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10/21/2003 01:39:38 PM · #1 |
What lighting (other than daylight of course) is best for shadows? I have tried casting the shodows with low level light, (a small desk lamp 30 watt bulb) and I have tried the 40 watt. Hard to cast dark enough shadow from a distance and closer to the subject casts too much light on my background. Any suggestions or tips would be greatly appreciated.
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10/21/2003 02:23:15 PM · #2 |
with the type of light you are using shutter speed and camera angle to the subject and the light at the same time will really play a big part in this. also try different Apeture settings so the back ground is not too in focus but enough to get the shadow you want.
James |
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10/21/2003 02:58:47 PM · #3 |
Why not use sunlight? I do a lot of "studio" shots with sunlight. It's warm, strong, bright and leaves natural colors and tones. El Sol is your friend!
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10/21/2003 05:42:58 PM · #4 |
sunlite is only your friend if it would burn off all the rain and fog and clouds.
i just tried a flashlite -w a napkin over it - filtered the light
dont start a fire trying that...
worked okay - could have used a bit more power...
soup |
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10/21/2003 11:17:26 PM · #5 |
Shadows are defined by the source of light that creates them. A small light will create shadows with sharp edges. The edges of a shadow created with a large light will have a "penumbra", an area of partial illumination where the light source is not completely blocked. The shadow of a small object cast by a large light may be entirely penumbra, with no complete shadow (or "umbra"). Putting a diffuser over a light source spreads it more or less evenly over a larger area, increasing the penumbra and thereby softening the shadows it casts.
The character of a shadow comes from the light that illuminates it, which may be a different light source from the one that causes the shadow, light from the main source that is reflected from other objects, and/or light that passes through a translucent object.
To better understand shadows, study Sonifo's Saver Life. The prominent shadows are cast by a white light from the bottom. They are blue because the overall scene is lit by a blue light at bottom left. Where the shadows from the two lights overlap, they are black. Shadows from the blue light alone are grey because the are lit only by the white light. |
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10/21/2003 11:22:05 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by soup:
sunlite is only your friend if it would burn off all the rain and fog and clouds.
soup |
Just remember to put sunblock on when you stay out in the sun, when you're snapping away you might forget.
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10/24/2003 05:29:19 PM · #7 |
I wanted to bump this up a bit because I'm having trouble getting my shadows to look as crisp as I want them to. I don't expect them to be perfectly focused, they seem inherently soft, but the lines aren't pleasing my eye the way I think they should.
Any advice on how to sharpen them up or focus them better, without post-editing? (which hasn't helped much either, btw)
- Sia
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10/24/2003 06:20:23 PM · #8 |
You need the (physically) smallest light source possible. The larger the source, the softer the shadow. Try a small halogen bulb, without a reflector. If you still get a shadow that's softer than you want with the smalest source you can find, try moving the light further away, effectively making it smaller. Of course exposure time will suffer greatly...
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10/24/2003 09:13:34 PM · #9 |
Thank you, I'll give it a shot. :)
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