Look More Closely at Shadows
Friday 1 September 2023, 16:08 by Nando Harmsen | 3,904 views | 4 commentsThis article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.
Photography needs light. But light on its own isn't particularly attractive either. Light only really comes into its own when there are shadows as well. Unfortunately, there is always a strong tendency to brighten shadows as much as possible. Just imagine if details were hidden.
Bright light, dark shadows. When this is present, it is called hard light. In many cases, this is avoided because it does not produce attractive photos. That is why we avoid taking photos on a sunny day, when the sun is high in the sky.
Especially in landscape photography, I see this happening a lot. For this type of photography, 'we' all want that soft, creamy morning light. Preferably without shadows, so that dark areas are brightened. Or we use exposure bracketing for HDR photography.
It seems that 'we' have a strong dislike of shadows. Details must be visible everywhere, nothing can remain hidden. How strange is it that, with other forms of photography, shadows are embraced instead.
I am thinking of street photography, still lifes, and especially studio portraits. Not studio portraits with a beauty dish. Or with a lamp 45 degrees to the left and a fill light on the other side. No, with techniques such as short lighting and Rembrandt lighting.
Try working with hard light more often in landscape photography too, with dark shadows and strong contrasts. Look at the direction of the light, how shadows fall and hide things. Notice how your subject can come into its own more clearly.
Your photo becomes calmer, more pleasant to look at, more atmospheric, and often gains a story. Dare to take the step and think in black and white as well. Or set your camera to black and white, even if you want a colour final result.
I'm not saying that taking photos in the soft, creamy light of the morning isn't beautiful. I'm not saying that you shouldn't photograph this. But I do recommend that you also look at other kinds of light. And above all, look at the shadows too. After all, light only becomes beautiful and striking when there is something opposite it: the shadows.
About the author
Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.
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4 comments
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kok.f@ziggo.nl wrote on Friday 1 September 2023 at 20:03
| reply
You are absolutely right. Shadows determine drama and atmosphere in your photo more than light does. Of course we want to expose correctly, but by specifically directing your exposure at the shadows, you bring atmosphere into your photo.
Translated from Dutch. -
Donald Willemsen wrote on Tuesday 5 September 2023 at 12:03 | replyI agree with you Nando. The WHOLE day is worth photographing. Choose a subject that suits the time of day.
Translated from Dutch. -
guest wrote on Tuesday 5 September 2023 at 18:11 | replyNice that you are bringing this to people's attention, Nando.
Translated from Dutch.
I almost always take photos at the moment when I happen to be somewhere, often by chance. I rarely go out specifically to have exactly the beautiful light.
In many cases, I don't think that's a problem at all. I often expose my photos on the slightly underexposed side, because you can correct something that is too dark, but not blown-out white.
When I edit the dark areas, I usually stay right on the boundary between crushed blacks and not, unless there is actually something interesting to see in the shadows. In that case, it can often be brought out nicely with a mask without making the whole photo too light.
I like somewhat darker photos. Many photos are very bright to my taste. I don't find that pleasant to look at. -
Nando
wrote on Thursday 7 September 2023 at 10:04
| reply
@gast:
Translated from Dutch.
Photographing on the tight side can lead to (far too) dark photos. Brightening dark areas can namely lead to noise and other image quality degradation.
The best thing is to expose to the right. Make it as light as possible without having blown-out whites. Provided that you photograph in raw. That prevents you from having to brighten the dark areas too much.
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