A few years ago I spent some time in the Greek Islands with a goal of mainly exploring black and white compositions among the whitewashed towns and villages of various islands. One day on the island of Ios I was sitting on a patio outside my room having lunch and suddenly was struck by the interesting shadow patterns that some clothespins on a line were making on the whitewashed wall behind them. Unfortunately the sun was minutes away from going behind the building and because the sun was so vertical above the wash line, the shadows were now far down on the wall.

I could see this image in my mind but knew I should have been ready to take it several minutes earlier. After checking with our landlady to ensure the clothespins would not be taken away, I made it a point to be here the following day ready with my camera on my tripod and early enough to watch the shadows move down the wall. I made several exposures as the shadows moved and this is the composition where all the elements were most optimally arranged to my satisfaction.