Shade: Overhang or Doorway

This is probably one of my favorite lighting solutions when shooting a subject on location. It’s great for cloudy days and sunny days alike, and it’s a way to create extremely flattering light.

You simply put your subject in the shade of a doorway, porch overhang, or covering. This situation would not work in the shade of a tree or building, because you need a definite opening or distinctive covering for shade. Figure 8.12 shows two brothers in a cave opening on the beach. This opening acts the same as a doorway. The opening of the cave allows light to reach the subjects, and the overhang on the cave blocks out overhead light. This technique is sometimes called subtractive lighting. In other words, you start with full light (overhead open sky) and slowly subtract unwanted highlights and lighting. Subtractive lighting is often used in the studio using black reflectors to absorb unwanted light.