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Piper Mackay - Artist Study

Piper Mackay

Piper Mackay is a wildlife and cultural photographer, based in Nairobi, Kenya, but originally from California.

 

Although she photographs many interestingly lit photos, I concentrated on her Rim Lighting photos, of which she has a few.

http://www.pipermackayphotography.com/

Analysis

I like the depth in this photo, and the lighting causes the soft blurred background to appear very feint. The rim lighting gives the animal importance, as opposed to if the sun were facing towards the animal. Also, the animal seems more viscious and powerful, looking down at the land below, with a silhouette figure and just its body outlined.

The rim lighting in this photo is less obtrusive, and the whole photo is very understated, with the rule of thirds applied. The mist/dust clouds on the ground help establish the outline of the figure where the rim lighting does not cover, and the image is sharp and crisp. I like the darkness of the image, which brings out the juxtaposition of the outlines of the horses against the dark background.

Here the sun also forms light leaks as well as rim lighting, and the quick shutter speed enables a sharp image to be captured, with the horses frozen in movement. I like the combination of the light leak and the rim lighting to creatively use light to compose an interesting image, rather than just take a photo of the horses.

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