while it may not look it, this photo's main quality is shadows. actually, EVERY photo's main quality is shadows. without them, the photo would be one shade of color... there'd be no boundaries, no contrasts... you wouldn't be able to pick out one shape from another and everything would look like a flat, boring sheet of paper. so as you're thinking of your next photo, give some thought to shadows and how they can help you.
some might argue that shadows are the difference between light and dark areas, or that shadows are comparably darker than the surrounding area, and while they're describing contrasts, they're still technically right. but a shadow is really nothing more than a lack of light. and while you can control the shape, size and "density" (for lack of a better word) of the shadow by changing the object causing the shadow, you can do the EXACT same thing by changing the light source. soften the light source and the shadows will begin to lose their edges. harden the light source and your shadows will have a distinct border. move the light away and your shadows get smaller; move it close and they get bigger. and so on...
why is this important?
consider this photo. the only thing that was done to it was to remove the color information. there was no other post processing done... no curves, no contrasts, no boosting, dodging or burning. nothing. there are also no light modifiers... no flags, gobos, cookies, barndoors... nothing like that. but if you look closely (or maybe even take a step back), you'll notice an aura around the model... an area of relative lightness surrounding her. there's no extra light doing this... the same light that's hitting the model is hitting the background. but it's brighter right behind her than it is around her, and that's what's giving her the aura.
it's a VERY subtle effect, but it's one that i, and hopefully some others, appreciate.
this effect was accomplished by using two lights to cast two different shadows, not directly behind her, but to each side. notice the shadows at her feet.. they're moving away diagonally, and if you follow them, you'll see the shadows cast by her body. THIS is what's causing the aura. it's not light that's doing it, it's the LACK of light. cool, huh?
i've pretty much already told you how to do it: position two lights an equal distance (and at the same power) at 45 degree angles to the model, then use the model's own body (or whatever you're photographing) to cast the shadows. the important thing is to position the model so that some light passes behind her and lights the area immediately behind her. let her shadows do the work, and viola! you've created an aura.
at this point, you may be noticing that in my photo, the shadow on her right (your left) is darker than the other shadow, and there's a bright spot in the upper corner. this is caused by the light on her right (your left) being slightly higher than the other. i did this for two reasons, both having to do with the model's body:
1. her face is turned slightly to her right (your left), so i wanted more light
2. her body is positioned in such a way (she's kicked out her right hip) that if i'd left the light at the same level as the other, the shadow on her left (your right) would not be as oval as it is here.
if this had been a "pro" photo, i would have done some work during post processing to darken the lighter shadow and also to get right of the light spot in the upper left corner along with some other cosmetic touch-ups. but because i'm not a pro, i'm leaving it (and also because it helps illustrate my point here).
so my point is this... as you're composing a shot, take everything you can see into account, then take everything you didn't notice the first time into account (there are actually two other discussions i could go on and on about in this photo, but i'll save it for another) then use all that information to make the photo. in this case, it's a picture of a girl holding spheres (that are actually red), but i chose not to color them in. neither the spheres nor the model was ever the point of this photo. whether it was her, a vase of flowers or a cute puppy, this photo would have been about the same thing... using shadows to create an aura.
and i think i pulled it off, not because i can see the aura, but because i got a TON of emails asking me how it was done. that means the people who looked at the photo noticed it. while the effect was subtle, it was still enough to get people thinking. and for me, that's pretty much the goal of any photo i take.
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