Like our eyes, a camera captures reflected light. If the light source is directly behind the camera, reflections bounce back directly off the subject and give an idea of its shape but not so much of its forms, scale and dimensions. But if lit from behind or from the side, the camera captures more light reflected off the subject’s angles. There are more brighter highlights and fewer shadow tones, contrast is higher and the subject’s shape and form become more distinct.
When the light comes from behind the camera, a scene has less contrast, lighter-coloured areas stand out and shadows are filled with light and contain visible detail. But the photograph’s overall impact is often drab and flat. However, when the camera is pointing into the light, edges and shadows become much more distinct.
In a landscape, for example, the sun may shine through leaves, making them stand out, showing the different types of trees and silhouetting trunks and branches. Light also bounces brightly off water and other surfaces. This results in an image with much more of a sense of depth.
Also consider the quality of light. Strong, raking light is often better able to show the form of angular structures, but diffused light can reveal more subtle forms in faces and other softly rounded objects.
As well as the angle and quality of light, the physical composition of a subject’s edges is important for conveying its shape. This is especially important in outdoor portraits. With the sun in the subject’s face, and less contrast, the shape of the head is not clearly defined against a background lit by the same light. But with the sun behind the subject, the light is diffused by the many individual hairs and forms an attractive fringe that brings out the shape we expect to see in a portrait.
Objects with multiple angles are great for exploring shape and form, especially when they are shiny or wet. Very bright specular (mirror-like) highlights can bounce off many angles, and even on a particularly drab day, shapes with such surfaces can stand out.
Flick through our Australian photo library and have a look at our wide and interesting selection of Australian stock pictures. We pride ourselves in quality images at very reasonable prices.
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