Shadows
Updated: Feb 8, 2019
I wanted to replicate photographs of objects in a party scene. I want to glorify these objects in the photograph to exemplify how much of a commodity they are as well as how much infatuation/reliance we have on these objects as a society. Party culture has strayed from actual spaces to socialize and spiraled into colored fluorescents and LEDs, drugs and lost memories.
HIGH CONTRAST
To begin, I used 1 green gel and one purple gel on 2 different lights. Shadow contrast is defined by the In order to create hard shadow contrast I used the green light for the highlights and made it significantly brighter than the purple one so that the purple did not function as a fill light and therefore lighten the shadow contrast. The green light was placed behind and to the left of the solo cups at about 6 feet and casted down in order to create a long, true shadow that dramatizes the image. Then I placed a fill light virtually opposite of the green light in order to create a two toned image where one cup was hit with the green main light and another was subtly filled with a small bit of purple. I placed a reflector in front of me so that the cup that was supposed to be green would not have a purple shadow inside of it.
LOW CONTRAST
This one was one of the more difficult shots to take. I began with a close blue light to the left and slightly in front of the stool while an orange light was to the right and very close to the subject. I also put a soft box on the yellow light in order to create a low contrast shadow. I did not check my histogram while taking these photos which was a mistake because I am inclined to say they are over exposed. Some of the highlight areas are completely blows out. You can see specular light on the altos box which is fine but the white pills lost definition. I placed both lights at about 5 feet while the stool stood at about 3 feet so the shadows casted seem to be long. In the future I may shorten the distance between the light and the subject so the shadow isn't so long. I do however like the how the alto is acting as a mirror to my finger's shadow due to its length.
SLOW SHADOW EDGE TRANSFER
For this one I placed a flash close and directly in front for the main light and a second flash relatively father and to the right. The distance was intentional in order to create soft shadow edge transfer on the wall as if her ghost were the one telling her to reach for the juul pod. Meanwhile, the shadows edge transfer on the hand appears more rapid due to the distance from finger to palm. I turned the blue shadow light up and the fill light down so that when it hit the obstruction it would cast a dark shadow.
RAPID SHADOW EDGE TRANSFER
For this photo I had the green light about and to the right about 7 feet away so that it would create a rapid shadow. I specifically put it at a distance where the transfer below the card would be rapid but then the transfer behind the card wouldn't so that it would blent well into the background. This keeps the focus in the center of the image so sharp lines don't extend and distract. I used a red light as a fill light and kept it relatively dim so that it didn't brighten the shadows too much. This was placed to the left and slightly lower than the green light.
Lastly, I staged a morning after scene that i now see as bland and lacking of color. Everything is hit with a golden light (to mimic sunrise), but everything is also good accented to it makes for a very flat image. Shadows are used best to distinguish light objects from their canvas but my shadows are filled with fake ambient light which makes them a little too low contrast to be the product of sun light. I placed the light at the highest possible angle and several feet away. I also used a soft box so it would diffuse and be “as big as the sun.” I placed the items in such a way that the light would create cool patterns falling in the bracelet and at the base of the glasses. I could not find the prop to make it look like sun was shining through a window and as the last, tired effort to complete the assignment, I ran out of creative juices. This was all in all a great lesson of patience.