With the idea that photography paints with light, photographers spend their lives looking for it, learning it, challenging it, adoring it and cursing it. So far it’s normal. But what about the non-light, the shadows, you’ve ever stopped to think that they can be more than just a boring element that you should try to avoid at all costs?
Shadows can be used like any element of a composition, they can help you add visual interest to your image, fill the frame, create a rhythm by repeating lines or shapes, or center the point of interest.
- On the other hand.
- Shadows have a great symbolic component.
- They are mysterious and suggestive; they show but they don’t teach.
- They can be nice or sinister.
- They can create impossible perspectives and shapes worthy of a Hitchcock or Kubrick movie.
And because an image is worth a thousand words, we made a small selection of 20 images to inspire you and encourage you to take your shadows out of oblivion.
Through the shadows, you can create a specific atmosphere, a framing and ultimately a much deeper impression. Look at the image below, do you think I’d convey the same thing with or without shadow?
Everything that is not clearly shown to us generates a certain sense of mystery, of unreality, shadows are a good way to create that feeling.
Another feature of shadows is that they can help you fill frames in interesting ways.
It’s a reflection or a shadow in a puddle, but it could be a shadow wandering in space. The textures of water and stones achieve this effect at the least interesting time.
Mystery means terror. Isn’t the next image a bit scary?
Repeating geometric patterns of light and shadow can produce an image like the one below.
Don’t forget to help yourself with the basic rules of composition as if you were going to compose a portrait. The following image is composed of lines and colors, but above all by the rule of thirds.
Using different points of view will give you images from a different perspective. Who’s more real in this picture?
If you are absolutely against image editing programs: move on to the next point. If that seems to be another way or a whole new world to explore, you can get some funny pictures like this very easily.
A way to explore if you like portrait photography. You can also prepare your shadows more skillfully and calmly than if you were photographing strangers on the street, for example.
If you want to take good photos, try telling a story, giving a speech that the viewer understands, or at least wondering about it.
Shapes that appear decontextualized, such as those in the following image, can generate formal and abstract images.
As much as your imagination, your desire and your knowledge of editorial programs go.
This can be more of a reflection than a shadow or the reflection of a shadow. Regardless, this image of Henri Cartier-Bresson is proof that using the camera gives you beautiful shots.
You should already know the wonderful initiative of this blog so that you can participate, comment and practice through its challenges, right?, because as it could not be otherwise, we had a shadow challenge, and some of the resulting images can be seen here.
All these childhood games, all those that the shadows fascinated us in our childhood must be somewhere, save it and play with them, see what comes out of it?
Another proof that changing your view of things creates unexpected pleasures?
Have we ever talked about forced perspective, usually by using different planes and playing with the size of the elements that appear in the image, giving them unreal scales, why not use it also in shadows?
The image speaks for itself, right?
When I think of shadow photography, I always keep in mind how strange we should look when walking down the street, the mountain or anywhere else, looking for something no one else seems to see, something that no one else appreciates or is aware of. The shadows on the pavement, the shadows of a railing, the legs, the monstrous wheels of the bicycle, the shadow of a ball in the air, the shadow of the haste, the ups and downs, the coming and going, the branches of a tree. We should see each other from the outside, surely more than one of us might as well laugh. But we don’t, because we’re engrossed in trying to see beyond?At this point, it doesn’t matter how I look, does it? And behold, we were photographing the shadows, but have you seen the results you can get?That doesn’t sound so ridiculous anymore, does it?
So I hope you leave without a shadow of a doubt to look for shadows. You have them everywhere; where there’s light, there’ll be shade, and you’ll take the opportunity to “go crazy” on the street and get beautiful pictures.
And you know, if you liked it, it inspired you, it gave you an idea, it motivated you to add shadows to some of your compositions and you think someone else might be interested or interested, share it!Thanks a lot!?