Taking photos at sunset is nothing new. After all, with all the gorgeous colors and textures in the sky, it’s the perfect backdrop for any picture. The only thing you have to worry about getting lost in the back light.
But if you’re John Marshall, back light is your best friend. Marshall, a TV producer and author, was living alone on an island in Maine for 30 days. He decided to use his free time to start a project, and to do so, all he needed was some cardboard and a few beautiful Maine sunsets.
Mars House of Pizza
“When Mars House of Pizza says ‘WE DELIVER ANYWHERE,’ they mean it.”
Marshall made three rules for himself when he started this undertaking:
- He couldn’t have help, and had only the 10 seconds of the camera’s self-timer to compose the shot.
- He could only make props from materials found in his cabin.
- He could only use tools available in the cabin to do so.
So nothing fancy ever came anywhere near this project. He found reference material on the Internet, and then he simply cut out some shapes and headed to the beach. We’ve included Marshall’s own captions under each photo, because he’s funnier than we are.
The Chameleon
“While I was watching the sunset tonight, I couldn’t stop blinking. ‘Hey. Do I have something in my eye?’ I asked Keith, my chameleon friend. ‘Yeah,’ Keith said. ‘It’s a bug.’ ‘Can you get it out?’ I asked.”
The Flamingo
“‘In the yoga world, we call this the Standing Tree Pose,’ I said. ‘Oh, in the flamingo world, we call this standing,’ the flamingo replied.”
The Frog Date
“I was about to tell the waiter about the big fly in my soup when my date cleared her throat. ‘Are you gonna eat that?’ she asked.”
The Gorilla
“Today, I was enjoying a sunset banana down by the lake when the most amazing thing happened. All of a sudden, this warm breeze started blowing across my neck, and it smelled just like bananas, too.”
The Grizzly Bear
“When the grizzly bear said he had a frog in his throat, I didn’t know I’d need to reach in and rescue it.”
The Kayak Horse
“For anyone who has ever wondered if their horse would make a good kayak partner…I wouldn’t count on it. Mine didn’t pick up his paddle once.”
The Mermaid
“When I finally got up the nerve to approach the beautiful mermaid down on the beach, a friend suggested I bring her a bouquet of roses. But I had a better idea.”
The Ring Toss
“I can’t think of a better way to wind down at the end of the day than with a little Rhino Ring Toss. For anyone interested, all you need is a rhinoceros and a ring, and you’re good to go.”
The Shark
“Enough with the begging. This is why you do not feed pets at the table.”
Troll Haircut
“The problem with Troll Haircut Day is the brutal monotony of it all. ‘Tapered to a point?’ I asked for the 74th time.”
And here’s the reverse angle!
Not as epic, but totally adorable.
(via BoredPanda)
You can see many more of Marshall’s images on his website, along with some of his other creative endeavors.They’re also on Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr.
But Marshall does more than take hilarious shadow pictures. He’s also the author of a new book, Wide-Open World, which tells of his family’s adventures as they travel the world volunteering. You can purchase it on his website, too.
