Using an Off-Camera Flash or Video Light to Force Shadows to Appear Where Desired

Although the sun is the best light source to cast interesting shadows, sometimes the sun is not where you want it or it’s already dark outside. The good news is that many modern stand-alone flash units enable you to control where you want the light to go. It’s like having a portable sun in your pocket ready to use at your command. When you have this kind of control, almost anything becomes possible. You are limited only by your training and creativity. Keeping your eyes alert at all times will train you to see amazing photos where others would see nothing.

Examples 7.15 and 7.16 illustrate how a simple wall in an average hotel room can be transformed into something quite unique. The groom posed for me standing in front of a wall. I took the photo with a normal exposure and found the photo boring and stale. I thought, if I have a clean wall to work with, I could cast a shadow of the groom onto it. I closed the blinds and turned off the lights to eliminate any ambient light and used my video light as the only light source. The shadow was large and clear because of the clean wall, the high contrast in lighting, and the low angle position of the video light.