Using Light and Shadow in your Photography, Part 2 (original photos)

Today I am going to talk about how you can use light and shadow to transform the photos you take every day, photos of your family, friends, dog, food, whatever it is. If you pay attention to light and shadows you can make any photo magical. 

Last week I posted about how to use spotlights and contrast to add drama when doing portraits, but today I want to talk about how this technique can be used for ordinary photos. As I discussed then, by paying attention to light and shadows, and by placing your subjects in natural spotlights, you can add drama and interest to your photos. When your subject is in spotlight, the foreground and background fade away and the eye is naturally drawn to them, making the story of the image stronger. 

f3.5, ISO 200, 1/3200

Posing clients for portraits and placing them in good light is one thing, but when you are capturing the events of your life you also need to seek out and find the natural light. In every situation you need to pay attention to the light that is around you, where it is and what it is illuminating. You may walk into a situation wanting to photograph one particular thing, but if after you do that you take a moment to "see" the light around you, you will find beauty in even the most ordinary things.

For example, today my son and I decided to explore my neighbor's stables. They are not particularly nice stables, nor is there anything remarkably beautiful about them. In fact, they are pretty dark with only a few areas of natural light and are a tough place to photograph. But as we explored, and as he walked in and out of the natural pockets of light I was able to see the story and capture the beauty of the surroundings. All I had to do is wait for him, to have my camera and settings ready, and when he walked into the light I was ready for him. 

Waiting for your subject to be in the light places him on center stage, but it also helps to pick out the textures and details and to add leading lines. 

f3.5, ISO 200, 1/125

f4.5, ISO 200, 1/30

f4.5, ISO 200, 1/80

f3.5, ISO 200, 1/160

f4.0, ISO 200, 1/13

f3.5, ISO 200, 1/100

f3.5, ISO 200, 1/25

In all of these photos, the location isn't gorgeous, but by seeing the light that was there and shooting my subjects when they were in the light I was able to put a spotlight on the story and to disguise the ugliness. Shooting in dark situations like this isn't easy, you really need to balance your shutter speed against your ISO to  minimize blurs and noise. The lens I had on my camera doesn't open up very wide, so I was even more handicapped by the low-light situation. But, as long as you wait for your subject to be in the light, and expose for the highlights, you can up your shutter speed and not miss too much of the action. 

I find that by going to Liveview, rather than just depending on the viewfinder, you will have a better of idea of what the final photo will look like, and can change your settings appropriately. The downside is that Autofocus is typically pretty slow in Liveview, so I will go back and forth so that I can shoot fast action as it happens. But in Liveview you can see how the shadows will fall based on the settings you have, and can increase shutter speed to make them drop off more and also reduce blur, or you can decrease shutter speed to make your subject brighter as long as they are pretty still. And if all else fails, you can up your ISO a little and fix the noise a bit in post processing.

(Did I lose you talking about shooting in Manual? It's OK, if you are using a DSLR you could just use the Tv or shutter speed priority and keep adjusting your shutter speed until it looks right to you. Or, even if you are shooting on your phone, you can adjust the exposure by tapping your subject on most newer models. By exposing for your subject if they are in bright light surrounded by shadow you will cause the camera to drop off the shadows and you will have the same effect. The equipment matters, but not as much as the light. I have always believed that a good photographer can take phenomenal photos on even a Polaroid camera. )

I hope you found this information useful, and if you have any questions please just let me know. Happy shooting!

 

Melissa Michaud

Lifestyle Photographer, Bebecitos Fotos

www.bebecitosfotos.com

www.facebook.com/bebecitosfotos/

I take photos every single day of the year. See them at 365project.org/bebecitosfotos