With what photography is painting with light, photographers spend our lives looking for it, learning it, challenging it, worshiping it and cursing it. So far normal. But, what about the non-light? What about the shadows? Have you ever stopped to think that they can be more than an annoying element to try to corner at all costs?
WHAT AND HOW DO I USE THE SHADOWS?
Shadows can be used like any element in a composition , they can help you to give visual interest to your image, to fill the frame, to create rhythm through the repetition of lines or shapes, or to center the point of interest.
On the other hand, the shadows have a great symbolic component . They are mysterious and suggestive; They show but they don't teach, they can be kind or sinister, they can create impossible perspectives and forms worthy of a Hitchcock or Kubrick movie.
And as a picture is worth a thousand words, we have made a small selection of 20 images to inspire you and encourage you to take your shadows from oblivion
1.- INCREASE INTEREST
Through the shadows, you can create a specific environment, a framing and ultimately a much deeper impression. Look at the following image, do you think it would convey the same with or without shadow?
Add interest to your image through shadow compositions
2.- SHADOW AND MYSTERY
Everything that is not shown clearly generates a sense of mystery, unreality. Shadows are a good way to generate this feeling.
Shadow and mystery
3.- FILL IN THE FRAME
Another feature of the shadows is that they can help you fill frames in an interesting way.
4.-TEXTURES AND SHADOWS
It is the reflection or a shadow in a puddle, but it could be a shadow roaming the space. The textures of water and stones achieve this effect when less interesting.
Textures and shadows to get interesting effects
5.- THE HAUNTED HOUSE , THE HAUNTED HOUSE
Who says mystery says terror. Isn't the following image a little scary?
When I talked about Hitchcock I meant this
6.- RHYTHM
The repetition of geometric patterns of lights and shadows can produce an image like the one you will see below.
Rhythm through lights and shadows
7.- SHADOWS AND OTHER COMPOSITION RULES
Do not forget to help you with the basic rules of composition just as if composing a portrait is about. The following image is composed through lines and colors, but above all through the rule of thirds.
Use the shadows along with other composition rules
8.- DIFFERENT VIEWS
Using different points of view will give you images with another perspective. Who is more real in this picture? Shadow or horse?
A different point of view
9.- THE IMAGINATION HAS NO LIMITS, AND PHOTOSHOP DOES NOT
If you are absolutely against image retouching programs: Go to the next point. If you think it's another way or a new world to explore, you can get funny images like this one very easily.
A bit of Photoshop?
10.- PORTRAITS WITH SHADOWS
A way to explore if you like portrait photography . You can also prepare your shadows with more success and calm than if you were photographing strangers in the street, for example.
Shadows in portrait
11.- STORIES WITH SHADOWS
If you want to take good pictures, try that they tell a story, that they have a speech that the viewer understands or at least asks about it.
Explain a story through shadows
12.-ABSTRACTION
Those forms that appear decontextualized like those of the following image, can generate formal and abstract images.
Abstraction through form
13.- MOUNTS
As far as your imagination, your desire, and your knowledge of editing programs.
The perfect crime? Hitchcock's other
14.- ALTERNATE PATTERNS
Alternate patterns
15.- A SMALL TRIBUTE, THE DECISIVE MOMENT
It can be more reflection than shadow, or the reflection of a shadow. Never mind, this image by Henri Cartier-Bresson, is proof that carrying the camera on top gives you wonderful snapshots.
Henri Cartier-Bresson
16.- THE WEEKLY SHADOW CHALLENGE
You must already know the magnificent initiative of this blog to participate, comment and practice through their challenges, right? As it could not be otherwise, we had a shadow challenge, and some of the resulting images can be consulted here
17.- MONSTROUS SCALES
All those children's games, everything that has fascinated us the shadows in our early childhood must be somewhere, rescue it and play with them, to see what comes out
Play with the size of the shadows
18.- MODERN ART?
Another proof that changing the perspective of things generates unsuspected pleasures
For modern art?
19.- PERSPECTIVE
Have we ever talked about forced perspective, usually thanks to the use of different planes and the game with the size of the elements that appear in the image, providing them with unreal scales, why not use it in shadows too?
Play with perspective
20.- ONLY FOR ROMANTICS
The image speaks for itself, doesn't it?
Say it with a shadow?
I always have in mind when I think of shadow photography in how strange we should look when we go down the street, mountains or wherever it is, chasing something that nobody else seems to see, something that nobody else values or has conscience. Shadows on the pavement, the shadows of a railing, legs, monstrous bicycle wheels, the shadow of a ball in the air, the shadow of the rush, the swings, the comings and goings, the branches of a tree. We should see each other from the outside, surely more than one would give us a good laugh. But we do not, because we are absorbed trying to see beyond ... At this point, what else does it look like, right? And there you have us, photographing shadows, but have you seen the results you can get? It doesn't seem so ridiculous anymore, right?
So I hope that without a shadow of a doubt you will hunt for shadows. You have them everywhere; Where there is light, there will be shade, and take advantage of them to "do the crazy thing" down the street and get wonderful images.
And you know, if you liked it, it has inspired you, it has given you some idea, it has motivated you to add the shadows to some of your compositions and you think that someone else may be interested or interested, please, Share it! Thank you!
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