Shadows are almost unavoidable — and they can make or break a photo.
Here we have gone in two directions. In the first 4 panels we are playing with shadows as subject matter.
In the second 4 panels we are looking at four variations on a single shot:
A hard-edged shadow from a hat.
A hard-edged shadow from a hat with fill lighting to soften the shadow.
A soft-edged shadow from a hat.
A soft-edged shadow from a hat with fill lighting to soften the shadow.
Bottom Line: Shadows are almost unavoidable, so be aware of them, control them, use them as tools.
NOTE: When I planned this sequence I assumed that the images with Nicole's eyes in total shadow would be problems (panels 5 and 7), and the two shots with the fill light, where we can see her eyes would be much better (panels 6 and 8). However, I much prefer the photos where we can't see her eyes at all — the photo becomes a strong image of a mysterious woman, instead of just a portrait of a woman in a hat.
Left
Right
Here the shadow has become the main subject, which can be interesting, although this is not a general solution.
Direct sun or strobes make for sharp shadows, but try lighting somebody or something with a projector for really crisp shadows.
24mm, f4, Speedlite, ISO 800
Sometimes the shadow of a person or object can reveal more than the actual subject. This is often because of geometry — the shadow becomes a clean version of the subject, whereas the real thing is at a bad angle — like Nicole in this shot.
67mm, f4, Speedlite, ISO 800
The film-noir shadow. In old black and white dramatic films, it was very common to see the lighting set up to throw either a dramatic shadow or bright area on the face of the actor. While this is going to look corny if done crudely (see above), you can often shoot a face in partial shadow to bring out darker emotions.
82mm, f4, Speedlite, ISO 800
Here we have gone totally overboard — using threatening shadow lines (created with masking tape on a clear sheet of plastic) and having gone that far, we figured Nicole should have a butcher knife. Take that, Glenn Close.
67mm, f4, Speedlite, ISO 800
Here is Nicole in a hat (she makes it look pretty snappy, doesn't she?) In this shot, we are using hard strobe light to create a hard shadow, entirely hiding her eyes. Compare to panel 6, where we added a fill light into the shadow.
105mm, f8, Speedlite, ISO 400
Here we added a fill flash to brighten up under the hat shadow just enough to see Nicole's face. Compare to panel 5, where there is no fill light in the shadow — her face and eyes go entirely to black.
105mm, f8, Speedlite, ISO 400
This shot used a soft light above Nicole so that the shadow from the hat would be softer. Compare to panel 8, where the shadow area has fill light aimed into it. And compare to panel 5, where the hat shadow is hard-edged.
105mm, f8, Speedlite, ISO 400
This example is the same as panel 7, but with a light set up to add fill light to the shadow under the hat.
105mm, f8, Speedlite, ISO 400
Here the shadow has become the main subject, which can be interesting, although this is not a general solution.
Direct sun or strobes make for sharp shadows, but try lighting somebody or something with a projector for really crisp shadows.
24mm, f4, Speedlite, ISO 800
Sometimes the shadow of a person or object can reveal more than the actual subject. This is often because of geometry — the shadow becomes a clean version of the subject, whereas the real thing is at a bad angle — like Nicole in this shot.
67mm, f4, Speedlite, ISO 800
The film-noir shadow. In old black and white dramatic films, it was very common to see the lighting set up to throw either a dramatic shadow or bright area on the face of the actor. While this is going to look corny if done crudely (see above), you can often shoot a face in partial shadow to bring out darker emotions.
82mm, f4, Speedlite, ISO 800
Here we have gone totally overboard — using threatening shadow lines (created with masking tape on a clear sheet of plastic) and having gone that far, we figured Nicole should have a butcher knife. Take that, Glenn Close.
67mm, f4, Speedlite, ISO 800
Here is Nicole in a hat (she makes it look pretty snappy, doesn't she?) In this shot, we are using hard strobe light to create a hard shadow, entirely hiding her eyes. Compare to panel 6, where we added a fill light into the shadow.
105mm, f8, Speedlite, ISO 400
Here we added a fill flash to brighten up under the hat shadow just enough to see Nicole's face. Compare to panel 5, where there is no fill light in the shadow — her face and eyes go entirely to black.
105mm, f8, Speedlite, ISO 400
This shot used a soft light above Nicole so that the shadow from the hat would be softer. Compare to panel 8, where the shadow area has fill light aimed into it. And compare to panel 5, where the hat shadow is hard-edged.
105mm, f8, Speedlite, ISO 400
This example is the same as panel 7, but with a light set up to add fill light to the shadow under the hat.
