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Light and Shadow in Photography

Never underestimate the importance of light and shadow in photography. Light and shadow can make all the difference in your photo, and sometimes can even be the subject of your composition.

I was traveling with some friends on a very serious historical tour when I took this shot. We were studying the Shimabara Massacre when hundreds of thousands of Catholic Christians were killed in the 16th century, and walking from church to museum to see the actual sites where these things took place. I was supposed to be pondering said horrific event when I walked past this bicycle shadow and noticed the play of light and shadow. It was as if the board had been placed there as a canvas for the bicycle shadow. Alas, my friends had to stand there and wait while I took several shots of an old and ratty piece of blue plaster board with a bicycle shadow imprinted on it.

I was reminded how important it can be to keep your eyes open and stop to take a picture even when it’s not appropriate. That’s the photo lifestyle. This example of light and shadow in photography is one of my favorites. I think the late afternoon sun was more intense because we were standing at the edge of an ocean inlet, and the light was bouncing off of the water as well. Perhaps this bicycle shadow wouldn’t have been so pronounced a bit further away from the water.

Try paying more attention to light and shadow in photography today. You might just be walking right past one of your best shots.

God Made Morning Light for Photographers

I thought my friend was crazy. Wild horses weren’t going to get me up at 6am to go walking. She wasn’t only crazy, she was persistent. After three years she finally wore me down, and I agreed, only for three times a week, of course. What kind of torture would it be to roll out of bed while it was still dark on Thursdays?

I’ve been doing this for a few weeks, now, and am beginning to see some benefits other than stamina, weight loss and general self discipline. As we were driving home this morning, a strong, focused sun was just coming over the hills in the east. We drove past a row of what I would have taken for sunflowers, except they were pink. (And blooming in November – Sunflowers don’t usually do that.) They were about 7 feet high, and I was able to crouch down and take this photo with the early morning sky in the background. The intense sunlight acts like a spotlight in a studio, and shows every detail of these mysterious flowers.

I know all the photography books say morning light is best, but I hadn’t paid much attention. If that meant getting up early, I’d settle for second best, but I’m beginning to realize the difference is too significant to ignore. There’s a lot to be said for morning sun.
I’ll be getting up to take pictures early more often, even though a huge part of me still agrees with Garfield.

By the way, does anyone know what these flowers are? They’re large, about 8in. across, and were about 7 feet tall.

Flash or No Flash?

I went to lunch with a high school girl on Sunday. She had to study, and I had a new photo magazine, so we stayed after lunch and spread out our respective projects on the table. I decided to try various camera settings on her downturned profile. Here’s the first one. Just a regular point and shoot.

I love this shot. Her hair and skin tone look so soft, and the contrast between her red shirt and the warm gold and greens of the restaurant interior make it a keeper for me. I’ve got the contrast set to -1 on my camera, and I think that might have helped create the effect. I decided to try using the flash. I didn’t think it would make much difference in the final outcome, but the restaurant was dimly lit, and I thought it might be a bit clearer.

What a difference! Too bad she looked down. But now suddenly she was the one and only subject. The restaurant faded into essentially a black background, and the girl’s hair and skin took on a striking shine. The red shirt tuned three shades redder, and the lighting in the room changed from being simply more furnishings to provide a great contrast.

Actually I like both shots. If I could have only one it would be hard to choose. Perhaps I’d choose the one I took when she looked up, realized what I was doing, and flashed me an embarrassed, do-you-really-have-to-be-doing-that couldn’t-you-pick-on-someone-else sort of smile.

Which one would you choose?