PHOTOGRAPHING SHADOWS
I get a kick out of photographing shadows – especially when I’m shooting in black & white, where the contrast and dynamic range is usually greater than in color (and even more so where, as here, there’s a snowy backdrop).
Trees are a prominent source of shadows, but – as this beach scene illustrates – even a plethora of wooden sticks can create interesting shadowy effects.
Electric overhead cables often provide graceful shadows. Light may provide the key ingredient for photography, but shadows provide the flavor, add depth, shape and texture.
You may have to scan this shot for a few moments to find the key shadow – that of the helicopter in the foreground.
Trees are still the most plentiful sources of shadow, as in this wide-angle shot from behind our Easton, CT house.
On this one I’ve moved in closer – fewer trees, more compelling shadows.
And here the most striking shadows are created by honing in
on a single tree.
That’s enough of trees for now. How about this view over the Hudson River toward Manhattan from the New Jersey side.
And here’s a similar shadow effect in a more rural setting.
Okay, back to the trees – this time the shadows are up front on the Princeton U. campus, with its venerable Nassau Hall partly hidden
in the background.
Still at Princeton, some interesting shadows on the outer walls of its handsome cathedral.
That’s a shadow on the face of the building, but query, is it coming from this particular tree?
In this aged New Jersey structure, the shadows and flashes of sunlight are all mixed together.
Lots of photographic shadows are big and bold, but here it’s the very delicate ones that caught my eye.
The mostly minimal shadows of the fire escape contribute to the overall effect of the photo.
I like the way my hammock in CT blends in with the scene here –
– but now the hammock occupies a central role in the photo and casts an interesting shadow –
– which I now move in on to create a rather complex picture.
Speaking of complex shadows, here they add measurably to the scene –
while here, in contrast, it’s the minimal shadows on the snow that create an additional dimension to the composition.
Frankly, the multiple shadows in this shot aren’t worth singling out, but I do like what they add to a Central Park sight I’m fond of.
As you might expect, shadows seem very much at home in a cemetery.
And how about this interesting web of shadows seemingly cast by the single memorial flag.
Here’s a compelling sight reminiscent of generations past, with the foreground shadows helpful to break up that all-white front lawn.
By the way, you can also experiment with indoor shadows cast by the sun through a window or glass door, as in this snap of three drawer knobs.
I like the shadows here, echoing the topography of the landscape –
– and then really coming into their own.
That’s me again, hard at work snapping Central Park's
Conservatory Garden.
I borrowed this shot from last month’s blog entry to show the extra interest a shadow can add to a familiar scene.
Well, you tell me – if that’s not a shadow fluttering across the moon,
what is it? (But if it is, where’s it coming from?)