Light & Shadows
This week, we will explore how light and shadow interact to create depth, drama, and visual interest in photography. Photography is fundamentally about capturing light, but shadows are equally important. Understanding these elements will help you transform ordinary scenes into extraordinary photographs with emotional impact and visual depth.
The Fundamentals of Light and Shadow
Shadows are created when an object obstructs the path of light. The angle, direction, and temperature of the light source influence the shape, intensity, and even colour of these shadows. By mastering the manipulation of light, photographers gain control over the shadows it casts, enabling them to sculpt and shape compositions with precision.
Light and shadow are (obviously) fundamental elements of vision—we need them to perceive our environment. This essential relationship translates directly to photography, where the interplay of brightness and darkness creates photographs that are visually striking and evoke emotion and drama.
Shadow photography revolves around the intentional and creative use of shadows within a composition. Rather than seeing shadows as unwanted elements, this approach celebrates the absence of light as a powerful creative tool. In photography, where light reigns supreme, shadows often take a backseat, but these elusive companions are key to unlocking a world of depth, intrigue, and artistic expression.
Types of Shadows
Shadows generally fall into two categories:
Hard shadows are created by direct, strong light sources, such as midday sun or bare flash. They have clearly defined edges and create strong contrast.
Soft shadows are produced by diffused light, such as on cloudy days or through softboxes. These create gradual transitions between light and dark areas.
The quality of light—whether hard or soft—significantly influences a photograph's mood and emotional impact. Direct light creates strong, well-defined shadows that add tension and drama, while diffused light produces gentler, more subtle shadows that can create a softer mood.
A Little Bit of History…
The artistic manipulation of light and shadow predates photography by centuries. Looking back at paintings from the early Middle Ages (400-1300 AD), we can see that they were relatively flat and one-dimensional, with generalised, directionless lighting that created unrealistic shadows. During this period, paintings were more like what we would consider illustrations today—they were less about technical accuracy or realism and more about documenting or telling a story.
The development of chiaroscuro techniques in the 1500s revolutionised art. Famous artists like Leonardo Da Vinci, Rembrandt, and Caravaggio pioneered this approach. The term chiaroscuro comes from Italian, meaning "light-dark," and it began with artists using dark paper and light pigments to create a sense of light and dimension.
When photography emerged in the 19th century, early practitioners like Thomas Wedgwood conducted experiments using natural light. While these initial attempts were not always successful in creating permanent images, they were pivotal in understanding light's role in photography. Over time, photographers began to explore the nuances of daylight, observing how different times of day and weather conditions affected the mood and texture of their images.
The evolution continued into modern photography, where natural light techniques and artificial lighting setups were developed to enhance visual impact. Contemporary photography continues to see innovations in lighting technology, such as LED lighting and light painting techniques, offering new creative possibilities for photographers.
The Art Theory Behind Light and Shadow
Chiaroscuro in Photography: Chiaroscuro, the art of using strong contrasts between light and shadow, has become a fundamental technique in photography. More than just a technical approach, it's a narrative language communicating mood, drama, and emotion. It is employed to sculpt subjects with light, revealing details and textures while concealing other elements in shadow. This duality of revelation and concealment challenges viewers, drawing them deeper into the image. The aesthetic resembles a dance of illumination and obscurity, where every element is carefully orchestrated to achieve a harmonious composition.
The Emotional Impact: The interplay of light and shadow is visually striking and emotionally stirring, creating a dynamic that can convey mood, depth, and focus within a single frame. Light areas typically convey openness, clarity, and positivity, while shadows can suggest mystery, drama, or solemnity. By manipulating these elements, photographers can establish a specific mood or emotional tone in their images.
Composition and Visual Flow: One of the most potent aspects of light and shadow is their ability to direct the viewer's gaze through an image. Bright areas naturally attract attention first, and then the eye follows gradients of light into shadowy regions. This creates a visual journey that the photographer can deliberately design. The introduction of shadows adds depth and a sense of mystery, compelling the viewer's eye to wander through the photograph in a controlled manner. A common trick is to darken the edges of the image to help guide the eye into the centre of the frame, called vignetting.
Enhancing Form and Texture: Side lighting highlights the contours of subjects, making textures and details stand out dramatically. For example, when photographing a cactus with light coming from the side, the spines become distinctly visible against a darker background. This technique helps reveal the three-dimensional form of objects that might otherwise appear flat.
Before taking a photograph, it is helpful to ask yourself what you want to emphasise—the overall area, the contour, or specific textures. The answer will guide your decision about where the light should come from.
Practical Ways to Get Started…
Here are a few simple exercises and techniques you can try to learn more about using light and shadow in your photography:
Finding the Right Light
The Golden Hours: Shoot during early morning or late afternoon when the sun is low, creating longer, more dramatic shadows. Just type ‘when is golden hour today’ into Google, and it will give the times for your location.
Bright Sunlight: Contrary to conventional wisdom, bright sunny days can be ideal for shadow photography. The harsh light photographers often avoid creates the most dramatic shadows, providing strong contrast within the image. Buildings effectively cast large shadows onto street scenes, creating visually interesting compositions. These deep shadows can help isolate your subject and create a clear focal point by illuminating only certain parts of the photo.
Window Light: Practice indoors with a portrait or still-life subject, using light from a single window. Observe how distance, angles, and time of day affect shadow formation.
Experiment with Angles: The direction of light dramatically changes how shadows appear. Try photographing the same subject with light from different directions to see how it transforms the image. A great way to do this is to use a small lamp or torch with a tabletop subject so you can move things around quickly.
