Home Photo Articles Photo Contest Photo Gallery Photo Tips Photoshop Tips Photo Quotes
Photographers - Do You HATE Those Pesky Shadows?
By Danny EitreimTake Spectacular Nighttime Photos with your Digital Camera - Part I
Photographers - Do You HATE Those Pesky Shadows? I get questions all the time from my photography students about shadows and how to get rid of them. The bad news is; shadows are a constant problem for photographers. The good news is,
there are a number of simple "fixes".First, what causes the shadow? Well, obviously it is caused by the light hitting your subject
and not hitting the background behind them.So, if you've got a problem with shadows falling on the background, one way to remove the shadow is to remove the background. Obviously, if there is nothing for the shadow to fall on,
voilla! No shadow.So, fix number one would be - eliminate the background. If you are shooting outdoors, position your subject so that there is nothing behind them! Easy enough.
If you are indoors, obviously you can't take down the walls, but you can move the subject further away from them! Shoot them closer to the middle of the room instead of right up against the wall and your shadow problems will disappear.
Another fix is; have a light hitting the background.
If you are using a "studio" lighting setup, once you get your subject lit the way you want them, add an additional light that strikes only the background and not the subject.
The additional bonus to this is that with the use of colored gels, cookies, and scrims - you can make this background light throw different colors, shapes and patterns onto the background. That way, you can make it into a design element not just a shadow removal system.
Think of light like a ball on a billiards table. It will hit the subject at a certain angle and reflect off at that same angle - like the billiards ball striking the cushion and bouncing off. The shadow on the other hand, is ALWAYS directly in line with the light. So, you can minimize the shadow problem by changing the angle of the lights so that the shadow falls into an area that won't show in the final photo.
You can do this outdoors by moving the subject until the light is hitting them from the direction you want. Indoors, with a studio setup, you can move around the lights to get the best angle. When shooting with only an on camera flash, you can bounce the light off the ceiling or a wall to change the angle the light is approaching the subject.
The harshness and intensity of a shadow is caused by the relative strength and size of the light.
If you lower the intensity of the light, that will also lower the intensity of the associated shadow.
It will still be there, but you may be able to minimize its' distracting effect.You can lower the intensity of the light by using less power, or by using the same amount
of power - but moving the light further back.You can change the size of the light - and make it bigger - with umbrellas, softboxes and scrims.
Think of an umbrella or softbox like a cloud moving between the sun and a subject. It diffuses the light making the entire cloud a light source rather than just the tiny little sun. Go outside and observe some shadows before and after being blocked by clouds. You should see a dramatic difference in the shadows.
There are entire books written about this subject and this message is by no means an exhaustive solution, but it should give you something to consider.
Feel free to reprint or publish this article at will as long as it remains unchanged and intact. Including the author bio box.
Dan Eitreim has been a professional photographer in southern California for over 16 years. His data base exceeds 6000 past clients, and he says that selling YOUR photography is easy - if you know a couple tried and true marketing strategies. He's created a multimedia presentation that can teach ANYONE how to sell their own photography and generate freelance income in as little as two weeks. To learn more and enroll in a FREE photo marketing course, go to: http://www.PartTimePhotography.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com
Photography Tips | Photography Quotes | Photography Articles | Photoshop Tips
Photographer's Index | Monthly Photography Contest | Photographic Learning Center | Photography Gallery
