richard.huang.photos

那些年，拍过的影子 — 封面

Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years

Written by

Richard Huang

in

,
Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang

A long time ago, I wrote a piece called “ The Little Ponds I Photographed Over the Years,” which attracted plenty of attention. It was about how persistence had transformed my photography. Continuing that theme, I want to share another series I have kept up over the years: photographs of shadows.

Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang

One afternoon, I was passing through an industrial park. Glass windows caught the last of the sunlight and cast shifting patterns across a wall.

Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang

I took a few photographs and posted them to WeChat Moments.

Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang

That gave me an idea: every morning, I would post a photograph of a shadow to Moments, accompanied by a sun emoji. This small, playful ritual grew into something beyond photography. It brought a sunny greeting to my friends’ feeds and gave me a warm, positive cue at the start of each day.

Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang

As early as 2008, I photographed my own shadow on Boracay in the Philippines. For twenty years, I have continued to photograph shadows of every kind.

Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang

My favourite subjects are the shadows of trees.

Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang

In sunlight, their dappled patterns of light and dark resemble abstract paintings.

Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang

As time passes, the shadows drift almost imperceptibly, murmuring of time’s passage. When a breeze moves through, light and shadow flicker—a beauty poised between stillness and vitality.

Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang
Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang
Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang

If the irregularity of tree shadows suggests nature’s freedom and mutability, then the shadows cast by modern society embody its pursuit of order and rules.

Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang

Fences, bridge piers, utility poles, and other man-made structures cast neat, orderly geometric forms in the sunlight.

Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang

These regular shadows are more than traces of urban architecture. They form a visual language, expressing modern civilisation’s sense of order and the beauty of reason.

Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang
Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang
Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang
Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang

Unlike nature, with its spontaneity and resistance to control, man-made shadows are often predictable. They seem to speak of our attempt to control the environment, becoming a metaphor for the coexistence of nature and human civilisation.

Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang
Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang
Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang

Window shadows have a particular charm and are another favourite subject of mine.

Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang

A window shadow is more than a physical projection. It resembles a secret opening into another world, inviting us to imagine the people and stories behind it.

Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang

Venetian blinds cast a grid of shadows, like a carefully designed geometric pattern.

Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang

The pattern changes continually with the light: in the gentle morning sun, the window’s shadow appears weightless; by noon, it has grown crisp and sharp.

Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang

Through these shadows, we seem to glimpse a certain stillness and order within everyday life.

Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang

A shadow is a subtle meeting of light and space, changing as the light changes.

Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang

The shadows of small household objects can be fascinating too. Cups, books, and ornaments cast unexpected shapes when light strikes them from different angles, adding another dimension to daily life.

Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang

Without ever leaving home, I can capture these modest moments of beauty.

Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang

Another major strand of my work is my own shadow. I cast it across other shadows or objects, leaving a trace of my presence.

Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang

The technique adds depth to the composition.

Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang

It also gives the image a personal inflection, merging my intangible self with the material world. I become part of the landscape.

Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang
Shadows I’ve Photographed Over the Years© Richard Huang

Through my shadow, I quietly enter the narrative and let it speak for me—a presence fleeting, yet undeniable.

By photographing shadows of different forms and origins, I explore the relationships between presence and disappearance, nature and the man-made. Whether it is a tree dancing in sunlight, the order projected by a window, or my own shadow entering someone else’s scene, these images together create layered visual narratives. Shadows are not merely the result of light; they also reflect my inner world. Through them, I find myself amid life’s ceaseless changes and leave behind a distinct artistic trace.

Want to save or share this post?

Continue Reading

More in This Category

More posts