the shadow effect: creative lighting, posing, and composition for photographers

Creative Lighting, Posing, and Composition for Photographers

DAVID BECKSTEAD Author of The Beckstead Wedding

THE SHADOW EFFECT

Copyright © 2016 by David Beckstead.All rights reserved.All photographs by the author unless otherwise noted.

Published by:Amherst Media, Inc.PO BOX 538Buffalo, NY 14213www.AmherstMedia.com

Publisher: Craig AlesseSenior Editor/Production Manager: Michelle PerkinsEditors: Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt, Beth AlesseAcquisitions Editor: Harvey GoldsteinAssociate Publisher: Kate NeaverthEditorial Assistance from: Carey A. Miller, Sally Jarzab, John S. Loder, Roy BakosBusiness Manager: Adam Richards

ISBN-13: 978-1-68203-108-7Library of Congress Control Number: 2016938279Printed in the United States of America10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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Notice of Disclaimer: The information contained in this book is based on the author’s experience and opin-ions. The author and publisher will not be held liable for the use or misuse of the information in this book.

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DEDICATIONI dedicate this book to all of the photographers who desire to be different—photographers who have the

audacity to be unique and stylistic and those who are willing to find elements beyond the subject that en-

hance the whole composition. This book is dedicated to photographers who have suffered the “You can’t

do that” attitude from those who thought they knew the rules, but who decided to do it anyway. This

book goes out to photographers who decided to float in a sea of positive light instead of drowning in the

waters of sameness. Finally, I dedicate this book to photographers who are willing to share their passion

for seeing that little something different that other photographers don’t see.

AUTHOR A BOOK WITH AMHERST MEDIA!Are you an accomplished photographer with devoted fans? Consider authoring a book with us and share your quality images and wisdom with your fans. It's a great way to build your business and brand through a high-quality, full-color printed book sold worldwide. Our experienced team makes it easy and rewarding for each book sold—no cost to you. E-mail [email protected] today!

Contents 3

About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Creating the Cool Selfie . . . . . . . 7

THE IMAGE GALLERYA Different Approach . . . . . . . . . . 8Perfect Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Big, Bold Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Establishing Mood . . . . . . . . . . 16Behind the Veil . . . . . . . . . . . . 20What to Emphasize? . . . . . . . . . 22A Varied Approach . . . . . . . . . . 24The Shadowy Form . . . . . . . . . . 27Architectural Lines . . . . . . . . . . 30LED Lighting. . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Color-Balanced Light . . . . . . . . . 35

Blinding Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Trees and Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Tonal Separation . . . . . . . . . . . 40A Simple Comb . . . . . . . . . . . . 42About the Face . . . . . . . . . . . . 44A Fabric-Store Find . . . . . . . . . . 46Leading Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52A Clean Background . . . . . . . . . 54Split Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Rim Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Found Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Fantastic Fabric . . . . . . . . . . . . 60Going to a Gobo . . . . . . . . . . . 62Shadow Wings . . . . . . . . . . . . 64At the Day’s End . . . . . . . . . . . 67Group Portraits . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Foreground Shadows . . . . . . . . . 71

CONTENTS

4 The Shadow Effect

Fencing Lessons. . . . . . . . . . . . 72Palm Fronds . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76Building Trust . . . . . . . . . . . . 78Finessing the Effect . . . . . . . . . . 80Variations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83Focus on the Groom . . . . . . . . . 84Strong Contrast . . . . . . . . . . . . 86High Camera Angles . . . . . . . . . 89Low Camera Angles. . . . . . . . . . 93On the Streets. . . . . . . . . . . . . 94Playtime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99Off the Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . 100A Blank Canvas . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Tenacity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104The Angle of the Light . . . . . . . 106Framing the Subjects . . . . . . . . 108Spooky and Sinister . . . . . . . . . 110Pure Hollywood . . . . . . . . . . 115Challenging Exposures . . . . . . . 118Window Shopping . . . . . . . . . 120Fresh Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121A Perfect Silhouette . . . . . . . . . 124Just for Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Contents 5

ABOUT THE AUTHORDavid was named one of the Top Ten Wedding Photographers in the

World by American Photo magazine in March 2007. He lives out in

the middle of nowhere, in NE Washington State. David has com-

bined his passion for art and travel to run a twenty-year destination

wedding photography business. Kassandra, his wife (of twenty-four

fabulous years!) and business partner, shares his passions. David

is teaching photographers and sharing his hard-earned knowledge

all over the world. He has taught photographers in Australia, New

Zealand, China, Serbia, Canada, Spain, Russia, Malaysia, Borneo,

Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Turkey, UK, Ireland, Scotland, Slovenia, Italy,

Norway, Sweden, Hungary, Greece, South Africa, Croatia, Romania,

Lithuania, Estonia, and many more countries and U.S. states. He

is the author of The Beckstead Wedding (Amherst Media), and his

imagery has appeared in over twenty books. Join David on his

Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/David.A.Beckstead.

6 The Shadow Effect

Shadow: A dark figure or image cast on a surface by a body intercepting light.Umbra: Latin for “shadow,” umbra is the darkest part of the shadow: the

absence of light. Shadows, often being ephemeral, lend a wonderful abstract quality to an image. We know as viewers that shadows can come and go or change quickly depending on the movement of the earth around the sun. We enjoy the idea that the camera can freeze in time something that is fleeting. I love it when the sun’s rays move in and out of the clouds, causing the umbra to dance like a phantom or shadowy apparition lurking behind opaque masses. Shadows are one of my favorite compo-sitional elements. They are abstract because they represent real objects but are not objects themselves; they are intangible yet can easily be photographed. They are there, right in front of you, all around you, yet elusive and not always easy to see. Shadows enhance a simple composi-tion by giving the viewer more interesting complexity, thus giving them a palette to study. Before pressing the shutter release when adding shadows to your frame, you will need to answer a couple of questions: will they add visual chaos that interrupts the story of the subject, or will they add more powerful side elements that enhance the subject within the frame? A quick evaluation is all that you should need to determine this. Often, I quickly photograph a “safe”

image and document the story or emotion of my client or subject in a given circum-stance. I then pull back and experiment with adding elements that tell a creative story. Discovering shadows and then work-ing my subject into the frame using those shadows effectively and dramatically is my favorite way to compose these wonderful elements. By working in this way, shadows become the main reason I took the image in the first place. It seems that my love of shadows has always been “in the shadows”; I find myself repeatedly waiting to find a way to use them creatively. I painted shadows in my water-color paintings before I became a photogra-pher. As soon as I realized that trees in the evening light cast long, wonderful shadows that create leading lines in composition, I was hooked. When I shoot on a overcast day or at night, I miss the shadows, so I find ways to create these evocative compositional elements using my own light sources. As I progressed as a photographic artist, I wanted more control over the process. I began to play at casting shadows in a dark room using interesting things I found around the location or brought from home. For example, I found an ordinary comb will cast amazing lines when you put it against a wall while using a flashlight. I also found that my flashlight will throw light around the comb and add the necessary illumina-tion on my subject’s face. So, I created a

INTRODUCTION

lighted background and subject with very interesting results from one comb and one flashlight. That is it! The approach is simple, yet effective. Using LED video lights and flashlights, you too can learn my shadow-casting meth-ods using crazy props and found objects. A wire breadbasket? Amazing! The backs of some chairs? Fabulous. Potted plants? A glass of water? The possibilities are endless! With a willing model or client I can take these shadows to a whole new level. Adding shadows that wrap around a person’s face

and body is an extremely interesting and dynamic effect. The shadows I can cast with an ordinary cheese grater will blow you away. This book will open up a whole new world of photographic possibilities in dark situations. This book will give you permis-sion to look beyond the subject and see the shadows that were already there. Shadows beckon to be used artistically. I hope this book spurs you to chase umbra and shadows—or create them!

CREATING THE COOL SELFIE Creating the cool selfie, a self-portrait that is a

step beyond what we see daily on social net-

working sites, should be a right of passage for us

creative types.

I wanted to play with shadows on my face. I

set up a tripod that held a black plastic square

grid I purchased from a fabric store. I clamped

on an LED flashlight. I then set up another tripod

to hold my Fuji camera with a 56mm f/1.2 lens

(crop-factor equivalent of a portrait style 85mm)

attached. I set my focus to manual, activated the

camera’s self-timer, and popped off a few shots.

Now, my wife was in town taking my daughter

to school; I could have just waited until she got

home, but what challenge would there be in that?

I must confess, I mostly failed at getting the fo-

cus, pose, light, and shadow to combine effective-

ly in the creative selfie I wanted. Twenty images

into the process, I was ready to give up and let

my wonderful wife try it. I decided to review my

images on the computer and see how badly I did.

Well, amazingly, number seventeen, shown here,

worked. I knew that I could move on to write the

rest of this book, having gotten the creation of a

cool, creative, shadowy selfie out of the way!

8 The Shadow Effect

TOP: Most people believe that the bride should be the main focus in an image in which she appears. While I do create my share of straightforward images, I am a different kind of photographer. I like to produce some shots that are not completely about the subject—photos in which she is a part of the composition but doesn’t play the main role. Here, I used the bride’s body to block the sun and created crazy-cool, long, dark shadows. BOTTOM: I thought this culvert would make a great location for an image. As soon as I

positioned the model, an amazing shadow appeared! I had no plan; I liked the shape of the culvert and just wanted to see if an idea developed. Well, it did, and this image is one of my most famous compositions. FOLLOWING PAGE: It is generally not advisable to include a tilted horizon in an image, but in this case, tilting the camera allowed me to enhance the shadow. I like leading lines that originate from the corners of my composi-tions, and there was too much uninterest-ing space in the sky and sand to keep the horizon level.

A DIFFERENT APPROACH

I like to find ways

to bring shadows

into my compositions

and make

them important.

