Illuminating Shadow

Just got back from a couple of days camping on the beach. We set up the tent trailer--it belongs to my daughter and son-in-law--at Carpenteria State Beach, California, located about half-way between Ventura and Santa Barbara. Our campsite was right on the beach, maybe twenty yards from the high tide mark. It was nice. It was relaxing. It was cold and windy. Most importantly, it was fun.

I was reading an article in Smithsonian magazine today called, "Illuminating Black Holes," and, apparently, my brain performed a spontaneous, knee-jerk, word-association and, consequently, I decided I'd write something about shadows. After all, shadows can be like black holes in a photo, right? Hopefully, this will come out somewhat illuminating as it pertains to people shooting... or maybe not, we'll see.

Often, the dramatic use of shadows (when shooting naked chicks) takes the images more into the realm of art nudes. Using shadows and then converting to B&W almost definitely takes the pics into the art nude camp. Hmmmm... Nothing particularly illuminating about that observation.

Shooting the sort of glamour, tease, and T&A that I often shoot--per my clients' expectations, that is--means lighting the subjects so that nary a square inch of flesh is hidden in shadow and then overexposing certain areas of their bodies with glowing highlights (rim-lighting, edge-lighting, back-lighting, whatever) and strategically placed accent lights, i.e., lighting that, more often than not, is raking across breasts and butts. Take a look at some pics that are the norm in periodicals like Playboy, Penthouse, and other magazines of that ilk, and you'll know what I'm talking about. Rarely, will you see much use of shadow in the pretty girl pics in those rags.

I've noticed that when I've shot other stuff, like corporate, commercial, family events, and those sorts of pics, the more shadow I use in the pics the more the images are perceived as being "artsy." And artsy, I've discovered, isn't always a good thing for many people's tastes.

A lot of people, it seems, prefer bright, evenly-lit shots. The perfect snapshot of your friends and relatives, at least as perceived by your friends and relatives, will often be those brightly-and-evenly-lit images that barely have a shadow anywhere in the images. Yes, artsy, it seems, is not always the hands-down favorite of the masses. (Just like it ain't with many of my clients.)

On the other hand, if your friends and relatives happen to be art critics, photo editors, effete snobs, or even photographers--not that I'm lumping all those people together--you'll probably find the opposite is true: You'll be lauded for your creative and artistic use of shadow.

Shadows are funny that way: In photography, one person's shadow is undesirable while another person's shadow is a work of art.

I'm not really sure there's a point to this update. I'm just saying.

The shadowy pretty girl at the top is Andrea from two or three years ago.