Ihlseng Cottage: Light and Shadows

I took the bus to and from work, and so I got to be on campus on the second day of fall classes. It was a truly gorgeous day, with sunshine and pleasant temps. Conditions didn't seem extra busy in the early morning, but campus did seem really packed in the afternoon. It's sometimes a real education for me, getting out and seeing what the student body is doing and wearing each year.

I had a few minutes before I caught my bus home at the end of day, and what I usually do with that extra time is to noodle around with my camera. I can't wander too far from my bus stop behind the library, so there are a few typical sights I take in. This is one of the coolest buildings on campus, Ihlseng Cottage. It sits right beside the library, so it's an easy photo op when the light is good.

This may not seem my usual fare, but I do love photographing buildings and stairwells and alleyways - anything that gives me interesting shadows and lines. Those photos don't often make it here, as they tend to get preempted by sunny, colorful nature scenes.

I boosted the contrast to give it that extra darkness I was looking for, and make it more dramatic. I think the effect I was going for was "Hitchcockian," the scene of a murder-mystery-thriller: 

And suddenly, a shot rang out! And a dame ran to the upstairs window, threw open the sash, and screamed! She crawled out the window, tried to negotiate the narrow, spindly stairwell in high heels. But her pursuer was growing closer, ever closer . . . . !

The soundtrack: U2, with Mysterious Ways.