The Image Gallery 9

10 The Shadow Effect

The Image Gallery 11

PREVIOUS PAGE: Many photogra-phers try their best to avoid strong afternoon sun. Sure, photographing subjects in the shade or on overcast days is easier; they can open their eyes and unflattering under-eye shadows are di-minished. For me, though, hard sun means drama! I love the strong, contrasty darks and lights the mid-day sun provides. I find facing the subject fully into the light and having them close their eyes eliminates eye-socket shadows. RIGHT: Hard sunlight works like magic through material like this lace parasol. The shadows can be aligned to flow with the curves of the subject’s face. It is not easy to have the subject hold the parasol just right to get the shadow placement you want. Also, a subject can’t hold the parasol perfectly steady. I have found that if you shoot ten to twenty images, you’ll have one in which the shadows fall perfectly. Sometimes the shadow placement will surprise you and one image alignment you did not anticipate would work well will end up being your favorite.

PERFECT PATTERNS


ABOVE: Sometimes I incorporate physical objects that have repeating lines in my images. Other times, I use only the shadow pattern that the physical object casts on the subject; I think that the effect is more abstract and dramatic. The pattern in this image was created when natural light spilled through a wrought-iron fence. I felt that the pattern, mod-el, and suit created a fashion-like feel, so I cropped in tightly to further the effect. FOLLOWING PAGE: I buy graphic pattern JPEGs on stock pho-tography sites and, working in a dark room, I project them onto a bright background. When the subject is added, all sorts of fun effects appear. It takes time to place the patterns in a way that suits the shape of the face or the body lines of your subject, so be patient. Also, I recommend that you leave at least one eye of the subject unobscured by shadow. I created a pose for this subject that worked just right with the shadow patterns. I love the result.

Consider using

a projector and a

stock image to add

dramatic shadows on

a bright backdrop.


TOP: Big, bad, bold diagonal shadows on walls turn me on! They are often found in urban environments. Light is blocked by some architec-tural elements, while others allow it to pass through. Posing a subject within these lines is fairly easy. The pat-terns create natural frames to put the subjects into.

BOTTOM: Here, I posed the subject’s body, head, and arm to flow with the diago-nal lines.

BIG, BOLD LINES


TOP: When I find natural light, I love to use it. When I come across shadows, I find a way to incorporate them in my compo-sitions. Yet full sunlight or shadows in the form of a big block of shade is not what I

am after. I like a strong mixture of light and shadows. BOTTOM: I love the way the diagonal shadow lines in this image cut through the wall’s horizontal and vertical lines.


LEFT: Using shadows to create mood is very interesting to me. I am personally trying to create more opportunities to use this approach. I dedicate a few hours of study and then implement a mix of concepts I’ve learned. As a wedding photographer, I am not always presented with the opportunity to create moody images; therefore, I often set

up shoots as a personal project to work on my storytelling ideas. I feel that the warmth of the sun on the subject’s face sends a message that she has hope to break out of her prison and move into the light. This is a positive mood story. Presenting the image in color, as opposed to black & white, creates an uplifting story arc.

ESTABLISHING MOOD

Make the time

to complete

personal assignments

that will help you grow

as an artist.


TOP: Here, I changed my camera angle, included a second subject who ap-pears out of focus due to a limited depth of field, and converted the image to black & white. The result is a dramatically different mood-story than the one conveyed in the previous image. Here, the model is not breaking free; rather, she is being pulled back and held against her will. The shadow patterns on her face convey the bondage. The shadows in man’s eyes add a menacing feel in the image. Is this her dream, his dream, or our dream? My hope is that you interpret these stories in your own way. Which mood and story do you prefer? This image or the color version on the previous page? There is no right or wrong answer. The exposure for this image was f/7.1, 1/1250 sec-ond, and ISO 400 at EV -1. I created the shot with an 85mm lens. BOTTOM: Here is an image showing the setup for the final portrait.


ABOVE: It is often said that the personality of a person can be gaged by looking into their eyes. In this image, you can’t access the subject’s story through his eyes; they are deep in shadow. It’s clear that incorporating shadows can change the mood in an image. This image is removed from the wedding context; it has a somewhat anti-wedding feel. I purposefully broke many rules of photography to create the darker mood. I took the groom into a cinematic, antag-onistic role with sinister intentions. Did I photograph a nice image of the groom that was more positive and uplifting? Yes. How-ever, this is the image I remember most. It has more impact for me. Would I include this within the wedding story in an album for my clients? No. But I’d happily present the groom with a stand-alone printed image if he liked it. And he did like it!

The exposure for this image was f/1.4, 1/640 second, and ISO 500 at -2/3 EV. I shot with a 24mm f/1.4 lens. FOLLOWING PAGE: On this occasion, I once again used shadows to change the mood of the image and to influence the way we per-ceive the subject. I also isolated the cross, a universally known shape, that appears in the window framing in the background. The shadows and the religious symbol work to-gether to create a darker religious concept. What story did I have in mind? That is up to you to decide. Send me an e-mail and tell me about your interpretation! The exposure for this image was f/2.4 at 1/240 second, and ISO 800 at -1 EV. The focal length was 90mm.

Index 19


BELOW: I enjoy working with natural light and a bridal veil to create wonderful shadows on the faces of my brides. Some lace works better than others. It is trial and error. If I see that the bride’s veil has a pattern or lacy detail on the edges, and I have good strong light from the sun, I do a quick test to see if the shadows look good. While I was photographing this bride, I noticed that as the sun shined down on

her, patterned shadows appeared on her face. I asked her to hold her veil away from her face so I could see the pattern better. It worked! The exposure was f/2.8, 1/320 second, and ISO 1250 at 0 EV. I used a 70–200mm f/2.8 lens set to 150mm. FOLLOWING PAGE: The distance of the veil from the bride’s face determines how crisp, sharp, and large the shadow pattern will be. Test

different distances to find the effect you like. This veil had a unique pattern, and the resultant shadow reminded me of the tattoos of the Maori in New Zealand. It took a few tries to produce the right shadow pattern on her face. The sun was bright. I asked the bride to open her eyes quickly, then shut them again; I wanted to keep her from squinting. The exposure was f/4.5, 1/1250 second, and ISO 125 at -12/3 EV. I used a 70–200mm f/2.8 lens set to 200mm.

BEHIND THE VEIL

The variations

that you can achieve

are surprising.

Experiment until you

get perfect results.

Index 21


BELOW: I can choose to emphasize the stream of light rays through the shadows or the shadow lines through the light. Sometimes

both ideas can be utilized in the same location. Is there a single line of light that cuts through the dark? Or just one shad-

ow line that runs through the light? I often place the subject at the end of these long, dramatic lines, as the lines point right to them. The effect is powerful and dynamic! For this image, I chose to deemphasize the sub-ject’s eyes; I covered one with shadow to bring more attention to her hand and the cool shadows cast there. FOLLOWING PAGE: A main diagonal line that starts in one corner of the frame and ends in another corner adds a dramatic touch. It separates the composition into interesting parts and creates symmetry. A diago-nal line also creates a sense of movement and direction. In this image, the sub-ject’s eyes are very import-ant. I wanted the viewer to follow the light line to her beautiful eyes. The exposure was f/3.5, 1/5000 second, and ISO 400 at -2 EV. I used a 70–200mm f/2.8 lens set to 125mm.

WHAT TO EMPHASIZE?


LEFT: When you come across fabulous shadows and light, don’t limit yourself to one angle or one idea. Try multiple angles from low to high and move around the location. You may often find that subsequent ap-proaches yield better results than your first try. Here, natural light spilled through a window to create a shadow that beautifully framed my subject. I used a 24mm f/1.4 lens to get the shot. My exposure was f/5.0, 1/2500 second, and ISO 200. The most important technical aspect here is that I under-exposed by over one stop (-11/3 EV). This gave me the deep, dark shadows and eliminated the uninteresting things around the frame. The underexposure also presented me with good detail in the bright areas.

A VARIED APPROACH


TOP AND BOTTOM: To emphasize the impression-istic shadows and window lines in this loca-tion, I cropped close with my 200mm lens. I often go from a wide-angle lens like my 24mm to a much longer focal length in the 85 to 200mm range for a tighter crop. This challenges me to tackle a scene in a different way and create something stylistic.

In this scenario, the contrast was strong, and I had a difficult time keeping just the right amount of light on the subject’s face without the shadow textures of the window obscuring her. In this series, the subject did not move much. The differing looks were produced because I changed my angle of view.


PREVIOUS PAGE: A number of years ago, I saw an im-age with just the couple’s shadow on the wall. The real couple was cropped out. I was surprised by the creativity of it. I had to try it myself, yet I didn’t feel that I could copy the design of the image. I needed to come up with my own idea and shoot in a different way. Of course, the photog-rapher who took that image was not the first to try that concept, and many others have since used the ap-proach. If you hold a given concept in your head and then find ways to stylize the composition to create your own spin, that is the best you can do. It has all been done before! RIGHT: In this scene, I loved the shadow lines running across the ground from a fence, and I felt compelled to incorporate the couple’s shadow alongside them. When creating images like this, with the couple posed close, I find that leaving some space between their bodies helps to delin-eate their forms.

THE SHADOWY FORM


PREVIOUS PAGE: There was wonderful light in Tus-cany, Italy, on the day I photographed this couple. I was shooting a two-hour portrait session after the wedding ceremony. I took a nice wide-angle image with the architecture and couple. I then saw the potential to create a portrait utilizing the shadow-only theme I came across in 1999. I felt that a flick of the veil would help show the shadow and define the wedding concept. RIGHT: As I was walking behind this couple, the sun was so bright that I could hardly see through the lens. When I tilted the camera downward, I noticed great shadows coming from the couple and thought to cap-ture them. I tried to isolate the shadows and eliminate all other distractions. When I got home, I in-stantly understood that this image needed to be flipped to create a more abstract feeling. The exposure for this im-age was f/4.5, 1/8000 second, and ISO 400 at -2 EV. The focal length was 105mm.


