I may have posted the image above before, I don't remember, but the reason I post it now is to describe how powerful a thing light and shade can be.
Imagine the old car that this 'nose' belongs to. It has been sitting outside for many years, uncared for, perhaps forgotten, and yet what striking beauty it has if only one takes the time to see it! The strength of the sunlight makes the shadows deep and the highlights sparkle, where sometimes it is the patterns of rust on the actual metal that can attract, here the beauty of the curved form is complemented by the fall of light.
The car above displays elements of all the things that attract me to old cars as art. The stylish original design incorporating those fantastically 'over the top' rear light units blends into the wraparound chrome. The original colour is changed, mottled into interesting shapes by the fall of light, the blue sky turned light purple by the old chrome.
Here again, this old Caddy could easily have been just a mouldy piece of junk in the woods, but look how that sunlight brings it to life! On a dull day you could walk right by this scene without hardly a glance, but with the correct lighting conditions - Boom!
Even without colour, the light, and the way that it falls can make an impact. The old truck above is so weather worn there isn't even any paint on it, just the dull red/brown of the rusty metal.
Set simply against a blue sky this could have easily been a real boring picture...until the light play came in to create a dramatic scene!
I love the play of light on an object, the way it hides some things yet reveals others, adds so much interest to a subject. And when that subject is a rusty old car that already has beautiful curves and lines, and a fine patina of age then it's a winning combination.
