A photograph of an ex-schoolfriend called John Allister walking westwards along Dover's "New Street" (known as "Turne-Againe Lane" before 1785) towards the York Street bypass at 10.30 am on Sunday, March 22nd, 2009:

John's shadow is caused by sunlight, but it is on the 'wrong side': the light is angling in from between the buildings on the left, but without touching the side of the building with the sign-writing on; it is then reflecting off of unseen windows on the right, thereby creating a 'golden wall' effect.

More info at the photo's original webpage.

John Latter / Jorolat

* Camera: PENTAX K100D
* Taken on 2009:03:22 22:31:03
* Exposure: 0.006s (1/180)
* Focal Length: 33.00mm
* F/Stop: f/8.000
* ISO Speed: ISO200
* Exposure Bias: 0 EV
* No flash, Compulsory

[legacyb4]

Neat shot; thought this was going to be one of the freaky Japanese photographs where they claim you can see ghosts in the picture!

[metroeloise]

Very Nice.

I have been noticing a few such situations. Taking photos makes me more sensitive to light. Many times really great light comes from nowhere! I stand there Looking at something lit beautifully and ask where the light is coming from.

I like this one! Good eye for noticing.

[jorolat]

Neat shot; thought this was going to be one of the freaky Japanese photographs where they claim you can see ghosts in the picture!

Thank you for the comment, legacyb4

On the other hand, I can't resist mentioning that I do have some 'unusual effects' on a couple of photos taken in an underground tunnel complex.

Oh well - forum credibility was nice while it lasted!

John Latter / Jorolat

[jorolat]

Very Nice.

I have been noticing a few such situations. Taking photos makes me more sensitive to light. Many times really great light comes from nowhere! I stand there Looking at something lit beautifully and ask where the light is coming from.

I like this one! Good eye for noticing.

Thank you very much for your comment, metroeloise, but, um, if I had any club credibility left after my last post then this reply is gonna reduce it close to zero because the photo wasn't planned at all.

My original purpose in taking the photo was to capture as much of the "Metropole" sign on the sidewall above John's head as possible. The reason being I had just uploaded a photo of the Eight Bells public house, which had once been a cinema with a "Metropole Hotel" on the floors above.

The 'writing on the wall', so to speak, is the only externally visible evidence that the Metropole Hotel and Bars ever existed and is located on the hotel's side entrance in New Street.

John Allister wasn't meant to be in the shot at all. Before he arrived I had already decided to include the wall on the right because New Street opens up further on and I wanted to take a claustrophobic photo reflecting the days when it was narrow all along its length.

(As an aside, when I was a child there were many such passages and alleys in Dover and I intend to eventually take photos of all those that remain.)

John came up beside me as I was fiddling with my camera and offered to wait until I had taken the shot. "You go ahead," I said, "I'll be a few moments yet".

Then, as he began walking down the alley, I was reminded of a UK advertising campaign for Strand cigarettes:

This television advertisement depicted a dark, wet, deserted London street scene in which a rain coated character lit a cigarette and puffed reflectively. This was accompanied by an instrumental, "The Lonely Man Theme" and a voice-over declared "You're never alone with a Strand."

The commercial was popular with the public but sales of the brand were poor and it was soon taken off the market. The public associated smoking Strand cigarettes with being lonely and were put off from buying them. [Abridged]

I waited until John had reached the wall because, as the above article goes on to say:

It is regarded as one of the most disastrous tobacco advertising campaigns of all time.

I wanted to capture some of the ambivalence of "I like it, but I don't want it"

Having said all that, I am taking more notice of interesting light situations - maybe there's hope, yet!

John Latter / Jorolat