BELOW: When I decided to closely investigate these great lines, clouds were beginning to cover the sun, yet there was still enough light to create soft shadows on the subject’s face. I felt the lines running diagonally added to the dynamic quality of the compo-

sition. Placing the subject slightly away from the lines gives the viewer an uninterrupted dark background while keeping these pow-erful lines close to her. The light shadow lines on her face continued the theme of the repeated lines throughout the frame.

FOLLOWING PAGE: At times, converting to or shooting in black & white will strip away distracting color and draw the viewer’s eye to the line patterns that appear in the composition. The long, thin shadows shown here were cast by the sun onto the pavement. I could spend the whole day passionately working out new ideas to use these shad-ows and lines! The shadows were soft and did not sharp-en on the model’s face, but the distance between the roof and floor allowed for the creation of a well- focused shadow pattern on the ground.

ARCHITECTURAL LINES

Interesting

architectural lines

are often the sole reason

why I compose

an image.


PREVIOUS PAGE: In a restaurant a steel wall with patterned holes separated the bathrooms from the main seating area. I had to find out what these patterns would do using a LED video light and a subject. I used an assistant to hold the light on the backside of the wall while I set my subject up to get a crisp shad-ow pattern on her face. My curiosity paid off and the pattern worked well on her face, creating very interesting shadow play. The exposure for this image was f/2.4, 1/110 second, and ISO 800 at -1 EV. The focal length was 90mm.

ABOVE: I knew I had the image I wanted, but the wall was so great that I had to inves-tigate bringing the groom into the frame. I liked the idea of the bride being in sharp focus, but I decided to let the groom go out of focus to provide a sense of depth. The image on the previous page felt fashion-like; the color tones helped. The mood in this new image made it a good candidate for a black & white presentation. The exposure for this image was f/2.4, 1/50 second, and ISO 800 at -1 EV. The focal length was 90mm.

LED LIGHTING


PREVIOUS PAGE: When LED lighting technolo-gy hit every corner of the lighting market, high-quality photographic lights became easy to find and use. I have many different lights available to me, and I like to use dif-ferent temperatures in my images. Gener-ally, sources with a 3000K rating produce warm yellow light that matches incandes-cent lighting used indoors. Here, I used a 3000K light to match the tungsten light on the wall. I cast the light through a railing to create nice shadow lines, then worked the bride into a pose that flowed with the lines. My exposure was f/2.8, 1/50 second, and ISO 1250 at -1 EV. I shot with a 16–35mm f/2.8 lens set to 31mm.

ABOVE: 5000K LED lights are daylight bal-anced and produce a cooler, whiter light. I like to use this variety of light when I want a fashion look or when there is window light flooding into a dark room. While photographing a session with this model, I found a glass table against a wall. I liked the intricate lines of the table base. I aimed the LED downward to cast shadows all around and get a feel for how they looked. Seeing that the shadows were worth photographing, I posed the model underneath the table top and positioned the shadows where I wanted them.

COLOR-BALANCED LIGHT


PREVIOUS PAGE: I placed the bride next to a win-dow covered with Venetian blinds and used them to create a great light-and-shadow pattern on the bride. When I first moved her into position, she was unsure of what I wanted and how the image would look. When I showed her the shot on the back of the camera, she was happy and impressed with how I used the shadow and light, and from that moment on, I could do no wrong.

The distance from the blinds to the bride made the light lines appear more dominant than the shadow lines. ABOVE: I brought the groom in for this image and moved the couple closer to the blinds. This made the shadow lines more dominant than the light lines. Shooting in black & white also gave the shadows a more distinct look, as there are no colors to distract from the hard contrast.

BLINDING LIGHT


TOP: I am always looking to the walls for wonderful shadow apparitions. Trees that are thick with leaves often block the majority of the sun’s rays and allow only a few orb-shaped light beams to fall onto the scene. These beams pierce the shadows and provide an opportunity for me to create an artistic image. Placing the sub-ject’s face in the direct path of one of these light orbs creates an ethereal, glowing look. Bracketing your exposure is important in scenes like this. You will find that underexpos-ing the image produces the best results most of the time. My exposure for this image was f/2.8, 1/640 second, and ISO 125 at -11/3 EV. I used a 70–200mm f/2.8 lens set to 75mm. BOTTOM: In the horizontal for-mat, the light pattern forms a diagonal line that points to the subject.

TREES AND WALLS

Underexposing images

that feature shadows

typically yields

great results.


ABOVE: Sometimes I want to highlight the subject’s eyes. I underexposed this image by one stop to darken the shad-ows. In Lightroom, I processed the exposure to make the shadows darker. This amplified the contrast and ensured that the subject’s eyes would be the primary point of inter-est in the frame. My exposure in this instance was f/2.8, 1/1000 second, and ISO 200 at -1 EV. I used a 70–200mm lens set to 120mm.

In a portrait,

the eyes are typically

the highlight

of the image.


ABOVE: Using shadows predominately as a dark background behind a brightly lit sub-ject produces great tonal separation; it is a powerful approach. I find that because of contrast and depth, a layering from fore-ground to background of dark, light, dark, light and so on gives the viewer a great perspective. How many layers of darks and lights do I aim for? As many as I can make happen! There are many tonal layers in this image. I took a risk and exaggerated the contrast. I know that the subjects’ dark hair and coat get lost due to the black on black tones, but I love the fact that the sun lights only the front of them. I don’t often let

black or white tones in the subject blend into the same tones in the background, but it worked in this case. My exposure was f/4, 1/4000 second, and ISO 160 at -12/3 EV. I shot with a 24mm f/1.4 lens. FOLLOWING PAGE: I moved one step from where I initially stood when I made my com-position in order to move the groom far enough to camera right to allow for tonal separation. If I had stayed where I was, the line of light would have fallen onto the subject’s head and body, I’d have had bright on bright tones, and separation would be minimal. Changing my perspective allowed for strong contrast and a sense of depth.

TONAL SEPARATION


BELOW: I often look for normal household objects that I can cast shadows with. When I picked up this comb, I almost set it back down without trying my flashlight on it. Could it create cool shadows? The results are shown in this image. I use the kind of LED flashlights that you commonly find in hardware stores. I feel that flashlights actually cast shadows through objects better than my professional LED video lights. Duracell has great flash-lights like the Durabeam Ultra series. LED Lenser is another good brand. Walk around your home with a flashlight and shine some light through the ordinary objects you find. You will be surprised by the fun shadows you can create and use in your photography.

FOLLOWING PAGE, TOP: Can you believe the only tools I used to create this image in a dark room were a comb and one flashlight? I held the comb against a bright wall and placed my LED flashlight very close to it. I tilted the light so that half the beam went through the comb and the other half bled over the top and illuminated the groom. Sometimes all you need is the simplest equipment to be creative. My exposure for this image was f/2.4, 1/175 second, and ISO 2000 at -2 EV. The focal length was 90mm. FOLLOWING PAGE, BOTTOM: This comb has traveled around the world with me, and photogra-phers go crazy when they see how I use it in my imagery.

A SIMPLE COMB


A flashlight and

a hair comb can

be used to create

incredible effects.


BELOW: Working with shadows gives you so many interesting choices. It is important to decide if the shadows look good going

across the subject’s face or not. There is no hard-and-fast rule. You have to experiment to determine what works. Many times, you will find that both approaches work. Do shadows work better when they fall onto a female face versus a male face, or vice versa?

Not really. It depends on the light, the shadow type, thickness, opacity, and the mood you want to convey. Here, I felt that the lines going across the groom’s face added to the intensity of his expression. I also wanted to highlight the shadow lines more, and without the shadows on his face, this composition seemed more about the light than the shadows. FOLLOWING PAGE: For this image, I experimented with the shadow lines on the bride’s face. I felt that her nice expression, which was warmed by the sun, was diminished by the shadow lines. I shifted her face away from the shadow lines but kept them on and around her body. As a result, notice that you focus on her face first, and then your eye trav-els around the frame, led by the shadow lines in the composition. Once the eye moves through the image, the gaze ultimately returns to the subject’s face.

ABOUT THE FACE


LEFT: While in a fabric store, I came across a plastic grid material used for cross stitching. An idea hit me: wouldn’t it be cool to use that material to throw shad-ows on my subjects’ faces? I purchased a large semi-clear one and a black one. I found that the black one casts better shadows because the grid lines are opaque and no light passes through them. For this image, the grid was held by an assistant who stood about a foot away from the subjects. A flashlight was held roughly two feet from the grid. This created a dramatic shadow pattern on the couple’s faces. FOLLOWING PAGE: The closer the grid is to your subject’s face and the farther the flashlight is from the grid, the sharper and darker the shadows. Here, I placed the grid touching the side of the sub-ject’s face. A flashlight, my only light source, was held about three feet away from the grid. The shadows are so sharp that the image feels like a still from a futuristic movie or a fashion image.

A FABRIC-STORE FIND


BELOW: Some LED flashlights produce a lower level of light than others, and when these are used, the shadows produced will not be as dark. Also, the closer the light is to the grid, the softer and wider the lines on your subject’s face will appear. To create this image, I positioned the grid at about three feet from the subjects and held the flashlight, which produced a relatively soft light, two feet from it. I feel that the softer lines suit the tender feel of this pose.

My exposure for this image was f/1.2, 1/1100 second, and ISO 3200 at -2 EV. The focal length was 85mm. FOLLOWING PAGE: When I started working on this image on my computer, I found the lines to be too dark and contrasty. I wanted a softer tone to match the lovely mood and emotion. I lightened the lines by reducing the contrast in postproduction. Of course, when strong contrast is desired, you can increase the contrast instead.

If softer shadows

better suit the mood

you are creating, you can

reduce the contrast

in postproduction.


