paul Thibodeau’s “Silhouette of Trees” where we see the staggered white and blue of a landscape (different world) through the solid black forms of the tree trunks. Very well composed, and very creative in my opinion. Though trees figured prominently this week, we also were treated to church steeples, cityscapes, and another favourite of mine this week – the nun “StatueSilhouette” that you can see at various spots throughout Windsor. 

 Silhouette of trees, Lasalle, ON by Paul Thibodeau

For me this week I strolled down to the Detroit River waterfront in Amherstburg. When I walked out I thought that my efforts were going to be a “bust.” The horizon was dominated by cloud cover, and I thought the sun was going to stay behind it until it disappeared for another day. However, as the very cold minutes ticked by – gloveless minutes I might add – the clouds separated, creating bands of clouds from above the line of trees of Boblo Island to below. You can see the effect it had in my shots, where the deep red of the sun was split in half, almost resembling a reflection. I really liked the shot I am featuring below, and hardly needed to do any digital darkroom editing whatsoever. 

 Banded sunset by Patrick Firth

Sunset with tree silhouettes by Patrick Firth

The next week we are seeing what Windsor – Essex is telling us through the Writing on the Wall. Again, I love all the descriptions that are accompanying the photographs. Keep them coming, and I will continue to feature them on the blog.

 Detroit Skyline by Zee1977