Photographers -- Do Those @#$%@ Shadows Give You Problems?

I frequently get asked questions about shadows, and how to get rid of them.

Good news, and bad news. The bad news is, wherever there is light, shadows are always going to be there and will always a problem for photographers. The good news is there are a number of really easy solutions to the problem.

Let's consider, what's causing the shadow? Well, clearly it's caused by the light hitting your subject and not landing on the background behind them.

One way to fix the problem of the shadow and not the light landing on the background is, get rid of the background. If there is nothing for the shadow to land on, SHAZAM! No shadow.

Fast fix number one would be - dump the background.

In an outdoor setting. Easy fix. Position your subject of the so there's nothing behind them.

Unfortunately you can't remove the walls if you're shooting indoors. But you can position the subject further away from them. Too many of us tend to shoot people against a wall, like a mug shot - when all we need to do is move them more into the middle of the room. Your shadows will disappear.

Unable to move them far enough into the room? Set up a new light that only hits the backdrop.

Get your subject lit and posed the way you like them and then add a light that strikes the backdrop and not the subject.

Using a "background light" has an additional bonus. By using colored gels, cookies, and scrims - your background becomes a design element within the photograph. You'll be able to include patterns, shapes and different colors. This way your additional light is not just a shadow removal system but also improves the appearance of your photograph.

How does light work? There's been much written about the subject, but it's easiest to think of light like a billiard ball. Light will hit a subject at a certain angle and reflect off at that same angle. This is called the angle of incidence. It's the same thing as a billiards ball bouncing off the cushion. Shadows on the other hand, don't have any fancy angles. They are always in direct line with the light. This makes it easy to predict where the shadow will fall and by simply changing the angle of the lights, you can make the shadow fall into an area that won't show in the final photograph.

Indoors, you can do this by moving around your "studio lights" to get the best angle. If you're only using an on camera flash, you can bounce the light off the ceiling or a wall. This will change the angle the light is approaching the subject. Outdoors, you can't change the angle of the sun but, you can change the angle it hits the subject by simply moving the subject.

Sometimes, the problem is the harshness and intensity of the shadow, which is caused by the relative size and strength of the light.

Lower the intensity of your light, and it will also lower the intensity of the shadow. The shadow will still be there but may not be so distracting.

To lower your lights' intensity... simply move the light further from the subject, while still maintaining the same power settings. Or, by leaving the light in place and reducing the power settings.

You can make your light bigger by using umbrellas, softboxes, and scrims. This will also soften the shadows and make them less distracting.

Umbrellas and softboxes have the same function as a cloud moving between the sun and your subject. They diffuse the light making the light source larger. In the case of a cloud between the sun and the subject, the entire cloud becomes the light source rather than just the tiny little sun. Next time you're outside, observe some shadows both before and after a cloud passes over. You will see a dramatic difference in the intensity of the shadows.

Clearly this article is not meant to be an exhaustive solution to the problem, there are entire books written about the subject. However, this should give you something to think about.