The world of shadows and silhouettes in photography. Light and shadow in landscape photography

Most often, articles about light in photography dedicated to studio photography. Based on this, some amateur photographers get the impression that if they don’t shoot in a studio, they don’t have to bother with issues of light and shadow at all. This is fundamentally wrong.

The word photography is translated from Greek as “light painting”, everyone probably knows about this. A photographer's success largely depends on how effectively he can work with light and shadow. In this case we're talking about not only about studio lighting, but about light in general - from the sun, from a window, from a light bulb, from a flash, in a word, everything that can be used in artistic and everyday photography. If an amateur photographer is not familiar with the basics of constructing a light picture of a photograph, he regularly ends up with shots like this...

I think detailed comments on the photo are unnecessary. the main problem of this image - in the discrepancy between the type of lighting and the capabilities of the camera. As a result, the photo shows only a dark silhouette of foreground objects against a whitened sky. This is just one of the situations when you need not to trust the “automatic machine”, but to use your own brains - choose a shooting point and set up the device in such a way that there is something to look at in the photo.

In this chapter we'll talk exclusively about shooting a landscape in which the main light source is the sun. Despite the fact that there is only one light source, many options for lighting the scene are possible - some better, some worse.

First of all, two categories of lighting can be distinguished - diffused and directional.

Ambient lighting

The most striking example diffuse lighting can be seen on the street on a cloudy day. All objects are illuminated evenly, there is practically no cut-off pattern. For landscape photography, this is one of the most inappropriate types of lighting. The picture turns out dull, the colors are dull and dull.

In such photographs it is very difficult to convey volume, especially if the nature of the foreground and background are not different (trees against the background of trees) - they seem to be glued together. In cloudy weather, you should try to avoid taking too much sky into the frame, since the relatively dimly lit ground often turns out to be too dark:

You can, of course, “stretch out” the shadows in Photoshop, but still the photo will almost certainly be quite boring and inexpressive. After all, the mood of a photograph in most cases is determined by chiaroscuro, but in this case there is almost none, and, in general, there is no mood either.

Directional lighting

In the case of street photography, the source of directional lighting during the day is the sun, at night - sometimes the moon, but more often - artificial light sources, for example, Street lights. Depending on the location of the light source, directional lighting can be divided into three types:

• Frontal
• Lateral
• Back-up

Front lighting This happens when the light source is located behind us and illuminates the object or the entire scene “head-on”. Feature This lighting is a very weak play of light and shadow, as a result of which the volume suffers - the photograph seems flat. Here is an example of such a photo:

Let's leave the flock of birds alone and pay attention to the landscape itself. The volume itself in this photograph is conveyed very mediocre. For example, it is not clear how far away a birch tree is from us and we have to guess about it based on indirect signs - it is clear that the leaves are very small, so the brain tells us that the tree does not grow on the edge of a cliff, but much further away. The cliff line itself merges with the river bank. In general, the rendering of volume in this photograph leaves much to be desired.

But even if we are forced to deal with frontal lighting (especially important when shooting landscapes during long trips), it is often possible to solve the problem of transmitting volume by choosing a shooting point. Here is another photograph from the same series, similar in composition, in which the point and shooting chosen are slightly different:

It's a completely different matter! Thanks to the presence of shadows, a clear separation of plans appeared, thanks to which the photograph is “readable” much better. We can immediately determine where the foreground is, where the middle ground is, and where the background is. I found a very good trick to improve the transfer of volume in lighting close to the front - the border of the illuminated foreground should pass against the background of a shadowed fragment of the background. Pay attention to the edge of the cliff - the dry grass in the foreground illuminated by the bright sun contrasts perfectly with the shaded area located lower down the slope. However, this technique is only applicable on hilly terrain. If the terrain is smooth, then, unfortunately, it will not be possible to get good volume in a photograph with frontal lighting.

Side lighting gives a much more interesting light and shadow pattern than the frontal one. With frontal lighting, even if we get a play of light and shadow on the landscape, individual objects are still illuminated “head-on” and look quite flat (see tree trunks in the previous two photos). IN side lighting objects look more voluminous. Here is an example of a photo taken with side lighting.