Camera App Settings and Techniques
There are plenty of ways a smartphone can help you visualise the light and shadow areas of a scene—before you take the shot and afterwards. With practice you can train your eye to spot these things easily, but it’s worth taking every bit of help you can get:
Exposure: Try slightly underexposing the image. The camera app has an exposure (EV) slider that lets you adjust this. Dial it down to deepen the shadows and keep detail in the highlights. Play around and see how this works with different environments and settings.
Contrast: The camera app allows you to set a style or preset while you are shooting… setting this to a ‘Dramatic’ high-contrast look will let you preview your shadows easily. Once you have taken your image, adjusting the contrast, highlights, and shadow sliders will give you even more control.
Black and White: Try setting a black-and-white preset while shooting. This will help you focus purely on the interplay of light and shadow without the distraction of colour.
For iPhone users, the native camera app allows you to tap on the screen to adjust exposure. You might want to tap on a brighter area to preserve highlight detail and deepen the shadows. Android users can achieve similar results with their native camera apps, and many models offer pro modes with manual exposure controls.
Famous Photographers and Iconic Images
Throughout photographic history, certain artists have distinguished themselves through their exceptional use of light and shadow:
Fan Ho: Among the most celebrated photographers known for their masterful use of light and shadow is Fan Ho, often referred to as "The Great Master of Lights and Shadows." Born in Shanghai in 1931, Fan Ho began photographing at age 14 and went on to win over 300 awards during his career, establishing himself as one of the most influential Asian photographers of all time. After emigrating to Hong Kong in 1949, Fan Ho documented the city's transformation into a major metropolitan centre during the 1950s and 1960s. Using primarily a Rolleiflex twin-lens reflex camera, he created striking black-and-white photographs of street scenes and urban life.
One of Fan Ho's most famous photographs, "Approaching Shadow" (1954), perfectly exemplifies his mastery of light, shadow, and geometric composition. He directed his cousin to pose against a wall at Queen's College in Causeway Bay for this image. The photograph features a striking diagonal shadow that creates powerful contrast and dramatically splits the composition. Fan Ho explained that the shadow symbolised destiny and the fading of youth. This iconic image has achieved such recognition that a print sold for nearly $50,000.
What distinguishes Fan Ho's work is not just his technical skill but his philosophical approach to shadows. Unlike many street photographers of his era, he wasn't averse to directing his subjects or cropping his images to achieve his artistic vision. He preferred black and white photography because, in his words, it "offered some distance from the scene, from real life," creating a poetic abstraction rather than mere documentation.
Ansel Adams: While primarily known for his landscape photography, Ansel Adams was a master of using light and shadow to create depth and drama in his images. His understanding of exposure and tonal range, crystallised in his Zone System, allowed him to create photographs with remarkable contrast and depth. Adams is recognised as one of the photographers who created masterpieces by applying chiaroscuro principles.
Hungarian photographer, André Kertész, contributed significantly to the photo-essay format. His images displayed a natural talent for geometry and an emotional connection. Kertész was less interested in what his subjects were looking at and more focused on the act of looking itself. Henri Cartier-Bresson paid him the ultimate compliment when he said, "Each time André Kertész's shutter clicks, I feel his heart beating."
Portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh is renowned for his dramatic lighting techniques that reveal the character of his subjects. His portraits of historical figures like Winston Churchill showcase his masterful control of light and shadow to create psychological depth. Karsh's work exemplifies how chiaroscuro techniques can reveal inner aspects of personality through thoughtful manipulation of light.
Jack Davison is a contemporary talent who has already made a name for himself through his distinctive style. His work stands out because of his intense and interesting use of light and shadow. Davison embraces spontaneity and sometimes experiments with images after taking them, ripping or scratching negatives to create unique effects. His documentary series "26 States," featuring people across the USA, brought him recognition for his shadow work.
French contemporary street photographer, Valérie Six, is known for her interesting use of colour and even more compelling use of light. After leaving her job in 2014 to pursue photography full-time, Six has won numerous awards and was selected as one of the top 30 Instagram accounts to follow. Her work has been featured in street photography publications, contemporary art platforms, and web outlets.
Give it a try!
Light and shadow are not just technical elements in photography but powerful tools for creative expression and storytelling. By understanding their historical context, artistic significance, and practical application, beginners can elevate their photography from simple documentation to compelling visual narratives.
Start by observing how light interacts with subjects in your everyday environment, experiment with different lighting conditions, and study the work of masters who have used these techniques effectively.
Remember that shadows aren't simply the absence of light—they're an essential component of visual communication that can transform ordinary photographs into extraordinary artistic expressions.
Resources
Here’s a very useful video from the iPhone Photography School, which looks at practical approaches to capturing dramatic light and shadows, using a bit of street photography as an example… plus, a nice illustration of using a black-and-white filter to help pre-visualise the scene.
This video, from the inimitable Sean Tucker, explores some wonderful examples of using light and shadow in cinematography, and gives a very clear explanation of dynamic range and what it means to ‘lose’ highlight and shadow detail, which is quite an important concept in photography.
This week’s assignments…
Your brief for this week’s daily photos is, as Sean Tucker says, to embrace your shadows and experiment with the bright bits. Just try not to walk into the light…
Let’s see photographs that make creative use of deep shadow and strong highlights. Again the subject can be anything: moody portraits with a single harsh light source; street scenes in bright sunlight, or in the golden hours; still-life images of everyday objects made to look striking and mysterious with your use of shadows and contrast… the world is your mollusc!
