Flash photography tip: Avoid a cast shadow on your background

Tuesday 18 July 2023, 16:32 by Elja Trum | 3,244 views | 0 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

A hard, dark shadow on the wall behind your model is generally not attractive. It occurs when harsh flash light comes from the front. The resulting shadow falls behind your model.

Sigrid - f/10, 1/160s, 100 ISO @ 100mm
There are a few relatively simple solutions. For example, you can have the flash light come more from the side and/or from above. The shadow will then also fall to the side or underneath, instead of directly behind the model.

Alternatively, you can have your model stand a little way from the wall. If they stand two metres in front of it, there is much less chance of a shadow still being visible on the wall.

You can also make the flash light softer by making the light source larger, for example with a softbox. This also makes the shadow much softer, so it will stand out far less against the background.

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