7 Tutorials on Shadows In Photography

Want to know how to benefit from shadows in photography?

Photography is all about the available light whether it is faint or bright, natural or artificial and without light, there is no photography. But, without darkness or shadows, the images that we capture will look flat with no dimension or depth. A lot of the time, photographers are focussed on eliminating shadows in their photographs

black and white street photography — Photo by Fernando Rodrigues

Shadows play a very important role in photography and using them effectively is based on the photographer’s creative vision. Here are 7 tutorials that will inspire you to embrace shadows in photography.

1. Guide To Shadow Photography

Shadows in photography can be used to draw the viewers’ attention to tell compelling stories and to create depth and mystery in images. Along with shadows, colours, lighting and other factors contribute to creating a certain mood in images. If you want to elevate your shadow photography, this tutorial from ShotKit gives 15 shadow photography tips with examples to elevate your skills and creativity.

shadows in photography autumn leaves — Photo by Foad Roshan

2. How Seeing The Shadows Helps You Understand The Light

Photography is often referred as painting with light and often in photography, everyone talks about how important light is for photography. In this process, many of us fail to recognize the areas that fall in darkness which are the shadows. So, similar to light, a photograph will not work well if there are no shadows or if the shadows are not interesting. This tutorial from Digital Photography School talks about shadows in photography and how seeing shadows can help you understand light.

shadows in photography pink flower — Photo by Paula Brustur

3. How To Create Impressive Images Using Shadow Photography

Shadows in an image can transform an ordinary image into an extraordinary one and as we know it is a great tool to bring emphasis to textures, shapes and boost contrast in photographs. If you are someone who is hesitant about using shadows in photography or are unfamiliar with how shadows work, this guide from Loaded Landscapes talks about the basics of shadow photography, how it can enhance a photo, and other tips to remember during shadow photography.

shadows in photography glass — Photo by Rene Böhmer

4. How To Successfully Work With Shadows In Your Photography

Light plays a major role in photography, decides how something looks and it is hence the deciding factor on how a resulting image turns out. For this reason, photographers pay the highest amount of importance to light in photography but there is also another factor called the shadow which is often overlooked by many photographers. The contrast between light and dark can create great impacts in composition resulting in spectacular images. This article from Contrastly discusses different ways shadows can be used to create dynamic and exciting images.

people crossing street shadows — Photo by Tom Barrett

5. 7 Artists On Using Strong Shadows In Photography

Great photos require great light and for any genre of photography, we first think about light and how it illuminates the subject. Light is the one that creates a mood in the scene and gives it life; everything else is secondary. It is also this light that helps with interesting shadows that help to enhance the shapes, forms and textures and add drama in the images that we capture. This article from Shutterstock highlights seven photographers who share their favorite tips for working with heavy shadows.

sky and architecture minimal shadows — Photo by Agnivesh Jayadeep

6. Embrace The Dark Side

Sunrise and sunset times are the ones that are the most preferred by photographers because of the glorious colors and the dramatic shadows, but there are endless possibilities all through the day, so photographers get more time to capture beautiful images. Mid-afternoon is a time that is the least preferred but if you look for the right locations and compositions, you can capture interesting images even during midday. This article by Picsart discusses how you can embrace the dark side with shadow photography at any time of the day.

shadows creative — Photo by Brandon Wong

7. Embracing Shadows For Impact & Intrigue

When it comes to shadows, there are good and bad shadows. Some shadows make the image while some others break it. For a photographer, it is their creative vision and decision on how these shadows can be used in a positive way in their photographs. This post from Cole’s Classroom talks about how shadows can be utilised to add a lot of impact and intrigue to your photography.