A composition I found in the crowd at a local high school basketball game. The lights were shut out to make a dramatic entrance for the home team, and the student section lit up a large cardboard print of a Senior's face using their phones.
I had no idea it was coming, and was shooting a manual exposure set to capture action in the specific lighting situation of the gym I was in, so I had to adjust my settings on the fly. That was a little bit exhilarating actually. The original, included below as well was a little bit busier and had some distracting hints of color, so I converted it to black and white. I removed a few lights and darkened the shadows to further isolate the subject. I'm wondering if this photo evokes any type of mood in you, but feel free to share any other thoughts.
Wonderfully timed capture Matthew - just goes to show the opportunities you may miss when not carrying the camera.
I think this image is a lot more powerful when enlarged and the finer detail more visible.
I prefer he color version but like that you have remove the lights at the left & right edges. I would probably remove the light o the left frame and mask from the right just enough to remove the lower light.
I think the main story revolves around the crowd itself and find your second actually pulls the eye away from that interest - for me I'd stick with the first (but would encourage you follow you own feelings on this)
Great work Matthew!