Back To Basics - Controlling Shadows

On this Adorama video, photographer Mark Wallace takes a look at a basic but important topic – controlling shadows. He explains what you need to know (and do) in order to tame those shadows in your images.

When you are shooting portraits – especially using white backgrounds you need to understand how to control those shadows. The idea is very simple and intuitive and Wallace demonstrate it well. If you want to get rid of shadows you need to have your talent a few meters/feet away from the background and have the lighting coming from the side (basically not from the same direction that you are shooting).

Another important point – make sure your talent is facing the light otherwise his or her face might not be illuminated well (this can be good for some type of more dramatic shots but for most other types it is not a good idea).

We have covered other aspects regarding shadows in the past including fixing them in post process in “How to Fix Dark Shadows in Photoshop“.

You can find many more helpful lighting tips here. LensVid. You can also check out more of Wallace tutorials here on LensVid.

Iddo Genuth

Iddo Genuth is the founder and chief editor of LensVid.com. He has been a technology reporter working for international publications since the late 1990's and covering photography since 2009. Iddo is also a co-founder of a production company specializing in commercial food and product visual content.