Although the sun is not strictly to the side of us, but to the side-behind, the light and shadow pattern here appears not only on the landscape itself, but also on the objects themselves, in particular on the tree trunk on the right. It is noticeable that it is thanks to chiaroscuro that the round form object and its texture. It is also important to mention here that the best lighting occurs in the morning and evening, when the sun is low above the horizon. In this case, the shadow from the tree crowns does not fall on their trunks, thanks to which the texture of the tree bark is conveyed in the best possible way. Plus, objects cast long shadows along the ground, which can become elements of the composition. However, when the sun drops too low, the lowlands of the landscape are plunged into shadow, which often negatively affects the expressiveness of the photo. Here is an example photo when best moment It’s already missed for shooting - the foreground has gone into the shadows.

However, the most interesting, in my opinion, photographs are obtained in backlight, that is, when shooting against the sun. I’ll say right away that shooting a landscape in backlight is not an easy task, but if successful, the result can exceed all expectations.

I must immediately warn you that backlight is not always useful. When photographing a sunset over high-rise buildings, you shouldn’t beat yourself in the chest, saying, I’ve mastered the art of landscape photography and know how to use backlight! :) The main thing is not that the light source entered the frame, the main thing is how the light spreads in the frame and how much it was conveyed in the photograph.

When used correctly, backlight can create a unique cut-off pattern in a landscape (and not only in it). To implement this type of lighting, you must, at a minimum, have a favorable environment in the frame in which this light will “play.” Let's start with something simple...

The photo was taken with a telephoto lens, leaving the setting sun outside the frame. This simple tutorial shows how you can use backlighting to create a rim of light around objects. The only condition is that the object must have a rough or even shaggy surface. Hairs on stems and flowers scatter sunlight, thanks to which quite interesting borders appeared in the photo.

Another example is more complicated...

First about positive aspects. The photograph perfectly conveys volume thanks to the active alternation of lights and shadows. Foliage is able to transmit light and create the illusion of glow, especially if it is located against a dark background. In the presence of haze, an additional type of perspective appears - aerial, that is, objects in the foreground are clear and contrasting, in the background - as if in a haze. All this has a positive effect on the perception of photography.

However, there are also pitfalls. The most important of them is the limited dynamic range of the matrix. Even a serious DSLR is often unable to work out shadows and highlights at the same time. In the above photo you can see that the texture of the oak bark is almost lost, it has gone into deep shadow. If we try to increase the shutter speed in order to better work out the shadows, another problem awaits us - the previously small and neat sun (in this case, its reflection in the water) will begin to rapidly spread in width as a result of blooming (this is a phenomenon when the charge from the overexposed cells of the matrix begins to flow to neighboring cells, which are also overexposed and overflow - and so on, and so on). Due to blooming, the sun “knocks out” a significant area of ​​the photograph in absolute White color devoid of shades:

In some cases, a neutral gradient filter helps to cope with the sun, but it allows you to achieve an acceptable result only if there is a straight horizon line in the frame and nothing intersects it. This is what a neutral gradient filter looks like:

But this is the result of its use. The darkened area of ​​the filter was in top part frame. This made it possible to darken an overly bright sky and reduce blooming, while at the same time allowing for better processing of the dark lower part of the frame.

When faced with a lack of dynamic range, many photographers often resort to HDR imaging techniques. The essence of this technique is that instead of one frame, three are taken - one with normal exposure, another underexposed (it shows the sky and the ground in black well), the third is overexposed (it shows the ground and the sky in white). Then, out of three photographs, one is taken using Adobe Photoshop or some specialized program for creating HDR. Here's an example of an HDR image:

The second problem with shooting in backlight is the glare resistance of the lens. Not all lenses can boast of the ability to produce a “clean” image when shooting against the sun and, as photographers say, “catching hares”. Here is an example of what these “hares” look like:

Sometimes sunbeams They give the photo a special zest, but most often they only spoil it, appearing in the most unnecessary places. Effective way Unfortunately, there is no way to fight “hares” other than buying expensive optics.

I can’t help but give another example of a backlit photograph taken from a helicopter:

Photo - Drilling. Western Siberia.

In addition to the very expressive chiaroscuro, this photograph is also notable for the fact that the sun here behaves as a source of point light. The shadows do not go parallel to each other, as we are used to seeing when we are on the ground, but with a perspective effect, which gives the photograph powerful internal dynamics. The photo was taken on a full-frame DSLR with a 16mm ultra-wide-angle lens.

Speaking about light in photography, one cannot fail to mention such a light source as a flash - built-in or external. Read about the features of using this device

I remember when I was just starting out as a biological camera tripod, I decided to do a photo shoot of an apple and ran into one problem. Namely: what is better to use to illuminate the subject of photography - a candle bought for a couple of kopecks in the nearest store, or a neighbor electrician, Uncle Petya, with an extension cord and a table lamp. But both of these options disappeared quite quickly - the candle burned out while I was choosing where to put the apple. After all, you can’t put it just anywhere!

Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata comes to mind here. And why? Because it's quite good musical composition. So in our thankless task, the main thing is composition! The shooting location must be chosen very carefully. I chose the wrong place and failed the photo shoot. It wasn’t the horizon that was ruined, but the whole photo shoot in general! Remember: if you choose the right location and lighting, you’ll almost be published in a glossy spread.

But let's get back to my apple photo shoot. Uncle Petya, in the same period of time during which the candle burned out, managed to find my father’s stash, and by the time of the shooting, my “soffit” stood slightly swaying, casting incomprehensible shadows and emitting an inarticulate moo.

I had to learn the hardware. Nights without sleep, surrounded by cups of coffee and tea, kilowatts of burned electricity and megabytes of wasted traffic were not in vain: I managed to define the basic concepts and rules for using light when photographing!

To begin with, let’s remember the school problem about apples, like “Petya has 3 apples...”. Everyone remembers that these apples had to be divided, acting as Robin Hood - taking some from the rich and giving it to the poor. It’s the same with photography, because it won’t be just an image. What does he need? That's right, divide! Moreover, we will divide “by three”. In the frame you need to highlight 3 different plans: background, middle and foreground. But this does not mean that you have outlined your plans and the problem is solved. No, we're just getting started!

The next step is to study the concept of “compositional center.” That is, a place or object that is emphasized and that attracts the eye. Moreover, this is not necessarily something of an unusual shape, like a giraffe sitting on the back of a camel. Although, I admit, I would stare at the outline of such a rider for a long time.

But the compositional center can be realized in any way: a human silhouette, bright element clothes, or just any object, horizontal lines or objects, shooting against the light, using a contrasting background. In this regard, the choice and option for its implementation depends solely on your imagination and skill.

One of the main and most frequently used methods is shooting against the light. It allows you not only to clearly outline the shape of an object, but also to create something new and unusual. It should be remembered that light is a complicated thing and comes in three types: directed, diffused, or mixed.

It's worth remembering that directional light often makes subjects appear flat, so even Hollywood stars know not to neglect shadows in this case. This, in fact, is how they gather such crowds of fans. Again, you can't limit yourself to 1-2 shots - the photographer must do a lot of "brush strokes", slightly changing the shooting point to get the correct exposure. But you can get a little more creative and use reflected light.

Moreover, it is not necessary that it be reflected from something shiny, we are experimenting - let it be reflected from the object being photographed! Just don’t forget that many objects do not reflect light, but transmit it through themselves.

To emphasize certain features of dark or plain objects, it is recommended to use diffused light. To help a beginner, I will immediately give several examples.

Morning - cheerfulness, freshness. Light and shadow, their sharp transitions into each other, the rays of the sun in the morning fog - you can create and create!

At noon, when the sun hangs overhead, even on a cold winter day you can picture the Caribbean coast, where it is now +35 Celsius.

In the evening, the colors blur and turn into halftones. There are a lot of natural shades of yellow and blue. Transparent shadows that constantly change their shape. Practically perfect time to create a spectacular masterpiece!

Night. There are many tricks and subtleties here! If you are using a sophisticated modern camera, then lighting problems can be solved using flash. But it’s so uninteresting - after all, we decided to CREATE! Therefore, we remember what moves can help us: the light of the moon; glare cast by a fire; sparklers and fireworks. Even a banal match at night can work wonders with its light!

By the way, since we touched on this topic, a few words about the outbreak. Flash is our everything when shooting portraits! You can also use it to “dig deeper” into the shadows and reduce them. Artificial flash light is very good for use in action photography - sharp, fast contours and outlines of objects in motion.

And, for starters, don’t forget to decide what kind of photo we need: contrasting or calm. The first option is quite simple - we select the main tone of our image with a bright spot (for example, a bright, colorful belt on a person) and press the camera shutter. For a calm photo, we handle the colors of objects more carefully and do not use “flashy” ones. The use of a shaded filter is encouraged. And don’t forget - before pressing the shutter button, double-check the selected shooting mode. It won't be too much!

“So, how did the whole epic with the apple end?” - you ask. I can't answer you directly. But I can give you a hint - have you seen the Apple logo? ;)

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Photographs convey an image of the world by displaying light and shadow. A shadow can tell a lot. This includes volume, depth, time of day, lighting, and weather conditions.

