…and the Mystery of Shadow
Arnie and I are old-fashioned and, let’s face it, biased. We love the look of classic photography. Many people are into HDR (high dynamic range) images, those ones that put everything on the same tonal plane so the eye does not know where to look. While HDR can be used very effectively without losing tonal range, most of what we see turns Arnie and me off. OK, that is personal preference.
In the photographs that we love, “It’s all about the light,” as we continually say in our workshops. Another phrase we use is, “the magic of light and mystery of shadow.”
One of George Eastman’s famous quotes notes, “Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography.”
Master printer John Sexton, last assistant to Ansel Adams (who was also John’s mentor), knows the value of Adams’ zone system to create rich blacks and beautiful highlights. Those same principles also hold true for color photography.
Think of a piece of sculpture. Without light, it is nothing. It needs light and shadow to delineate form and shape. Landscapes are Mother Nature’s masterpieces of sculpture, just as with Arnie’s photograph above made in the badlands of Navajoland.
Faces are also pieces of sculpture, particularly with prominent cheekbones in a weathered canvas, such as with this tobacco farmer in Valle de Viñales in Cuba. I had him turn his head so that the contours of his face were highlighted, adding drama to an already-interesting personality.
Catching the light often means getting up early. There are advantages, because we usually have a location all to ourselves while others sleep in, snug under the covers. Meanwhile, we get to locations early enough to capture artificial light when it balances with the ambient light. Arnie’s photo made on the Outer Banks of North Carolina is a case in point. Five or ten minutes later, this shot of Arnie’s was not possible.
In photography — cinematography, too — there is the golden or magic hour, that time just after sunrise or just before sunset when the light is warm and inviting and makes everything glow. This shot of a classic, wooden, lapstrake dory in Maine would have been nothing if captured during the middle of the day when the harsh light would have flattened everything out, and there would have been no magic. Wooden boats hold magic for me, and this dappled, golden light only added to the allure for me.
Next: More magic of light…
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Great article. I agree with you that HDR can be done poorly and that strong tonal contrasts can make a shot much more interesting; your examples really prove that point. I will use HDR sometimes to create that affect. I use it sparingly and generally only to get a small amount of information into the shadows.That helps to take a blob of dark and make it an interesting part of the picture. Thanks for sharing your article,
Larry,
Thank you, and thank you for your comments. I have used HDR exactly the way you describe. In fact, people don’t know they are HDR, because they look like traditional processing, which is exactly what I want.
We are finding, however, that with Lightroom 5, it does a really excellent job of bringing out information in the darks and lights.
Take care,
TBC
Hi Arnie and Margo,
I have been teaching in southern Utah for the past two years while earning my masters degree in special education. I just got a job teaching in Tampa and will be moving in July. Everyone knows how attracted I am to southern Utah, and I am grateful to have had the true experience. I have been teaching at Lake Powell School in Bullfrog, Utah. It’s 3.5 hours from the nearest grocery store to give an idea of the remoteness. I must drive through Capitol Reef National Park to get to town. Tough job, huh?
One of my favorite parks.
Well, glad all is well with the photographers at BCPA. Maybe our paths will cross again.
Lizette
Good to hear from you, Lizette. You were lucky to work in that part of the world where it is definitely all about the light. Thanks for checking in, and hopefully, we will see you again sometime in the future when you get settled in your new job.
Take care,
TBC
Hi Margo,
Yes, the light on the orange sand ripples in the early morning is divine.
I enjoyed the comments on HDR. I am on the same page, totally.
Take care,
Liz
Thank you so much, Liz. That was exactly what attracted me to the scene! So glad you enjoyed the comments on HDR, too!
Take care,
TBC