Rhys Steedman, Limelight (PEOPLE 2023)

I call this entry 'Limelight'. Before electricity, theatre lighting had predominantly been madeup of gas lighting. When limelight was discovered, in the 19th century, it didn't take long before it was adopted for use in theatres. It's particularly bright light, was often used to illuminate the front and centre of the stage, which is where the term for 'in the limelight' - to be the focus of, originates from. For me this image is reminiscent of both the literal and idiomatic meaning for limelight. This photo was taken in an undercover carpark, late at night with a single strobe as the light source. The environment was pitch black, and as a result, the strobe backlighting the subject, makes her stand out prominently from the shadows. Shooting with a wide aperture accentuated the flecks of dust in the air that had been illuminated by the light source. This created some dramatic bokeh that decorated the space in between the light source and the subject.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.