PREVIOUS PAGE: I love shoot-ing with these plastic grids used for cross stitching! Often I shoot with my cam-era set to the black & white mode to see how these lines play out in monochrome. I really like this effect in black & white. Sometimes, how-ever, color does work well. To create this image, I directed the light from a 5000K daylight-balanced LED flashlight through a grid to throw shadows on only one side of the sub-ject’s face. On the other side of her face, I used a 3000K light with no grid. This gave me a nice bal-ance of tones and colors. I typically have my subjects close their eyes when I am creating this effect, as I think the shadows on the eyes look strange. When the eyes are closed, the eyelids become a great canvas for the shadows to work. Here, I broke my own rule, and I think that her open eyes strengthen the image. RIGHT: Here, I used a blue gel with a flash-light to light the right side of the subject’s face. On the left side, I held the grid very close to his face and used another flashlight, this time, without a gel. The majority of LED flashlights are daylight balanced and have a color balance of 5000 to 7000K. If

you want a 3000K color temperature when using an LED flashlight, you must modify it with an amber gel. Here, again, the image looks great with the subject’s eyes open.


BELOW: Using shadows as leading lines is interesting. A lot of the lines I use in my compositions are created by architecture. I am always on the lookout for the shadows cast by these lines. Any line coming from the foreground and ending at my main sub-ject creates a path for the viewer to follow. With a cool shadow path to follow, a viewer will be engaged in the image longer. If they

enjoy your image and spend time looking at it, you have created something successful. FOLLOWING PAGE: Here, I positioned the subject in a position that allowed me to emphasize a sense of symmetry in my vertical com-position. Interestingly, the only non-sym-metrical elements are the leading shadows. I like the way that the shadows guide the eye from the bottom left of the frame and over to the start of the architectural lines. Ultimately, everything leads to the center of the composition and to the subject.

I posed the bride so that her arms would flow with the angles of the diagonal lines. My exposure for this im-age was f/2.8, 1/2500 second, and ISO 100 at -1/3 EV. I used a 16–35mm f/2.8 lens set to 18mm.

LEADING LINES

Consider using

the architectural lines

to inspire the subject’s

position and pose.


ABOVE: Casting the shadows of the sub-jects’ bodies onto a clean wall can pro-duce interesting shapes and add a sense of compositional balance. I always consider the background. By adding elements that complement the subject, you can create a sense of dimension, depth, and perspective and give the viewer a reason to spend more time studying your creation. Here, I used a 3000K LED video light to match the color temperature of the light-ing on the walls. I worked hard to pose the couple to create a perfect, silhouette-like shadow. With determination, you can create something truly special. Take your “safe” image, then do something more creative.

FOLLOWING PAGE: It is easier to follow the norm and photograph something in the expected way than it is to produce something dynam-ic. I love to experiment. Instead of relying on traditional studio lighting, I love to pull out my LED lights and shape the lighting by hand. I have an assistant move the light sources around until I see a result that works for me. LED video lights are constant light sources, so you can mold and shape the light on the subject in small or drastic ways and see the effect in real time. In this instance, once we moved the light to the side and positioned it at a low angle, the dramatic shadow of the groom hit the wall in full. Magic!

A CLEAN BACKGROUND


BELOW: Here, split-lighting the groom (i.e., using the light only on one side of the subject’s face and allowing the other side of the face to go completely dark) created a dramatic look. By placing the groom close a clean wall, I created a nice silhouette-like shadow of his face. When creating a look like this, you have to shift the light until the shadow starts to define the profile. It is easy to warp facial features, partic-ularly the nose. By moving the light around and changing your distance from the subject, you can ensure that the proportions appear similar to those of the subject’s face. My exposure for this image was f/1.2, 1/400 second, and ISO 1250 at -11/3 EV. I shot with an 85mm f/1.2 lens.

SPLIT LIGHTING

Split lighting the subject

adds a dramatic touch

to shadow compositions.


ABOVE: Again looking for an interesting way to cast the sub-ject’s shadow on the wall, I moved the lighting all around. I also changed my shooting angle many times before I finally created a look that worked for me. I don’t often approach a shoot with a detailed, specific plan or concrete concepts in mind. I love to experiment on the spot and enjoy being surprised by the results. When every pose and background concept is planned, the joy of photography is diminished for me. During this session, I used rim lighting on the subject. The shadow cast by my subject was very cool. The resulting image is contrasty, dynamic, and full of impact.

RIM LIGHTING

Take time to change

your camera angle and

light positions to ensure

the best results.


ABOVE: I like to include in my compositions interesting-look-ing objects and the shadows produced by them. I am particularly happy when I can crop out the original object and leave only its shadow in the frame—this often lends an abstract feel to the image. I then balance that shadow with the subject. For me, stumbling upon this shadow of a cross was like finding a diamond. As I worked, I realized I had to incor-porate the bride in a way that would enhance the mood that the image concept inspired. I used both of the shadows in the frame to create a diagonal line from the top right of the frame to the bottom left of the image. I created a path for the eye to follow and constructed a story for viewers to contemplate.

FOUND OBJECTS

Incorporating carefully

chosen shadow elements

can help to tell stories

in your images.


BELOW: During a workshop I recently conducted, I told the group that we were going to be shooting at a location that was well known to and favored by local photographers. One student voiced their concern, saying “Every single photographer shoots in this location, and any image created there is cliché!” I said, “Thank you. I am now 100 percent invested in going to this location, and I feel challenged to create something outside of the norm.” This photographer thought it could not be done. Once we were there, I found this sculpture and mentioned that I would not feature the actual sculpture in the shot; rather, I would show only the shadow it cast. The class was enthralled with the result and happy to learn to see in a different way in this typical shoot-ing location. Attitude is everything!

Visit local hot spots

and challenge yourself

to create something

wildly different.


BELOW: Brides often have fabric on their wedding dress or veil that I can use to cast shadows. I also find different fabrics in cur-tains and table coverings that I come across at a hotel or wedding venue. Sometimes all you need to succeed is an awareness of your surroundings and the audacity to use

the items you find to create beautiful, artful images that are a step above the rest. This bride’s veil had nice antique-looking lace detail throughout. I lifted the veil to cast the shadows with my Lenser LED flash-light and shifted the shadows around until I found the best layout on her face and chest.

FANTASTIC FABRIC


LEFT: I bring a selection of different fabrics with me to my model shoots and work-shops. Small pieces around 2x3 feet are inexpensive and easy to transport, and I can enhance the mood in the image by covering the model’s head or face for a few images. I then turn on a flashlight and direct light through the fabric to create mesmerizing shadows. This image was made by creating a tube of fabric around the model’s head. I moved the lighting around until the shadows played on her face as I wanted them to.

RIGHT: Here is another cool image that I made using the same fabric. This time, I had assistant place the fabric against the wall and high above the model’s head. I then had a helper stand on a chair and hold a flashlight as high as possible above the fabric. Now the shadows played on the wall, as well—the result is moody and sexy. My exposure for this image was f/1.4, 1/300 second, and ISO 1000 at -2 EV. The focal length was 85mm.


ABOVE: From the beginning, the majority of my shadow work was achieved by trial and error, without much influence from other photographers’ imagery. For each shoot, I would bring in items I found around my home or use shadow-casting elements found on-site. To support my shadow habit, I eventually decided to look into the shadow- play created by well-known photographers from the past. I was blown away! I was using traditional studio gobo concepts like those used in live theater and in the movies, without knowing I was doing so. I decid-ed to buy a few commercially made gobo templates and try my hand at using them in a traditional way.

To create this image, I used an LED flashlight and made use of a gobo that creat-ed a sun-ray pattern on the wall. BELOW: Here is an image of the gobo used to produce the sun-ray light-and-shadow effect seen in the background.

GOING TO A GOBO


TOP: One traditional ap-proach to using a gobo is to shine light through it to cast a design onto the wall. Place your subject farther from the wall than may be typical, then light the sub-ject from the side so that the light will not bleed onto the background and affect the background pattern. When utilizing this ap-proach, try different angles and vary the subject-to- background distance. You can use the gobo pattern on the wall as a reference point. To get this cool blue background lighting and the warm amber subject light-ing, I set my camera’s white balance to tungsten. My background light was day-light balanced (5000K), and the light on my subject was tungsten balanced (3000K). BOTTOM: Here is a photo of the gobo used to create the window form that appears behind the subject.


ABOVE: Creating shadow wings for a model is a lot of fun! I came across this idea by accident (or rather, by experimen-tation) when using lighting at different angles while the subject was posed against a wall. For this subject’s image, I used blue and red thick plastic gel circles I cut out from a bigger source to make them easi-er to handle. I had assistants aim flashlights through the gels and adjusted the lighting until the wings appeared. A little shadow-shaping can lead to results that are sure to wow your subject and viewers.

SHADOW WINGS

Using gels to modify

your light source

can infuse your image

with an

unexpected energy.


BELOW: This image is the result of my second attempt to make shadow wings work on a subject. You really have to take your time to angle the lights just right. If one light has too much spread on one side, it will mess up the other shadow. If you notice, the camera-right shadow in this image is crisper and more defined than the left shadow. This is because I used a flashlight to produce the camera-right shadow. A flashlight with a single LED creates great hard-line shadows. The softer wing shadow on camera left was produced by my LED video light. I opted to use the LED video light because it provides a better quality of light on the subject’s face than does a flashlight. My exposure for this image was f/1.4, 1/160 second, and ISO 200. I shot with a 24mm f/1.4 lens.

A flashlight

with a single LED

creates harder shadows

than does

an LED video light.


PREVIOUS PAGE: One effect that I look to produce is crazy-long-end-of-the-day-sun-backlit-people-shadows (say that three times fast!). They create such powerful leading lines! Exposures can be a bit tricky in these scenarios. When I reviewed my exposures with this approach, I noticed most of my images were shot at -1/3 EV or right at 0 EV. My ISO for these images is gen-erally under 400. The trick with exposure is to use less bright sky in your image. This way, the shadow will be more properly exposed. If there is too much sky, the camera will compensate and over-darken the shadows. For this image, I shot at 24mm. RIGHT: Shooting into the sun is tricky. Most of the time it is difficult to see what you are doing with all the sun flare in your eyes. Tilting my 24mm lens downward to follow the long shadow helped to minimize some of the sun in my eyes. Still, I will go through a lot of discomfort to get the image I want! In this scenario, when the groom start-ed walking across the road, I realized the

sun was shining between the buildings and hitting the road perfectly. I created a sym-metrical composition with the shadow right down the middle.

