Working with Shadows

Embracing our mistakes for stronger photos

SHADOW PHOTOGRAPHY

Photographing shadows is often overlooked as a creative subject for our photography, and we can understand why. Any photographer will tell you that photography is all about light. That’s true. But we see beauty in that little ugly duckling called shadows.

Many folks don’t truly understand what a shadow is when viewed in a photograph. We’re not saying that people don’t know what a shadow is… There probably isn’t a single one of us who didn’t stand on a playground when we were children and marvel at the late afternoon sun casting our long shadow across the pavement. We understand shadows as things that happen, but not as subjects in our photos.

What is a shadow

?Silhouette

Shadow

What is a shadow

?Silhouette

Shadow

sil·hou·ettesilo͞oˈet/noun1

the dark shape and outline of someone or something visible against a lighter background, esp. in dim light

shad·owSHadō/noun1.

a dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.

How are shadows and silhouettes different?

Silhouettes have a fixed shape that mimics the object blocking the light. Shadows are not fixed in shape.

A shadow will change in shape, definition, and color based on the positioning, quality, and color of the light creating it. It will also change characteristics based on the object that it falls upon. This opens up room for a lot of creativity.

Characteristics of Shadows Every beginning

photographer is taught about the qualities of light: soft light, hard light, broad light, spot light, etc. Shadows also exhibit similar characteristics.› A shadow can be

deep in tone and have a hard defined edge. Harsh direct light creates deep

shadows with hard defined edges.

Characteristics of Shadows A shadow can also be broad,

soft, and with a feathered almost imperceptible edge.

Not only does the quality of light affect shadows, the distance of the light source to the object casting the shadow will change it’s characteristics, as well as the distance of the object casting the shadow to the object the shadow falls upon. As you can see, working with shadows opens up an almost infinite window of opportunity.

• A shadow can be twisted and manipulated by changing the shape of the object casting the shadow. A shadow can be almost translucent. A shadow can be colored! You can do a lot of cool things with a shadow.

Common use of shadows

When photographers, (or all artists for that matter), think of modeling a three dimensional object onto a two dimensional medium, they think of highlights and shadows. It’s these two elements, which are created by light, that help us to see in three dimensions.

This photograph is a perfect example of how highlights and shadows emphasize three dimensions. Picture this in your mind, if the photograph had been taken at noon, with the sun directly overhead, the sand dune would lose all of it’s three dimensional qualities.

What if we use shadows in an uncommon way?

How do we do that? We make the shadows- the subject of our photograph!

This is a perfect example of the shadow becoming the subject. Sure, this is a picture of a cat, but it’s the distorted shadow of the cat that brings interest to what could have been an ordinary photograph!

How can you express yourself with shadows?

This photographer took the idea of using shadows, as subjects, to a whole new level. He actually created his shadows by making the objects that were going to cast the shadows. What a creative statement!  Does that spark some ideas?

How can you use shadows to express yourself? Photography is about

expressing yourself in an artistic medium. Applying that to shadows could mean hunting down interesting shadows that already exist. It could mean creating shadows that weren’t there. It could even mean you manipulating existing shadows to satisfy your creative vision!

How can you use shadows to express yourself? Shadows can accentuate details

› Perhaps, you have a subject that  you’re looking for a way to direct the viewer’s eye to a certain detail. Why not create a shadow?

SHADOWS CAN ACCENTUATE

DETAILS

What are we supposed to be looking at here? How does the shadow tell us this?

How can you use shadows to express yourself? Shadows can convey emotion.

SHADOWS CAN CONVEY EM

OTION

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What is the emotion displayed in this photo? How does the shadow create that emotion?

How can you use shadows to express yourself? Shadows can

introduce another perspective.› Even when there

are recognizable objects within a photograph, the use of strong shadows can provide a creative element that strengthens the composition.

Where do you find shadows?

Strong light source Subtle light source Natural/man made Flash Sun

The set up Identify your light source Light source should NOT be behind the

photographer (unless…) Shoot in full manual Meter to the shadow, not the

foreground