{"id":80187,"date":"2018-03-22T01:37:31","date_gmt":"2018-03-22T08:37:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=80187"},"modified":"2018-03-22T01:38:24","modified_gmt":"2018-03-22T08:38:24","slug":"20-dark-tips-how-to-shoot-shadow-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2018\/03\/22\/20-dark-tips-how-to-shoot-shadow-photos\/","title":{"rendered":"20 Dark Tips How to Shoot Shadow Photos"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Pinnochio
Pinnochio nose. Downtown LA, 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A fun creative photography challenge: shadow photography.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Why shadows?<\/h2>\n
\"Girl
Contact sheet: Pinnochio nose \/ Downtown La, 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why shoot shadows?<\/p>\n

For me, I like to shoot shadows because they are more mysterious, and this more open-ended to interpretation, and thus more interesting to look at.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m a huge fan of film noir cinema<\/a>, and they employ heavy use of shadows to add more drama, mystery, and danger to the movies and scenes.<\/p>\n

\n

1. Shoot shadows that are on the edges of a wall or surface<\/h2>\n
\"Pinnochio
Pinnochio nose. Downtown LA, 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you want a more dramatic shadow, place the shadow at the edge of a surface or a wall. This will make the shadow appear longer. This is what I did for my \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Pinnochio nose\u00e2\u20ac\u009d street photograph above. I saw a woman and the shadow behind her during sunset. I shot a bunch of photos by \u00e2\u20ac\u0153working the scene<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d changing my framing, composition, and distance.<\/p>\n

\"Girl
Contact sheet: Pinnochio nose \/ Downtown La, 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why does the photograph work, and why is it interesting?<\/p>\n

It is all about the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153pinnochio nose\u00e2\u20ac\u009d shadow. Pinnochio nose is a symbol of lying. Thus, it begs the question to the viewer:<\/p>\n

\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What is the woman hiding or lying about?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Lesson<\/strong>: Use shadows to make more open-ended photos, which allow the viewer to pose their own questions about a photograph, and thus become more engaged and mentally invested in order to analyze and come up with their own story in a photo.<\/p>\n

\n

2. -1 or -2 exposure compensation<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

To make more dramatic shadow photos, put your subject into the bright light, and shoot with -1 or -2 exposure compensation (or even some cameras, -3 exposure compensation). I usually do -1 exposure compensation on my Ricoh GR II<\/a>, shooting in program mode<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"contact
Note how I worked the scene, to get the man to have the dramatic light on his face.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why is this photograph interesting?<\/h3>\n
\"Golden
Golden triangle analysis for Downtown LA, side face tattoo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

First of all, it follows the Golden triangle composition<\/a>. I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t intend to do this when I was shooting it, but I discovered the composition afterwards. The Golden triangle compositional grid shows me: the photograph has good balance<\/em>, proportions<\/em>, and good placement<\/em> of his eye (at the intersection of the two diagonal lines).<\/p>\n

\"Downtown
Downtown LA side shadow tattoo abstract. Note that visually, he doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have a neck or the top of his head \u00e2\u20ac\u201d which makes the photograph more mysterious.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Secondly, by using -1 exposure compensation, the shadows causes his neck and the top of his head to disappear \u00e2\u20ac\u201d making the photograph more mysterious.<\/p>\n

\"Abstract<\/p>\n

Lastly, I like the side profile of his face, which reminds me of traditional portrait\/paintings. In real life, you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see the side profile of someone\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s face. You normally look at people face-on\/head-on. Therefore, the perspective of his face is novel<\/em> (humans like novelty of visual view\/perspective).<\/p>\n

\n

3. Multiple light bulbs<\/h2>\n
\"Shadow
Shadow selfie. Boston, 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is a selfie<\/a> I shot with the light source being a chandelier with multiple light bulbs. This allowed my selfie shadow to have multiple layers.<\/p>\n

\n

4. Tree shadows<\/h2>\n
\"Tree
Tree shadow. Boston, 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Get the shadows of trees and tree branches against a building, or on the ground. The pattern of the shadows of tree branches are fascinating to look at.<\/p>\n

Tip<\/strong>: Shoot shadows at sunset, to have longer and more dramatic shadows.<\/p>\n

5. Shadows to decapitate heads<\/h2>\n
\"Shadow
Shadow on man’s face. Lisbon, 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shoot people’s faces in the shadows, to decapitate them (make them headless) for more mystery in your photos.<\/p>\n

Remember, try to do this with -1 or -2 exposure compensation.<\/p>\n

6. Curved shadows with portraits<\/h2>\n
\"Portrait
Portrait of Cindy with curved shadows. Lisbon, 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Try to get curved shadows on the face of your subject, to make a more dramatic portrait<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"iPad
iPad and Procreate shadow abstract of curved shadows in Cindy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s face.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

7. Shadow selfie and layers<\/h2>\n
\"Cindy,
Cindy, selfie shadow. Boston, 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Get a selfie shadow of yourself, with layers<\/a>. Get your shadow selfie somewhere in the background, with some people closer to you (foreground) and the background.<\/p>\n

8. Full-body shadow selfie cutout<\/h2>\n
\"Sunset
Sunset shadow selfie. London, 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When it is sunset, shoot a full body selfie of yourself. Experiment putting your selfie shadow off-center<\/a> to create a more dynamic composition<\/a>.<\/p>\n