AT THE DAY’S END


ABOVE: Here, I once again included long fore-ground shadows in the composition. This image is one of my most enduring captures. The photo tells a story and the shadows lead us to it in a big, dramatic way. I like shadows for their dramatic qual-ity, and I utilize them consistently. I have processed this image in many ways. I gen-erally want faint information in my blacks. However, when I have shown the image variations I’ve created in post-processing, everyone has loved these bold and deep black shadows and dark guys’ jackets on this particular edit. This style of process-ing breaks a few rules, yet the image wins awards. I am happy with that.

FOLLOWING PAGE: When I set up group shots at weddings, I have a few lighting choices. I can set up the shot with the sun in the subjects’ eyes. This mainly works at the very end of the day when the sun is just about to set; otherwise, it is too bright on their eyes. I can put them in the shade; that’s a nice, safe option. I can position them so that they are backlit and overexpose for normal skin tones, or I can add flash to brighten their faces. For this image, I opted to add flash and photographed at -1/3 EV to bring out the shadows. I set the ladies up and then just let the group have fun and do their thing. The shadows took the shot from ordinary to different and unexpected.

GROUP PORTRAITS


PREVIOUS PAGE: Long foreground shadows create lines for us to follow to the subjects. They add more interest for us to appreciate and look at as viewers. I want people to spend time studying my compositions and seeing each shape, line, and shadow in the frame. I had this bride and groom walk up and down the beach after their wedding cere-mony. I used many angles and lighting con-cepts. My favorite was this backlit portrait with cool shadows. Dramatic! LEFT: I took a risk with this composition. I cropped the top of the couple off. I felt that doing so allowed the shadow to become the

main subject, the reason for the image. I effectively said, “Don’t look at the faces of the couple or the background, look at these great dark shadows!” The shadows start at the bottom left of the frame and move toward the top right. This creates a dynamic line. RIGHT: Shadows work better on flat, even surfaces than on heavily textured ones. I would not have used this bland road had it not been for its color palette and the fact that it served as a canvas for great shadows. My exposure was f/22, 1/60 second, and ISO 400. I shot with a 24mm f/1.4 lens.

FOREGROUND SHADOWS


BELOW: Fencing can be used to create great patterned shadows on your subject, either using natural light or photographic light sources. No matter your lighting choice, the main con-cern is how you lay out the shadows on the subject’s face. Will the shadow pattern you create enhance the image, or will it create a negative chaos that detracts from the subject? The answer to this question is this: the effect you achieve depends on the angle and pose. I found a length of chain-link fencing on the ground that someone had discarded. It seemed like the perfect shad-ow-maker to me, so I put it to use to produce a dramatic, fashion-forward photo. The original image was larger, but as I spent time experimenting in postproduction, I settled on a more powerful and interesting crop. My exposure was f/5.6, 1/800 second, and ISO 100. I shot with a 24mm f/1.4 lens.

Using a tight crop

can keep the viewer

locked in on the essential

image elements.

FENCING LESSONS


BELOW: I was interested in using the fencing to create an entirely different image concept. Shooting from an alternate angle and using the fence as a line, I took a risk and cut the composition in half. The “rules” warn against bisecting the frame with a strong line, but I felt that the approach added interest and visual tension. The shadows added texture and helped enhance the mood. Converting to black & white and increasing the contrast lent an otherworldly feel.

Sometimes you’ve

got to break the rules

to create an image with

pleasing visual tension.


LEFT: Continuing with the theme, I decid-ed to try my hand at using a type of fence that had fewer interconnecting lines in the pattern. I had to really think about how to use the shadow on this model. I found that just one shadow line was enough on her face. Her eyelashes created shadows too, so I left any competing fence shadow lines off of her eyelids. I really like the single diagonal line that runs across the top of her chest. Having the subject pose with her eyes closed served two purposes: a quiet, serene mood was established, and the viewer’s attention is directed more strongly to the shadow patterns. RIGHT: When you use natural light, you have to move the subject to ensure that the

shadows fall in the position you feel is best. When you work with artificial sources, you can adjust your lights until the shadows land just where you want them on the subject. In this instance, I spent more time than usual adjusting my LED flashlight until the shadows landed in the desired locations. Look at how the lines follow the subject’s lips and fall on her chin. My goal in this case was to make her lips the main focus of the composition. In postproduction, I flipped the image vertically to make it seem as though the sub-ject were lying down.


LEFT: The wrought iron fence in this location created won-derful thick and long shadow lines on the sidewalk. That is how I found them. The fence was high up, and placing the model right next to it to gather the shadows while she was standing was no problem. My main concern was to make sure that her right eye would fall into a highlight area so that the viewer would have a point of reference. My exposure was f/3.6, 1/250 second, and ISO 250 at -1 EV. The focal length was 90mm. RIGHT: In this image, also made with the shadows of a wrought iron fence, my main concern was tilting the sub-ject’s head so the light line fell onto her eye and most of her lips. I composed the image to allow a little bit of her shoulder to continue the line of the shadows.

Position the subject

so that the highlights

in your light-and-shadow

patterns draw attention

to her best features.


BELOW: Palm fronds fan out and create great shadow lines in ways similar to some fences with long vertical lines. Sometimes, as I did here, I include the actual frond to give viewers a visual reference as to what is cast-ing the shadow. Other times, I exclude the

physical object and let the abstract quality of the shadows work magic. When there are many shadow lines at play, I often prefer that the subject’s eyes are closed. The pattern can look great on the eyelids.

PALM FRONDS


TOP: Sometimes you’ve got to break your own rules. You’ll notice that in this image, the subject’s eyes are open. This is because there were only a few big shadow lines in the frame and I was able to keep most of her eye area in the light. The fronds and shadows make a nice, interesting background for this subject. I noticed that faint shadows were being cast as an interi-or light fell onto this potted palm, so I took my LED video light from my bag and enhanced the shadows with my own light. BOTTOM: Here is another palm-frond-and-shadow concept image. These shadow lines were smaller and there were many, so I had the model close her eyes. This presentation was not the only viable option for creating a great shot. Many different angles, frond movements, and shadow placements would have worked. Once you feel you have produced the best-possible image, try a few different approach-es and shoot some more frames. You may come up with something that you like even better.


ABOVE: I often take a risk with shadows just to see if the con-cept will work. You can experiment on the client’s time if you work quickly and they trust you as an artist. I find that providing some education about how you like to work goes a long way toward developing trust between you and the client. Right before I created this image, I captured my regular safe shot of this group of guys, made with no shadows. I felt that I had a minute to spare, so I took a chance and decid-ed to use these shadows to design a more creative image. But did it really work? I don’t feel that it did. We did not include it in the wedding album. I am glad I took the risk because this image taught me that using abstract shadows in a composition works much better when photographing one or two people than it does when photographing more sizable groups.

BUILDING TRUST

Capture

traditional images

before proceeding to create

experimental,

cutting-edge shots.


BELOW: I did say that abstract shadow concepts do not work well when photographing group shots at weddings, but there are ways to make it work. By cropping out the men’s faces and composing the image to include only the lines of their legs, the shadows make more creative sense. This image did make it into the couple’s wedding album. They simply loved it! The lighting for this image was end-of-the-day sun. It’s a great time of day to achieve long shadows. I tend to visually follow very contrasty lines when I view a composi-tion. Here, the foreground shadows lead to the guys’ legs. It does not matter where your eye is first drawn into an image, as long as the photo is interesting to look at. My exposure was f/2.8, 1/350 second, and ISO 125 at 1/2 EV. I shot with a 35mm lens.

A tight crop can

help you to hone

your image concept

in photos that include

strong shadows.


BELOW: The farther the light source is from the opaque object you use to create shadows and the closer the subject is to that object, the smaller and sharper the points of light and shadows will be. I found this circle- patterned fence and posed the groom very close to it. The sun was my only light source. My exposure was f/2.8, 1/1600 second, and ISO 100 at -1/3 EV. I used a 70–200mm f/2.8 lens set to 200mm.

FOLLOWING PAGE: The closer the light source is to the opaque object you use to create shadows and the farther the subject is from that object, the larger the light-and-shadow pattern will be. Here, I used a cabinet door with a cutout circle design to block the light and positioned my flashlight very close to the door. I then posed the model roughly ten feet from the door. The resultant circles of light are large and soft, and one of them

encompasses the bride’s face, drawing the eye and conjuring a feeling of mystery.

FINESSING THE EFFECT

Be adventurous.

Use an array of objects

that block light

to create dramatic,

dimensional images.


PREVIOUS PAGE: When I am outside and the sun is casting many shadows, I become more aware of how to incorporate these elements in my compositions. I become a little shad-ow crazy, and my enjoyment of the shoot reaches a brand-new high. I feel this image has it all—nice back-lighting, a subject shadow that creates a diagonal line from the bottom right of the frame, and a diagonal shadow line from the wall coming from the bottom left. There are interesting graphic elements throughout.

BELOW: After I created the image on the previous page I found these amazing di-agonal lines of light and shadow. I saw the possibility of a yin and yang, dark and light concept. I composed the image knowing I would crop it in postproduction to have the separation of light and dark start at the cor-ners of the frame. I find lines that start and end at the opposing corners of the composi-tional frame very interesting and dynamic.