Can be used as a silhouette that looks contrasting in a bright photo. Shadows can subtly give a photo a certain atmosphere or be the main component of the photo. Each time, before pressing the shutter button, you need to take into account the position and nature of the shadows, along with the entire composition of the frame. They should not argue with the subject of the photograph. The biggest mistake in working with shadow is when the photographer's shadow gets into the frame.

Often, even when the lighting is normal, additional light sources should be used. They can act as fill light. This light softens the shadows in the photo.

If you use the built-in flash in the evening, the result will not be the best best result. The subject will usually be bright, and everything behind will be dark. It will look like a black hole. Good result can be provided by an external flash with a rotating head. It can fill a room or space with light. If the light is directed at the ceiling or wall, the reflected rays will create a good volume.

Working with light in photography is a complex branch of photography. Studying technical nuances and by experimenting with external and built-in light sources, as well as using diffusers, filters and other accessories, you can get very interesting pictures.

Usually, when they look at a photograph, they pay attention, first of all, to the position of a group of objects or objects illuminated by an artificial or natural light source. However, perhaps the photographer’s main means of expression when composing a frame are light and shadows. It is well known that the word photography itself, translated from Greek, means “I paint with light” or light painting. In photography we are trying to capture the light pattern of the world around us on a plane. But where there is light, there will certainly be shadow. Therefore, the most important task of a photographer is to understand how to correctly combine light and shadow in a photograph in accordance with a specific artistic intent.

Light

Light in photography performs both technical, visual and compositional tasks. With the technical function, everything is clear - with the help of lighting, the desired level of illumination is created. The pictorial function of light is to, through lighting, convey in a photograph the shape, volume and visible structure of the surface of the object being photographed, as well as the depth of space. It is through light that a photographer can ensure that an object in a photograph evokes in the viewer a feeling of softness, elasticity, smoothness, hardness or heaviness. Light helps to convey in a photograph, for example, the tenderness of a child’s skin or the shine of the surface of cutlery. The mood of the photo and its originality directly depend on the lighting.

But we should also not forget that light not only forms the shape and emphasizes the surface of objects, but also creates tones and shadows that are cast by the objects being photographed. In particular, good lighting in photography you can name only one in which highlights, midtones and shadows will be visible. The right combination light and shadow in a photograph - this is the complex compositional task that a photographer has to solve.

Since light is one of the main expressive means in a photographer’s arsenal, it is very important to remember its main characteristics and be able to use it correctly in every situation. specific situation. Light can be hard (directional) or soft (diffuse). Directional light creates sharply defined, too dark and deep shadows. This light comes from the sun in bright sunny weather, street lamps in the dark, or special artificial sources of directional light that form a very narrow beam of rays.

Photographers generally don't like to use hard, directional light because too much shadow doesn't look very attractive in a photograph. Soft, diffused light provides more even illumination of the scene, without harsh shadows. Such lighting when shooting outdoors is observed in the early morning or evening, as well as in cloudy weather. Besides, soft light can be created using softboxes and various reflectors.

They also distinguish between key, fill, background and backlight. Key light always plays a key role, since it is the light that forms the shadows in the photo, revealing the shape and volume of the subject. With its help, a light-and-shadow solution for a photograph is created. The key light can be directed from behind the photographer, from above, from the side or from below at the subject. Accordingly, the direction and angle of incidence of light changes the ratio of shadow and light in the picture, which directly affects the character and mood of the photograph.

Background light helps illuminate the space behind the subject and create a certain light and shadow pattern on it. Fill light allows the photographer to illuminate all the shadow areas of the scene and, thereby, ensure the creation of a more balanced cut-off image in accordance with the author's intention. Finally, backlighting, illuminating the subject from behind, allows you to create additional highlights in the illuminated areas and at the same time present the photo in a darker, lower tone.

Lighting can be natural or artificial. The photographer naturally cannot control the light of the sun, unlike in studio conditions, where a wide variety of lighting effects can be created with the help of artificial light sources. However, this does not mean that on the street the photographer is completely deprived of the opportunity to use light as a pictorial and compositional technique.

Here the photographer needs to have an idea of ​​what height the sun will be located relative to the horizon at a given time of day, at what angle the shadows will fall, and how certain effects will affect weather conditions on lighting characteristics.Sunlight can change its color temperatureand, accordingly, the shade in the photograph depending on the time of shooting, weather and position of the sun. The best time For outdoor photography, sunrise and sunset are considered, when diffused light is created in pleasant, warm tones and with soft shadows. Thus, when shooting outdoors, in order to achieve the desired chiaroscuro pattern, the photographer is forced to either wait for a certain time and weather, or achieve the shadows he needs through the use of reflective screens and filters.