9. Common object shadows at home<\/h2>\n
\"Chair
Chair shadow. Lisbon, 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shoot shadows at home. Shoot shadows on chairs, of common everyday objects.<\/p>\n

\"Key
Key and shadow. Marseille, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Good inspiration for a photographer who made great photos at home include Edward Weston<\/a> and Andre Kertesz<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

10. Shadow of your own hand<\/h2>\n
\"Hand
Hand and selfie shadow. Blue and red. Marseille, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When you have nothing to photograph, just stick out your own hand, and shoot a shadow of your hand. Put your hand shadow on different subjects, on different backgrounds, and spread your fingers to show all your fingers in the shadow.<\/p>\n

11. Put your shadow selfie on an \u00e2\u20ac\u0153X\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or some object<\/h2>\n
\"Selfie
Selfie with X on my shadow, Istanbul street photo, 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re out shooting street photography<\/a>, have a fun game, and place your shadows on crosses, X\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s, or other intersections.<\/p>\n

12. Shadows to highlight an eye<\/h2>\n

\"eric<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Eyes are the windows to the soul<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n

\"downtown
I kept clicking until he looked at me.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Use shadows to highlight the eyes of your subject, to add more intensity and focus on the eye of your subject.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Berkeley, 2015 #cindyproject<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

13. Abstract shadow photos<\/h2>\n
\"Curved
Curved red curtain and shadow. Marseille, 2017. Shot in program mode on Ricoh gr ii<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shoot abstract<\/a> photos with shadows in the frame.<\/p>\n

14. Shadow as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153cherry on top\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/h2>\n
\"Girl
Girl with pigeon shadow. Paris, 2011. The cherry on top is the pigeon shadow in the background.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The \u00e2\u20ac\u0153cherry on top<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is a small detail in a photograph which transforms a good photo into a great photo.<\/p>\n

To me, the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153cherry on top\u00e2\u20ac\u009d of the above photo is the shadow of the bird in flight, which is juxtaposed<\/a> with the little girl playing with a pinwheel toy.<\/p>\n

Assignment<\/strong>: Try to make a photograph where the shadow of the photograph is the small detail which makes the photograph tell a better, more open-ended story.<\/p>\n

15. Burn\/darken the faces of your subjects<\/h2>\n
\"\"
Eric Kim \/ Tokyo, 2012 (note the strong graphical elements and diagonal leading-line)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For this photograph, I used the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153burn\u00e2\u20ac\u009d tool to darken the face of my subject. This makes the man seem \u00e2\u20ac\u0153faceless\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, thus makes the photograph more mysterious.<\/p>\n

16. Flip the photograph<\/h2>\n
\""Shadows"
“Shadows” – You can shoot street photography anywhere with a shadow<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shoot a photograph of your subject with the shadow filling the frame. Then experiment by \u00e2\u20ac\u0153flipping the photograph\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (use the rotate tool in Lightroom or the program of your choice).<\/p>\n

17. Shadows shot with a film camera<\/h2>\n
\"\"
“Leaving” – Santa Monica 3rd Street. Shot with my Contax IIIa film rangefinder. Gotta love the light and shadows.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Try shooting a shadow on film<\/a>. Shooting a shadow on film will render the shadows in a more novel way than in a digital photograph. If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re new to film photography, pick up a copy of FILM NOTES<\/a>.<\/p>\n

18. Simple background, filling the frame with alternating shadows<\/h2>\n
\"Cindy
Cindy and shadow. Lisbon, 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shoot shadows against a simple white background, with shadows filling the frame.<\/p>\n

\"Man
Man and shadow. Marseille. 2017. Shot at -1 exposure compensation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When I say \u00e2\u20ac\u0153alternating shadows\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I mean: have some parts of the frame filled with shadow, but also have some negative white space in-between the shadows.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

19. Separate your selfie shadow with other shadows<\/h2>\n
\"Red
Red and Green shadows selfie. Playground in Lisbon, 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Make sure your shadow doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t overlap with other shadows. Add some negative space in-between the shadows in a scene. This will allow your shadow to have better \u00e2\u20ac\u0153figure to ground\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n

20. Put your selfie shadow on top of your subject<\/h2>\n
\"Cindy
My selfie shadow on top of Cindy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s body.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By putting your selfie shadow in the photograph, you put your own soul<\/a> in your photo. It is a reminder that you were there.<\/p>\n

Also, to your viewer, it breaks the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153third wall\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, which reminds your viewer:<\/p>\n

\n The photographer is a real human being, and was there when he\/she made the photo.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n
\"Shadow
Shadow selfie, small box. Uji, 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shooting shadows are fun, and a good photography assignment<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For more photographic and visual tools to inspire you, check out the HAPTIC SHOP on AMAZON<\/a>, or our own HAPTIC INDUSTIES SHOP<\/a> to never run out of inspiration in your photography.<\/p>\n

\"HOW
HOW TO SEE: Visual Guide to Composition, Color, & Editing in Photography<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are a billion photography opportunities all around you. Just remember to pause, smile, and look around yourself. For more guidance to see more photo ops, pick up a copy of HOW TO SEE.<\/a><\/p>\n

NEVER STOP SHOOTING,
\nERIC<\/p>\n

\n

PHOTOGRAPHY 101<\/a><\/h1>\n

Dear friend,<\/p>\n

If you’re new to photography, start here:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Mastering Photography<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Free Photography Bootcamp<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. 100 Photography Tips for Beginners<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    Photography “How-To” Articles<\/h2>\n

    \"Mad<\/p>\n