VARIATIONS


LEFT: I make it a point to take a few cool images of the groom at every wedding. I find that some photographers get caught up with the bride (because often she is the most excited about the imagery) and forget to highlight the groom. I do take a few nice “safe” images of the groom for people who like more traditional compositions and lighting, like the moms and grandmas. I then take a few non-traditional images for me. The couple hire me for my art, so they love my outside-the-box images.

RIGHT: I casted shadows on the wall using an LED video light through an indoor palm plant. I placed the groom and used another light to illuminate just his face. I then got down on one knee and tilted my camera to create a dynamic vantage point for the composition. The shadow on one half of his face (i.e., split lighting) created nice depth.

FOCUS ON THE GROOM


TOP: This jagged shadow line created by a roof and strong sun rays made for a unique pattern on a ordinary wall. Without this shadow, I would not have even considered this location for my composition. The shadow was the reason why this image was made, and the groom’s placement added dimension. BOTTOM: For a second portrait of the same groom, I found another very interesting

roof shadow to use. Again, I would not have included the wall in the image without this interesting shadow element. I used the frame of the shadow as a guide to position the subject. His sunglasses and my pose added a fashion look to the image concept. My exposure for this image was f/4, 1/4000 second, and ISO 200. I shot with a 24mm f/1.4 lens.


LEFT: I love using strong contrast in my imagery. I found this light and dark wall with great contrast. I decided to contin-ue this theme by positioning the groom so that his bright sunlit face would have dark shadow tonality behind it. This added a sense of depth and dimension to the image. My exposure for this image was f/2.2, 1/60 second, and ISO 100 at -2/3 EV. I shot with a 24mm f/1.4 lens. RIGHT: When an image is about contrast with strong black and white tones, I often switch my camera to black & white mode. I do this only when I am certain that the final image will be monochromatic. Capturing the scene in black & white allows me to preview the results on my LCD. I often don’t have to process the image at all. In this case, the final shot was presented SOOC—“straight out of camera.”

STRONG CONTRAST

In black & white images,

the focus is on the

graphic elements

within the frame.


LEFT: When the conditions are right, two architectural elements can come together to form a V shape. This provides the interest-ing and dramatic contrast I seek. Placing the groom at the bottom of the V shape created a nice continuous line from the top to the bottom of the vertical composition. It’s an interesting path for the viewer to follow. My exposure was f/6.3, 1/2000 second, and ISO 400 at -11/3 EV. I used a 70–200mm f/2.8 lens set to 90mm.

RIGHT: I found this pattern of light and shadow V shapes to be very compelling. There is a zigzag of lines in the frame that add a feeling of motion. I positioned the groom to gather the side lighting that came from camera right, then framed him in the dark shadow area. I did not want to fill in the subject’s eye sock-ets because I wanted an image with a dark mood. I broke some of the rules of portrai-ture to create a contemporary mood-driven concept image.


PREVIOUS PAGE: Finding the right angle from which to capture an image can enhance the shadows in the photograph. When the angle is poorly chosen, the shadows may be diminished or eliminated entirely. Here, I wanted to show the ocean setting as well as the leading lines that the shadows introduced. Shooting from a very low per-spective would have elimi-nated most of the ocean and sand from the image; only the couple and sky would have appeared. I chose to capture the image from a high angle to include more foreground and less sky. RIGHT: To photograph couples from a high angle, I can often take advantage of architectural elements like stairs, or I can shoot from an upper floor of an adjacent building. In some cases, I bring a ladder to a shoot in order to allow for shooting from a higher vantage point.

For this photo and the image on the preceding page, I shot with a 24mm lens to achieve a wide angle of view. I held my cam-era overhead to get as high a camera angle as possible. Achieving success when using this approach takes practice; it may take a number of tries to reach the desired result.

HIGH CAMERA ANGLES

Proper perspective

is a critical component

in creating

a strong image.


PREVIOUS PAGE: To get the high camera angle I wanted for this image, I climbed up four stairs that I found in the middle of the park. This was fortuitous because this vantage point also made for a great posi-tioning of the couple, as viewed through my 70–200mm lens, which I had set to a focal length of 85mm. I established the pose to create the best-possible shadows. I find that the more light you allow to show between the cou-ple’s bodies, the better viewers are able to discern the shape of each subject. My exposure was f/2.8, 1/4000 second, and ISO 200 at -2/3 EV. I used a 24mm f/1.4 lens.

BELOW: Rules are meant to be broken, and I felt that a close, more romantic pose worked well in this photograph. This may be because the couple are not truly silhou-etted, but why analyze it? This works! I do learn from critique, but sometimes I find photographers can bend the rules when the circumstances warrant it. In this image, the dark shadow lines in the frame effectively lead the viewer to the couple. I shot from a high angle once again, with my camera raised above my head, to achieve a perspective that allowed for the shadow presentation I was looking for.

My 70–200mm lens

provided me with

an opportunity to get

a great angle of view.


PREVIOUS PAGE: The majority of images are captured with the photographer in a standing position, with the camera held at eye level. The resulting photos are somewhat standard fare—safe and utilitarian. Chang-ing your angle can separate your shooting style from those who do not take such risks. Placing your camera right on the ground or close to it and following the lines of the shadows in the scene can produce interesting compositions, as shown here. In this case, I fol-lowed the couple and shot many frames hoping for just the right body movement to freeze to digital. RIGHT: On this occasion, I took “safe” images of the bride applying her make-up and captured a nice set of detail images of the dress and shoes. With that accomplished, it was time to take the “Beckstead Play Shot” and find a way to make a more interesting (for me) composition. I like to connect the shapes of any detail/product/dress to the story of the day. I used the leading lines formed by the shadows to con-

nect the foreground, middle ground, and background elements. I also added interest by allowing the background elements to fall into soft focus. Shooting from the floor gave me interesting results.

LOW CAMERA ANGLES


LEFT: Walls can provide texture, pattern, color, lines, and great negative space. They are also splendid shadow-catchers! Combine many of these elements with a subject, and you can create interesting compositions. This lamppost and its dramatic shadow intrigued me. Placing the subject next to the lamp created shapes and shadows that filled the red wall space nicely. RIGHT: This old cross was interesting, and its shadow made the composition more dra-matic. The shadow added a sense of dimen-sionality to the cross. I framed the subject between the cross and column, where there

was less texture; it was the perfect backdrop for the groom. My exposure for this image was f/2.8, 1/640 second, and ISO 125 at -2/3 EV. I used a 70–200mm f/2.8 lens set to 90mm.

ON THE STREETS


LEFT: Here, I saw the opportunity to take a risk and split the composition in half with this shadow line, which was created by an archway. I posed the bride to intersect with the shadow and light to add a dimensional quality to the flat wall. RIGHT: In this case, I was drawn to the abstract nature of the tree shadows that fell upon this blueish wall. I positioned the model at a bend of the branches, primarily in the high-light area, to draw the eye. I photographed her using only natural light. My exposure was f/2.8, 1/1600 second, and ISO 125 at -1/3 EV. I used a 70–200mm f/2.8 lens set to 75mm.

Shadows can add a

sense of texture

and dimension

to an exterior wall.


LEFT: Great side lighting casted shadows from a tree’s leaves on this exterior wall. I posed the subject facing me to create a split lighting effect; the resultant shadows on his face introduce a feeling of a third dimension in the two-dimen-sional medium. As I have mentioned earlier, shadows can create a little mystery; they do so in this portrait. RIGHT: The fence shadows on this brick wall came to a V shape. This provided a frame of light in which to place my subject. Shadows can help to build a storyline. In this case, I felt they added a feeling of confinement and a dark, ominous mood. I took a risk and cropped into my subject’s body with the shadow to build upon that feeling of captivity. The fence shadow created this atmosphere for me. If the shadow on the right had been a simple straight line, I would not have posed and cropped her in this way.

Objects that create

complex shadows

in your images can help

to tell a story.


LEFT: During this session, I found a wall with a shadow that felt overpowering in an interesting way. The shadow felt disheart-ening and gloomy, so I posed the couple in a way that reinforced that mood. I am sure there are many different poses I could have used that would have worked with this idea. This was an experiment. I only created one pose, which was a mistake. I now wish I had used multiple posing options so that I could have chosen the best one later. RIGHT: The wall shown in this image was re-ally interesting; there were varying textures and tones throughout. The single shadow

line beckoned for me to use it in some way. With all of the sunlight spilling onto the bride’s face and the wall, it would have been difficult for me to visually separate her from the background. Fortunately, the shadow created a dark tone against which I could position her, and she really popped. The intense contrast quickly draws the viewer’s gaze to the subject; from there, the viewers can take in the balance of the composition. As an added bonus, the shadow creat-ed a nice diagonal, dynamic line that cuts through the stable vertical and horizontal lines within the frame.


PREVIOUS PAGE: There are times when I look to capture a nice, quick image of the groom by himself—a photo that everyone will love. I will take a classic head-and-shoulders portrait and then take things a step farther and play with light and shadow to produce a special composition like this one. To create this image, I positioned the subject so his shadow would fit within the frame of shadows that the columns produced. The graphic patterns help to cre-ate a strong and captivating image. My exposure was f/5.6, 1/1500 second, and ISO 200 at -21/3 EV. I used a 70–200mm lens set to 85mm. RIGHT: When my subject is willing to have a little fun, enjoys the photography pro-cess, and is a natural in front the camera, I let that person play. I may even play along and get them to react. And why not? People love to see emotion in portraits. I found this cool area with all the shadow lines. I placed the bride in the side light, in front of a clean background, framed her within the lines—and then I told a joke!

PLAYTIME


TOP: With my hand-held LED lights and found tools like the grid shown below, I can create really interesting backgrounds. When setting up shots like these, the subject-to-background distance is key. The closer the subject is to the wall, the more the shadows will fall on their body and face. You must light the subject separately and from the side so that the light used to illuminate the person does not impact the background pattern. If you want the sub-

ject’s entire face in the light, position them to the side and let the light land outside of the frame. That is what I did here. BOTTOM: Here, I used a light from the side and far from the wall to create a split light-ing pattern on the subject. I liked the effect. To get a nice deep-blue background, I used a 5000K flashlight (daylight col-or balance) with my white balance set to tungsten. I used my 3000K LED to light his face. In postproduction, I removed

some of the warm color cast from his face by shifting the white balance slider toward the cool tones. This made his skin tones look more natural.

