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Position:Home>Visual Arts> Composing a pic with shadows - how to handle that?Question: Composing a pic with shadows - how to handle that!? I took some outdoor pics of places and some have shadows due to the light of the day (very late afternoon)!. When composing a picture, should I avoid all shadows - or expect there may be some!? I was not able to get back there on a cloudy day!. Are shadows acceptable or not!? If so, where or how should they be photo'd!? Ty for your advice!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Photographs record light and dark in a picture,this is what makes the image!.If the light is very bright,like strong sunlight use the patterns that shadows make as part of your picture!.If you can, shoot in Digital RAW file mode with your camera!. It is possible to reduce the shadow values and reclaim your picture!.It is possible to lighten the shadows in most photo retouching programmes,even if you cannot use RAW Files!. Sometimes you can use flash to lighten dark shadows,this is called Fill in Flash and is a good pro trick once you have Mastered it!.If you shoot on film it is posible to scan your images and correct problems digitally!.Www@QuestionHome@Com As the last person said, shadows delineate form so certainly they are acceptable, but you should give up this idea of what is acceptable and what is not!. There are no right answers in photography unlike hard sciences!. Dark shadows are good for some things, but if your desire is to get details in the shadows and the highlights then shoot on slightly overcast days, or shoot during the morning or late afternoon when the sun is low in the sky!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Shadows create contrast in your photos!. Compose carefully to get shadows to fall where you need them and so they do not distract from the feeling or image!. Harsh shadows will create a diffferent feeling in a photo, as will soft shadows!. Natural shadows can also be an indicator of time of day!.!.!.like you said!. This can be an important part of your image as well!. Don't avoid shadows, work with them!. Without them, your photos would be "flat" and uninteresting!.Www@QuestionHome@Com If you have photoshop, there is a great tool for elminating shadows!. It is called the shadow/highlighting tool!. Don't get carried away with it though, somtimes it makes your images wayy to creamy looking!.Www@QuestionHome@Com |