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Light and Shadow 1b

© Kerry Drager

Light and Shadow 1b

Uploaded: March 20, 2004

Description

Adobe stairway; late-afternoon light; 24mm lens; Fuji Velvia

Comments

Darrin E. Boone April 13, 2004

Kind of spooky. #117045

Frank P. Luongo October 13, 2004

Great shot! Strong shadows gives picture depth.
Frank #839658

Kerry Drager October 13, 2004

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.

    #839669

    • Kelly Heaton October 14, 2004

    Nice Capture! Thank you for the tip! #840497

    Kerry Drager October 14, 2004

    Hi Kelly: Thanks for commenting ... I'm glad you like this photo!
    Kerry #841031

    December 03, 2004

    Great shot! I love the natural look and the lighting! #952705

    Kerry Drager December 03, 2004

    Hi Sonya: Thanks so much for taking the time to comment ... I appreciate it! And I'm pleased you like this image!!
    Kerry #952717

    Bob Cammarata December 04, 2004

    Great use of light and shadow.
    (These types of exposures are a challenge with slide film.)
    Bob #954484

    Kerry Drager December 04, 2004

    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 #954855

    March 22, 2005

    This is my favorite of your photos! #1199445

    Kerry Drager March 22, 2005

    Hi Rosa,
    Thanks for your message ... I appreciate it! It's also one of my favorites too!
    Thanks again,
    Kerry #1199451

    May 06, 2006

    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! #2732969

    Kerry Drager May 06, 2006

    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 #2733296

    Bruce Campbell May 08, 2006

    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. #2736488

    Kerry Drager May 08, 2006

    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 #2737670

    Bruce Campbell May 08, 2006

    Thanks for the tip Kerry.
    I love light and shadow pics, keep up the good work. #2737748

    October 04, 2007

    Great photo. Nice to see some great photography that was apparently done in a darkroom and not computer generated. #4881810

    Kerry Drager October 04, 2007

    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 #4881824

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