OFF THE GRID


TOP: This subject was posed close to the wall to allow the shadows to bleed onto his face and body. I aimed my flashlight through the grid and moved the light until the shadows fell as I wanted them to. Keep in mind that you can also vary the distance between the flashlight and shadow- casting object to create sharp or soft shadow forms. BOTTOM: Here, I used my LED video light, set to spot mode, at camera left to light the subject’s face and cast a shadow of his head on the wall. A flashlight, aimed through a grid, was held by an assistant at camera right. This produced the shadows on the wall. Creating this image was somewhat

complicated; it took time to get it right. However, it was done with minimal equip-ment and cost. It’s a lot of fun to create a shot like this, and anyone can do it!


BELOW: When I am indoors at night, have a little time on my hands, and have a willing subject, I often look for a clean wall and interesting objects to cast shadows with. This time, I found a nice breadbasket with a

solid bottom and wire sides. I had no idea it if would be interesting to use until I tried it. I posed the subject far from the wall so I could cast the breadbasket shadow right behind him yet have no light from my

flashlight bleed onto his face. I then lit him from the side with my LED video light set to the spot mode. I think the result is very interesting! My exposure for this im-age was f/1.4, 1/125 second, and ISO 1000 at -1EV. The focal length was 85mm. FOLLOWING PAGE: I found a very big door with many windows. I noticed the wall was clean and offered a great canvas for me to paint with light. I positioned the subject behind the door. I opened the door and piv-oted it much closer to her. Then I used my LED video light and positioned the shadows and light to frame her face. I loved the pattern of lines on the wall. I had the subject face the light and close her eyes to create a nice mood that seemed well suited to the overall concept.

A BLANK CANVAS


LEFT: Sometimes it takes a little tenacity to find your shadows. I ran up four flights of stairs very quick-ly (so as not to waste the couple’s time) to see if there were any cool shadows to use. The sun was about to set, and it was creating nice shadows on the carpets of each floor. Yet nothing grabbed me until I reached the fourth floor. I hol-lered down and shared my excitement as the bride and groom came upstairs. Seeing these shapes made them happy they made the trip! FOLLOWING PAGE: I was getting the feeling the couple was about finished with the shoot. But then I found this unusual set of shadows being cast by a permanently stationed train car. I said, “One last pose and we are done! This is amazing!” I love to end a session with a great concept, and the bride and groom loved the image when I showed it to them on the LCD. Sometimes you have to nicely push the couple to get them excited to go further and explore creative options with you.

TENACITY


ABOVE: When the sun is at the right angle, a pattern of archi-tectural lines will be more dramatic because of the strong shadows. Lines like those shown in this image, and the light and shadow patterns that result, beckon to be used in my compositions. I love the high contrast that a scenario like this affords me. For this image, I positioned the groom along this wall and tilted the camera for effect. I created this portrait for an educational video, and in this video I say: “I love to hit the viewer like a hammer and smash them with lines.” This statement has since been quoted back to me many times!

THE ANGLE OF THE LIGHT

Including diagonal lines

in the composition can

impart a dynamic feeling

in the image.


BELOW: Once I found this wall full of shadow and light lines, I felt that I had to use them. I posed the groom first and used natural split lighting. I then posed the bride so that the highlighted part of her face stood out against the shadowed area of the groom’s face. I love the contrast and perspective of light, dark, light, dark, and so on! Finally, I used my cell phone’s reflective surface to add the abstract el-ement at the bottom of the image. This continued the lines around the couple and helped to frame them.


LEFT: At different times of the day, the ar-chitecture in an urban setting will create bold blocks of shapes made from light and shadow. These shapes change quickly with the movement of the sun; for me, these shifts make a shoot interesting. It becomes more intriguing still when you set up to capture an image with great shadow posi-tions only to have cloud cover come into play and erase the graphic lines. When the clouds shift once more and the shadowy shapes reappear, I have to rush to capture the image.

While photographing this bride, I was strongly drawn to the shadow point, which gave me a nice leading element to work with. RIGHT: When buildings are tall and close together, I can find many different kinds of shadow and light shapes to work with. The light points me to the perfect location in which to place my subjects. The shadows that surround my subjects frame, enclose, and visually trap them. The results are quite interesting.

FRAMING THE SUBJECTS


TOP: While out on a shoot with a group of workshop attendees, I noticed that the sun was piercing through the fourth level of a dark parking garage. The late-day sun rays were blocked by tall buildings on the lower levels. I ran up the levels and found a mag-nificent shape of light and shadow. I called out to the class and asked them to join me before we lost the light. After a couple of poses were captured, it was gone. My exposure for this image was f/2.8, 1/400 second, and ISO 100 at 0 EV. I used a 16–35mm f/2.8 lens set to 35mm.

BOTTOM: During this session, I found a very interesting pattern of light and shadow. I positioned my model on the ground to help me isolate her without many distracting ele-ments around. I tilted my camera to create a diagonal direction for the light-and-shadow shape and composed the shot to ensure that the shape started at the bottom-left cor-ner of the frame. I feel that lines are more dynamic and impactful when they originate from one or more of the four corners of the frame.


TOP: Shadows are a great tool when you want to create spooky images. I photograph mainly weddings, so in most of my work, I use wedding clients as my subjects or I pho-tograph models dressed in wedding attire. I love to create images of subjects wearing wedding outfits in unusual locations. When you photograph wedding after wedding, a little change is fun. I found the objects shown here in a heap in an abandoned building. (If you can

guess what these alien objects are, send me a Facebook message.) I set them up to cast odd shadows and produced an image that seems like a still from a 1950s horror film. BOTTOM: I posed this model under strong downward light and next to a pleasing pattern of lines. I noticed that the shadows on his face sculpted his face and created a skeletal look. I had him close his eyes. He loved the shot because it was different and unusual.

SPOOKY AND SINISTER


TOP: My plan for this portrait was to aim strong light from the top left in order to cast shadows on the wall behind my sub-ject. I did not, however, expect to produce a monstrous shadow apparition that seems to be reaching out to grab the subject. I adjusted her pose to create a more normal shadow, but we liked this image best. BOTTOM: I invited a group of photographers to join me in a late-night shoot in an aban-

doned sanitarium that’s said to be haunted. We had a blast working on the three dark and scary floors. Using shadows elevated the overall ghostly mood of this location. I placed my LED video light on a sink out-side of the frame on camera right to create side lighting.


LEFT: Here, we have another image that falls into the category of spectacularly spooky shots. In this instance, I wanted to find a way to use the window light in an abandoned factory. When I saw the win-dow shadows on the floor, I had to find out whether the groom’s body would make a cool shadow. The effect was sinister and menacing; we wound up with an interesting and dramatic image that is anything but ex-pected. I’ve also produced a variation of this image in which I cropped to the shadow

and left out the physical subject’s legs. The result was horror-ific! My exposure for this image was f/6.4, 1/350 second, and ISO 640 at -1 EV. The lens focal length was 85mm. FOLLOWING PAGE: This image was made during a group outing to an abandoned factory. We even found a dress designer to come along and try some of his unusual creations. The model stood on a brick base, and this long, tube-like dress was stretched over it. Strong sunlight streamed through the window, and

a strange and mysterious shadow was cast. I had the model lift her arms to enhance the effect. I opted to overexpose the image by two stops to get some detail in her face and brighten the overall scene.

Personal assignments

held in unlikely places

can lead to

surprising results.


PREVIOUS PAGE: I am generally drawn to big, bold, contrasty shadows that enhance a sub-ject and make the overall composition more dramatic and impactful. Once in a while, though, I create or incorporate shadows that are subtle. Many women adore long lashes. When you photograph your subject with the light source positioned high above her, you can create some very lengthy lash shadows that your subjects will love. Take a look!

LEFT: This image is all about the light direction. The subject’s eyelashes produced elegant shadows, and the left side of her face went completely dark. The result is a look that’s quite mysterious. RIGHT: For this image, the light source was on the ceiling. I noticed the birdcage veil material creating faint but interesting patterned shadows on the subject’s face. I think the resulting portrait is lovely.

PURE HOLLYWOOD


TOP: I am fascinated by the lighting ef-fects produced in the movie Casablanca. I learned many of my lighting tricks from movies made eighty or more years ago, and some from modern movies as well. In Casa-blanca, there are scenes in which Venetian blinds create light-and-shadow patterns in the rooms. The approach created the impression that the action took place in the daytime, in a real location, even though most of the film was shot on a sound stage indoors. I bought a small $5.00 plastic blind (you don’t need an expensive one for this) and tried it out. I keep finding ways to use blinds in my images. For this shot, I con-nected the blind to a wall and shone the light from a flashlight through its slats.

My exposure for this image was f/1.2, 1/80 second, and ISO 1000 at -2 EV. The focal length of the lens was 85mm. ABOVE: This image shows how I positioned the blind to create the effect shown in the final photograph.


TOP: Looking around my house, I found a cheese grater. I wondered whether I could use it to create a great shadow effect. Some-times, you never know until you try. As it turns out, it was a great template for light and shadow. When I bring the grater out, my subjects laugh, but they are awed when I show them how I use it. To create this image, I placed the grater up high touching the wall and shined my flashlight to make the great shadow lines on the wall. With just one flashlight and one kitchen utensil, I had cheap and fun lighting! My exposure for this image was f/7, 1/25 second, and ISO 400 at -2 EV. I used a 35mm f/1.4 lens. BOTTOM: Here is a shot of the cheese grater I used to create the dramatic light-and-shadow patten in the above image.

A little ingenuity

can go a long way

when you are working

on a budget.


