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Category: How'd You Do That?

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Light and Shadow


 
  Light and Shadow 1b
Light and Shadow 1b
Adobe stairway; late-afternoon light; 24mm lens; Fuji Velvia

Kerry Drager

  
 
 

Darrin E. Boone 		 

Kind of spooky.


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April 13, 2004

 

Frank P. Luongo 		  Great shot! Strong shadows gives picture depth.
Frank


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October 13, 2004

 

Kerry Drager 		  Hi Darrin and Frank: Thanks for taking the time to comment ... I appreciate it!!
Kerry

P.S. Some shooting strategies:

Time of Day
Strong sunlight during late day (or early day) provides great opportunities to catch shadow shots. I first found this stairway at a historic adobe in midday ... but the direct overhead sunlight was flat and uninteresting: few shadows and none of the warm tones that you see here. I returned when the light was right.

Exposure
This sort of scene - with its great mixture of brights and darks - can be quite a metering challenge. Here's how I handled it:

  • I took a substitute reading off a middle tone in the sunlight - precisely, by metering off a sunlit patch of ground that's outside the picture area. Taking an alternate reading can be done either by spot metering, or by moving closer and filling up the viewfinder with the midtone.
  • Next, I locked in those substitute settings, re-composed my picture, and fired away.


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    October 13, 2004

    •  

    Kelly Heaton     		  Nice Capture! Thank you for the tip!


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    October 14, 2004

     

    Kerry Drager     		  Hi Kelly: Thanks for commenting ... I'm glad you like this photo!
    Kerry


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    October 14, 2004

     

    BetterPhoto Member     		  Great shot! I love the natural look and the lighting!


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    December 03, 2004

     

    Kerry Drager     		  Hi Sonya: Thanks so much for taking the time to comment ... I appreciate it! And I'm pleased you like this image!!
    Kerry


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    December 03, 2004

     

    Bob Cammarata     		  Great use of light and shadow.
    (These types of exposures are a challenge with slide film.)
    Bob


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    December 04, 2004

     

    Kerry Drager     		  Hi Bob: Thanks for your message ... I'm glad you like this shot! Yes, you are definitely correct, these "types of exposures" are definitely a challenge with slide film! Thanks again, Bob ...
    Kerry


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    December 04, 2004

     

    BetterPhoto Member     		  This is my favorite of your photos!


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    March 22, 2005

     

    Kerry Drager     		  Hi Rosa,
    Thanks for your message ... I appreciate it! It's also one of my favorites too!
    Thanks again,
    Kerry


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    March 22, 2005

     

    BetterPhoto Member     		  I love the use of light here! I love playing with shadows and light! My fiance doesn't appreciate the beauty of the contrast so much. But I love it!


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    May 06, 2006

     

    Kerry Drager     		  Hi April,
    Thanks for the nice comments ... glad you like it!! It's one of my own favorite light-and-shadow shots, too; in fact, this photo has been published in two of my books and has appeared in a number of magazines as well. Thanks again,
    Kerry


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    May 06, 2006

     

    Bruce Campbell     		  This is an amazing shot.
    I love the dark gold tones of the photo.
    Just a question... if there was a model standing on the staircase, would any extra light be required so that the face wouldn't get completely blocked by the shadow? if taken in the same angle as above. or would only a silhouette type shot be possible?
    thanks.


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    May 08, 2006

     

    Kerry Drager     		  Hi Bruce,
    Thanks for the note ... glad you like my photo! Good question on if there were a person in the photo. It depends: If the model's face were hit by sunlight, it would work just fine. Otherwise, a silhouette might work, assuming the entire person were in shadow (i.e., unless the face were lit, a partially lit body would be distracting) AND set against a bright area (remember, a dark subject would blend in with a dark background). Flash would have lit up a person in the foreground shadow, but then the resulting photo would not have been a light-and-shadow one ... i.e., which is what attracted me to the scene in the first place! Thanks again, Bruce!
    Kerry


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    May 08, 2006

     

    Bruce Campbell     		  Thanks for the tip Kerry.
    I love light and shadow pics, keep up the good work.


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    May 08, 2006

     

    BetterPhoto Member     		  Great photo. Nice to see some great photography that was apparently done in a darkroom and not computer generated.


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    October 04, 2007

     

    Kerry Drager     		  Hi Kenny,
    Thanks for the note - much appreciated! Actually, no darkroom work involved either :-) since this was shot on slide film (although I shoot digital now)!!
    Kerry


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    October 04, 2007

     
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