When shooting in a studio, the photographer is virtually unlimited in his means of expression and can use certain lighting to create the lighting and shadows he needs. Correctly built light helps to realize the creative concept and largely determines the quality of the photo.

Shadows

Light and shadows are almost inseparable things in photography. In composition, not only the illuminated part of the frame, that is, light, plays a crucial role, but also shadows, which in many cases determine the meaning and content of the photograph. Beautiful and emotional strong photos It is almost impossible to create without the ability to properly compose and control shadows. Using shadows helps add value to the image and subject. strong mood, defined emotional coloring, which the viewer always feels. We can say that shadows help enhance the overall impression of a photograph and its vision.

Shadows in a photograph are determined by the nature of the lighting - diffuse or hard, drawing or filling, side or bottom light. In photography, it is customary to highlight the shadow itself, as well as the penumbra and reflex. Shadow refers to unlit or dimly lit areas of an object. Penumbra is a weak shadow that is formed when an object is illuminated by several light sources at once, or it appears on a surface facing the light source at a slight angle.

As for the reflex, this is a small bright spot in the shadow area, formed by rays of light reflected from nearby objects. Light can be directed at the subject from anywhere: above and below, right and left, front and back. In this case, each time a shadow pattern with characteristic shadows and penumbra is formed that is unique to this direction of light.

There is no need to think that shadows in a photograph are simply unlit areas of the image that do not have any content. In fact, shadows in a photograph can convey quite a lot of information to the viewer. For example, by the falling shadows in a photograph, you can determine the time of day, weather conditions, or where they are coming from. Sun rays to the shooting object. A shadow can add volume to the subject being photographed; it allows it to look more realistic and lifelike. Proper Use Shadows allow the photographer to add a sense of mystery or drama to a photo.

One of the favorite techniques of many photographers using shadow is the creation of dark silhouettes against a light background, which is achieved by illuminating the subject from behind. Silhouettes in photographs look very impressive, give the object shape and create a certain mood of the photo. Shadows can have more complex nature than just a dark silhouette. They can appear as ornate lines that contrast with the bright colors and highlights of the image. By creating such unusual shadows, you can, in particular, connect together disparate parts of a photograph and give it compositional completeness.

Light and shadows in frame composition

In the photograph we see the world as a combination of light and dark areas. The correct combination of light and shadow in the composition of the frame helps to convey the depth of space, outline the volumetric-plastic form and texture of any object, and also endow the photo with a certain mood and emotional perception. When creating any photograph, the photographer must build a composition where the main attention should be paid not only to lighting and the position of the subject in space, but also to balancing light and shadow to achieve the desired effect.

Everything in photography should be in balance and harmony with each other. Therefore, when composing a frame, you need to evaluate the individual areas of light and shadow scattered throughout the picture in order to remove unnecessary ones to ensure an optimal relationship between various elements Images. If the compositional possibilities of light and shadow fall out of the photographer’s field of vision, then the picture, as a rule, turns out uninteresting and boring.

In some cases, the wrong play with light and shadow can cause a real rejection of the photograph in the viewer. For example, it is not recommended to compose the frame in such a way that the light areas appear exclusively at the bottom of the picture, and the top of the image contains only deep, sharp shadows.

What is more important in photography – the right light or shadows? And is it necessary to place the main light accents and pronounced shadows in the composition of the photo? There is no clear answer to these questions. As practice shows, the identity of the gradations of light and shade in the image, that is, the presence in the picture of lights and shadows of equal area and brightness, is by no means a guarantee of obtaining a high-quality and, most importantly, interesting photograph.

A beautiful and memorable photograph may well consist of many areas of light and shadow that are unequal in gradation and area. The main thing here is that the photographer knows how to change this gradation and can correctly build the cut-off pattern in accordance with his artistic vision.

Of course, such a skill requires some experience and creative experimentation. In order to master the understanding of the subtle play of light and shadow, it is best for a novice photographer to start by shooting still lifes. Here the photographer can, without haste, think through all the elements of the composition, change the lighting of the subject, while simultaneously monitoring how the play of light and shadow changes in the picture. Skillful control of light and shadow allows you to create stunningly beautiful, artistic photographs that leave a lasting impression on viewers.

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