TOP: Exposure can be tricky with shadows. The hard contrast of darks and lights throw the meter off. I have been using aperture priority mode for over twenty years. I use the exposure compensation (EV) feature to ensure I get a well-exposed image. I’ve learned to spin the EV dial without looking

to manually bracket when needed to get the perfect exposure. This image posed one of the bigger exposure challenges I have had. The camera tried to fill in the shadows by bumping up the exposure. I set my camera at -2/3 EV to avoid blowing out the highlights. BOTTOM: My main exposure concern in this scenario was maintaining detail in the bright areas. If I blew out the highlights, I would lose the details and texture of the ground. An EV of +1 was just what I needed. The shadows were a little dark, but I knew I could lighten them in postproduction. Had I blown out the highlights, I would have had no recourse. I shoot in RAW format, but this does not give me the ability to fix all mistakes. It is better to understand expo-sure and get it as close to perfect as possible in-camera. When working in a situation like the one in which this image was produced, review your images on your LCD screen as you go. When necessary, dial in an EV adjustment that produces a more perfect exposure.

CHALLENGING EXPOSURES


TOP: Sometimes you do not want or need detail in the shadow areas of your image. In fact, I often radically underexpose to blacken the shadows and eliminate the distractions in those areas. For this image, I set the EV to -12/3 in order to reduce the exposure by almost two stops. This allowed me to maintain the highlight details, while the shadows blocked up. The resulting image is moody and dramatic. BOTTOM: This complex setting called for some details in the shadows. Had I dialed in an EV of -2, the shadows would be too dark. The black poles and shad-ows would blend together and make the image appear a little murky. Instead, I set my camera to -1 EV. This allowed me to retain some detail in the shadows and separate the tones bet-ter. Also, using the EV -1 setting also allowed me to prevent the highlights from becoming blown out. I had to stand on a pole to get this image. I’ll do anything to get the shot!


TOP: Some commercial win-dows have big dividers that cast giant shadows on walls. This image was shot at a mall. The angle of the sun created the shadow-line di-agonals. When you produce a shadow pattern like this one, there are many places in the frame at which you can effectively pose your subject, and a number of poses are suitable. I could spend an hour in this loca-tion alone trying different concepts. I often wear out my subjects before my cre-ative enthusiasm runs out. BOTTOM: When the light came through this window, large quadrants of light appeared on the wall. After positioning the couple, I asked them to hold hands, but I noticed that their hands were hidden in shad-ow. I asked them to move their hands away from the wall a little to gather light. Hands are important and the viewer should see that connection.

WINDOW SHOPPING


TOP: I wanted to create a ballet concept image that was unique and creative, so I set up a session with three ballerinas for fun and prac-tice. Working at your craft is the only way to develop a stronger style, become more knowledgeable with your equipment, and work on ideas that are not easy to try at paid jobs. You can also use practice sessions to produce great, marketable ideas. While on location, I noticed that the stage lights casted three or four shadows of each girl on the wall. I posed the dancers to run with this idea, and it worked beautifully. I love the result. BOTTOM: I found these steel shapes in a bar and discov-ered that my LED video light casted a great set of shadows and light points on my model. (I won’t explain why I had a model, light, and camera ready in this bar!) I had to position the light just right to allow the shadows to align with the contours of her face. The end result was interesting and abstract.

My exposure was f/1.4, 1/125 second, and ISO 1600 at -2/3 EV. I shot with a 24mm f/1.4 lens.

FRESH IDEAS


PREVIOUS PAGE: My shoot was over, and the model and I were walking out of an abandoned factory when I saw these spectacular appa-ritions of light and shadow. When I had positioned the model, the clouds covered the sun. Everyone was ready to go. I said, “Just wait! One more minute!” The the sun came back for one quick pose, and then the rain began. One second the light was there, and the next it was gone for the day. Light and shadow patterns are fleeting, and that makes the shoot interesting! RIGHT: In the thickest part of the city, where all the tall buildings come together, there is always a chance for orb lighting. I love the dif-ferent quality of light that is bounced from the sun, off windows, and onto walls. The light often takes on the tone and coloring of the type of window found in the location. Many windows have built-in tints, and that color cast impacts the color of the wall. This light can be hotter or cooler than the direct sunlight. I just love using it! Here, the orbs of light were many and large. The shadows served to separate the orbs into interesting patterns.


BELOW: The absence of light is dark—shade, or shadow. In silhouettes, the subjects are rendered as dark shapes against a bright background. Here, I placed an LED panel light behind the subjects and aimed toward the white wall. The groom did a push up to get into position, while the bride just laid back and enjoyed the moment. A -1 EV seemed to do the trick and made their faces completely dark. The result is a nice yin yang effect. I photographed this with my camera set to the black & white mode. I experimented with this pose; I took a risk, and everyone loved it! My exposure for this image was f/1.2, 1/350 second, and ISO 1000 at -1 EV. The lens focal length was 85mm.

A PERFECT SILHOUETTE

A silhouette is

a perfect artistic vehicle

for producing

a romantic image.


RIGHT: Lastly, and just for fun, here’s Batman! I was trying different angles while pho-tographing this couple. The angle shown here did not end up being the best, but this strange and cool shad-ow appeared. The guy had a hairstyle that had a sharp point in the front, and his nose was rather pointed. The result? What do you think? This is right out of the camera, with no ma-nipulation. I think Batman arrived!

JUST FOR FUN

Stay alert

to your surroundings—

you never know

what surprises await.


Index

AAdobe Lightroom, 39

Aperture priority mode,

118

Architecture, 14, 85, 87,

94, 106, 108, 120

BBlack & white mode, 51,

86, 124

Blinds, window, 37, 116

Bracketing exposures, 38,

118

Breadbasket, 7, 102

CCamera angle, 17, 73, 77,

89–93, 106

Casablanca, 116

Cheese grater, 116

Color casts, 123. See also

Lighting, color balance

Comb, 7, 42

Composition, 8, 44, 52, 54,

73, 74, 75, 79, 87, 94,

97, 107, 109

Contrast, 37, 39, 48,

86–87, 97, 106, 115,

118

Cropping, 71, 72, 79, 83,

112

Culvert, 8

Curtains, 60

DDepth of field, 17

Detail, 24, 68, 118, 119

Dress, wedding, 60

EEyes, 11, 12, 18, 20, 22,

39, 51, 74, 76, 111,

115

Emotion, 99

Exposure, 24, 38, 39, 67,

68, 112, 118, 119

FFences, 72–75, 80, 96

Foreground, 68, 71, 89

GGrids, 46–51, 100

Groom’s portraits, 84–88,

99

Groups, 68, 78–79

HHorizon, 8

LLadder, 89

LCD, 86, 118

Leading lines, 8, 44, 52, 67,

(Leading lines, cont’d)

71, 83, 87, 97, 109

Lighting, 7, 33, 35, 42, 46,

48, 51, 54, 57, 60,

62–63, 65, 68, 71, 77,

83, 84, 87, 96, 99,

100, 101, 102, 107,

111, 112, 115, 121,

124

ambient, 54

backlighting, 71, 83

color balance, 35, 51, 54,

63

flash, 68

flashlights, 7, 42, 46, 48,

51, 60, 62, 65, 100,

101, 102, 115

gels, 51, 64

gobos, 62–63

LED video lights, 7, 33,

35, 54, 65, 77, 84,

100, 102, 111, 121,

124

mixed, 63, 100

rim, 57

side, 87, 99, 100, 111

split, 54, 84, 96, 100,

107

windows, 35, 112

Lines, repeating, 12

Index 127

MMeters, 118

Mood, 16–18, 48, 73, 87,

96, 97, 102, 110–11

Movement, 22

Movies, 46, 62, 116

OOverexposure, 112

PPersonal projects, 16

Perspective, 17, 25, 73, 77,

89–93

Plants, 7, 76, 77, 84

Posing, 14, 27, 52, 97, 120

Postproduction, 39, 48, 68,

72, 73, 74, 83, 100,

118

Practice, 121

Projectors, 12

RRAW format, 118

SSelfies, 7

Separation, tonal, 97, 107

Silhouettes, 54, 56, 91, 124

Skin tones, 100

Stock images, 12

Storytelling, 16, 58

Subject-to-background

distance, 63, 100, 101,

102

Symmetry, 22, 67

TTablecloths, 60

Texture, 73, 97

Theater, 62

Trees, 6, 38, 95, 96

UUmbra, 6, 7

Underexposure, 24, 38, 39,

119

VVariety, 20

Veil, 20, 60

WWalls, 6, 14, 15, 33, 35,

38–39, 94, 95, 96,

102, 107, 111

White balance, 63, 100

Wings, shadow, 64–65

#2113

Amherst Media®

PUBLISHER OF PHOTOGRAPHY BOOKS

PO Box 538, Buffalo, NY 14213

www.AmherstMedia.com

Delve into the shadows and take your image-making to a new level

“I’ve followed David for a long time now and have put into practice the use of patterns, shadows, and dynamic composition. He is an inspiration and motivates me to push the boundaries of photography. One of my images that was featured in Shutter magazine was completely inspired by David’s shadow work.”

—Ryan Gonzales, CPP., educator for PPA Super One Days

“David is a master of light and shadow. His simple yet deliberate use of ordinary objects to modify light pushes the boundaries of the physics of light. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on lighting gear; simple tools yield extraordinary results!”

—Brian Malloy, owner/partner of Fournier & Malloy Photographers

In this book, award-winning photographer David Beckstead shows you how to “play in the shadows” to design riveting, storytelling, moody images that will set your work apart from the competition and inspire you to push the bound-aries of your creativity.

Use shadows cast by architecture and natural objects

Produce amazing shadow and light patterns with common household items

Enhance every composition by introducing shadows that guide the viewer’s gaze through the frame

$37.95 USA$48.95 Canada

the shadow effect: creative lighting, posing, and composition for photographers

Documents