Light is a primal component in photography and when there is light, there has to be a shadow. Sometimes the shadow an object casts tells a story of its own and other times they say much more than the actual subject does. Posted here are a collection of a few interesting shots which prove that 'light, shadow and photography' form a mind-blowing combination.


The shadow of a hot-air balloon appears on a rape field near Jasdorf, northern Germany, as temperatures reach eight degrees Celsius on May 21. (Heribert Proepper, AP)

Believers worldwide have commenced their annual observance of Holy Week beginning with Palm Sunday, which highlights the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem nearly 2,000 years ago, when a cheering crowd greeted him waving palm leaves. It also marks the start of the most solemn week in the Christian calendar. As per the New Testament, the Holy Week begins with the Palm Sunday and ends just before Easter Sunday. The Holy Week is observed by Christians by fasting during this period of time as they gear up for the important feast of Easter. This period of time has immense significance in Christianity as it marks the last week of the earthly life of Jesus Christ prior to his crucifixion on Good Friday, which is followed by his resurrection on Easter Sunday.
Lets take a look at the Holy Week celebrations from around the world...

A figure of Jesus is seen inside a van after been taken from its location to the main church to take part in the procession during the Easter Holy Week in Vejer de la Frontera, a Spanish hilltop town in the province of C‡diz, Andalusia, March 28. (Emilio Morenatti, AP)

It's all colorful in India as the whole country comes together to celebrate the tradition of triumph of good over bad. Celebrated all over India since ancient times, Holi, also known as 'The Festival Of Colors', is a riotous annual celebration of the coming of spring. The festival is followed predominantly by Hindus throughout the world, with people from all walks of life coming out on the streets and applying colored powder on anyone and everyone. Although there are various events in Hindu mythology pointing to the reason for celebrating this day, today holi is a time when man and nature alike throw off the gloom of winter and rejoice in the colors and liveliness of spring disregarding social norms and indulge in merrymaking. It is believed that the combination of different colors used during this festival takes all the sorrow away and makes life even more colorful. Holi is probably the least religious of Indian holidays, thus bridging social and religious gaps with a sole intention of bringing people together.


Priests throw color on the devotees celebrating "Holi," the festival of color, at the Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan, about 140 kilometers (87 miles) from New Delhi, India, Feb. 28. Vrindavan is famous for Holi celebrations, where according to legend, Hindu god Krishna played Holi with his consort Radha. (Manish Swarup, AP)

Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo -- The husband-and-wife team from China won the spectator's hearts and of course the gold medal with their beyond brilliant performance at the Vancouver Winter Olympics in figure skating championship. The pair, like most others, started off quite unimpressively but, one minute into the performance and the dashing duo forced the spectators to ask for more. With rivals almost half their age, the veteran pair pulled out one last thrilling performance to give their country its first ever Olympic figure skating title. After accomplishing the dream of a lifetime, this couple moves on to focus on more personal ambitions and plan to start a family. Here's wishing them all the best!
Take a look at some brilliant shots from the event...

China's Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo perform their pairs free program during the figure skating competition at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Feb. 15. (Ivan Sekretarev, AP)

2010 always had an optimistic tone to it... like it was bottled up and just waiting to be unleashed. We felt a look at the year that culminated to its birth cannot be ignored. Too much happened in 2009 to be ignored. President Obama reached out far and wide for that smile he was looking for, but the King of Pop left without a last song. War and riots marked its territory, promising to return, while the swine flu crept in unnoticed behind masks. China and Germany were lit up with fireworks for their anniversaries, and the volcanoes elsewhere followed shortly. Yes, 2009 was a mixed bag, but all you photography lovers are in for a real treat. Here's our Editor's pick for 2009 Pictures of the Year...

It's time to bid farewell to what could be termed as the most eventful decade, the first of the 21st century (2000-2009). An attempt to visually portray this decade reveals that dreadful wars and natural calamities take center stage. A close look prompts one to think about the growing complexities in the world one lives in. Click through and see for yourself.
NOTE: Some images in this post contain graphic content.


A Kenyan boy screams as he sees Kenyan policeman with a baton approach the door of his home in the Kibera slum of Nairobi 17 Jan. 2008. Hundreds of police who had earlier clashed with supporters of Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga at the entrance of the slum moved into the shantytown and did a house to house search for protesters. (Walter Astrada, AFP / Getty Images)