A Beginner’s Guide To Capturing Stunning Shadows
Many photographers have been searching for their niche for a long time and have stopped their eyes on shadow photography. If you know how to take such pictures, you can call yourself lucky. It is the shadows that can add drama to your pictures. And sometimes they become the centerpiece of the photo, for example, when you want to take a storytelling picture. In general, shadows are very important!
We want to talk about silhouettes separately. This is the case when they become the center of the photo and excite the audience. If you want to see lots of great silhouette picture ideas, visit Skylum’s blog! There’s a lot of useful information there to help you create photo masterpieces.
Well, let’s get acquainted with the basics of shadow photography up close. Here are some tips to help you.
1. Choose the right equipment
You yourself know very well that the right equipment is very important. Here’s what you’ll definitely need:
- Camera – You will need a digital camera with manual control options such as aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. The last parameter is very important. If you plan to take a photo in a really dark room, don’t be afraid to increase its value.
- Lens – A lens with a wide aperture (f/1.8, f/2, etc.) allows more light into the camera and creates a shallow depth of field, which can help isolate the subject and create interesting shadows. When it comes to choosing between prime and zoom lenses, feel free to choose the first option.
- Tripod – It’s what helps you avoid camera shakes and get sharp pictures. It will also be very useful if you decide to shoot with a long exposure.
- Artificial light source – Of course, you can take pictures outside, during daylight hours, and then you won’t need additional light sources. But if we’re talking about shooting indoors or in the dark, artificial light is your best friend. You can use this to control the direction and intensity of light on your subject and create interesting shadow patterns.
2. Don’t wait for the golden hour
There’s a reason the golden hour is considered the best time to take pictures, the pictures become soft and lively, and the soft light gives them a wonderful glow. It’s perfect for photographing silhouettes because it’s when you get that amazing backlighting.
However, you don’t have to wait at all for those magical minutes to catch a few moments before sunrise or sunset. You can get amazing photos if you take them all the way through sunrise or sunset.
Another great option is to shoot in bright sunlight. This is great if you want to photograph sculpture or architecture. Don’t shoot when the sun is in the zenith (at 12 noon). The optimal time would be when the sun is at an angle, such as 10 am or 3 pm.
3. Use shapes that help create wonderful shadows
Your main task is to make the shadows clear. Often beginners have the problem that they can’t find such shadows, so the photo looks like a big dark lump. The same goes for silhouettes. Find objects with distinctive shadows, for example:
- trees;
- bicycles;
- tables and chairs.
This is by no means a complete list. You can experiment and find exactly what you’re looking for.
4. Use the rules of mathematics
Not all of us like math, but you can’t do without it in photography. Take, for example, the rule of inverse square. It tells us that the greater the distance from the object, the less light will be from the light source. Accordingly, if you want to add drama, you can put your subject far from the background and close to the light source. This will make the background darker in the frame. If you want to create a more illuminated background with smooth transitions, place your object farther away from the light source. This simple rule will help you more than once, believe us!
5. Try black-and-white photography
Very often bright colors distract viewers from what’s going on in the frame. Shadow photography is no exception to the rule. To keep your audience focused on the shadows, try shooting in black and white. This will give the viewer a sense of contrast and make your images more memorable.
Switching to black and white is easy. You can do this simply by setting this option in the camera settings. We recommend taking photos in RAW+JPEG mode. This will give you much more options in post-processing if you decide to change the original photo with a photo editor. If you want to take color photos and edit them, that won’t be a problem either. Use Luminar Neo or other photo editors to achieve the desired effect.
Closing thoughts
So we’ve told you the basics of shadow photography. But without practice, it’s just words on paper. Take your camera and practice. We’re sure you’ll succeed!
