3000 word essay

an investigation into creating and manipulating shadows

introduction

for my project, i will be investigating shadows and how they can be used as a way of enhancing the contrast, or adding emotion and deeper meaning to a photo. this is because they always seem to be overlooked and just used to add depth to an image, rather than being the main focus. i chose shadows because they are simple to create but can have so much meaning. for example, there could be a man stood with flowers as if he was about to give them to someone, but when the light is at a particular angle, they could look more like a weapon or another sinister object. i also chose shadows because people are typically more comfortable with their shadows than their photos being taken.

A brief history of the use of shadows in photography/cinematography

in the past, shadows have been used as a way of adding drama and mystery to a film/photograph. they were used to distort the faces of actors, hide certain features or focus your attention on a specific area. an example of this is the use of harsh, artificial light in Borris Karloff's Frankenstein (1931). 

in this photo, there is an example of the lighting used during the making of the film and how it affected the perception/appearance of the special effects used for the makeup such as the prosthetic brow and pale face paint. when a harsh light is shone on these features, the shadow causes the monsters eyes to look much more hooded/sunken, which is then exaggerated further by the pale skin of the monster. this is one of many examples of how shadows have been used in the film industry and photography. to create this effect, the crew could have used a form of 'low key lighting'. this is where there is a very bright light directed at a subject without the use of a fill light to make the shadows less harsh. 

in the background of this photo, you can see a studio light with a reflector. this would've been used to project a strong light onto the subject and create shadows that enhance his features, using the reflector as a way of projecting a blanket of light over him.

this effect causes him to appear more menacing, which goes with the overall theme of the movie itself.

1940's-50's Film Noir.

this genre of film was particularly popular during the 40's and 50's in america. the dark shadows and mysterious atmosphere of the photo portrays the fear and uncertainty that the Americans felt after the war. the photo above is a prime example of Noire photography. the subject is sat in a dark area, with a strong light shone at and angle to his face. this enhances the shadows on his face and just highlights enough for him to be visible. his face looks troubled and emotional which is another aspect of Noire photography. the shadows were used as a way of adding elements of danger, mystery and emotion to a scene. whether its to portray someone in a dark state of mind or to show that there is danger hiding in the shadows.

to achieve this, the photographers usually worked at night to make sure they have absolute darkness. this means the light will have more of an effect and create more of a contrast. the light that was typically used was a studio light with a reflector. 

present day

shadows in modern photography are used in a wide variety of ways. for example some photographers use them as a way of adding depth to a picture, such as bringing out the contours of someones face or casting a long shadow behind them so that they appear taller and more intimidating. they're also used as the subject of some peoples work, such as Tomas Maly.

 

this is a prime example of how shadows are used in modern photography. this image was created using Photoshop, which has only been developed in recent years. we can now manipulate and change photos to better show what we are trying to convey through our work. for example, this photo would be almost impossible to create to this standard if someone were to try this 40 years ago. the first photo editing was during 1860, where people would use ink, paint or airbrushes to alter a photo. they could also just stick the photos onto each other. nowadays, we dont have to manually alter a photo when we can just edit it digitally. as of 1990, we can use Photoshop to completely change a photo until the original is almost unrecognisable. 

using shadows in modern photography has also become more possible due to the development of studio lighting. things like modelling lights and LED lights. by using brighter lights, shadows are much more pronounced and easy to create. they have even been used in modern art. for example, sue webster and tim noble have created sculptures of people using rubbish. in the photo below, there is a couple facing away from each other, who look miserable. 

research

Tim Noble and Sue Webster

in this photo, there is a pile of rubbish that when the light hits it, creates a shadow of two people with their backs to each other. one is holding a cigarette and the other is holding what looks like a glass of wine. the thing that i immediately feel when i see this picture is that these two people are at the end of a relationship and are using smoking and alcohol as a way of making themselves feel better. they are sat with their backs to each other but they are leaning against each other. this could suggest that there are still feelings of affection between them but for some unknown reason, the relationship is coming to an end. i like this photo because of the feelings it can provoke from something as simple as a shadow.

similar to the photo above, there are what looks shadows of a man and a woman facing away from each other and leaning. their expressions look like ones of frustration and exasperation. there may be a common theme through these artists's work of heartbreak or the reality of real life relationships as many of their pieces involve a man and a woman close to each other but facing in opposite directions.

Russ and Reyn

this image shows the back of a woman's coat being lifted by a giant shadow hand. the message behind it could be that she is being harassed by the hand. it looks like quite a masculine shadow, compared to one of a woman's hand, which would usually be more dainty and slender. this could link to feminism/patriarchy and how women have been seen more as objects to be looked at than as people.



this photo shows a woman stood next to a dog shadow puppet. she has her arm out as if she is petting it. this image includes a clever detail in the way that the leash is suspended in mid air as if it was attached to the dog. this obviously is impossibly as a shadow isn't a physical object. there may be a hook on the wall or a piece of string attached to keep it suspended. i like this image because it is simple at first as it just looks like a lady pretending to pet a shadow dog. but as you look closer, the small detail of the leash adds subtle sophistication to the photo.

Fred Eerdekens



this photo shows a piece of wire that has been bent in a way that projects a shadow when a light is shone at a certain angle. it says "everything in life is a metaphor for everything else". i like this piece because it is a very blunt way of looking at the world but it makes perfect sense. it means everything can be related in someway to everything else. if you try hard enough, you can relate to almost anything. it could also mean that true messages get lost in what people decide to project around them. what they're saying is a metaphor for something else. the use of the bent wire is especially important in this one because it looks like a tangled mess from the front but when you look at its shadow, it makes perfect sense.



the wire in this photo says "we are strangers in utopia". this could be interpreted as someone saying, when were in a good place, mentally or physically, we tend to forget about each other and only pay attention to what were feeling. i like this phrase as it looks at how we think but may not realise it. it shines a light on how easily humans can become unintentionally selfish and disregard other. the fact that this was written in a wire and can only be read by looking at its shadow could signify how its hidden from our immediate thoughts, but subconsciously, it is plausible and definitely something most people have experienced.

relevance of photographer research

from my research, i have produced some pieces of work relating to the photographers i have looked at during this project
. this could either be from technique or through their use of shadows. here are some examples, and how they relate to my chosen photographers.

Fred Eerdekens

This photo relates to Eerdekens though the technique i have used, but has been adapted slightly to relate to my theme. in his work, he used wire that has been bent in a specific shape, so that when a light is directed at it, it reveals a sentence or question written in the shadow. i wanted to try this technique as i was still experimenting with different ideas and for my shoots, and trying to decide what direction I wanted my work to take. this particular technique looked interesting and expressive, which is something that i would like to reflect in my work. 

with my theme being shadows, this technique fit into it well, and showed me another different way of using them as the main element in a photograph. although i dont think ill be pursuing this idea further, it was still an interesting experiment, that helped me develop my skills in other areas such as Photoshop.



this photo relates to the genre of photography known as Film Noire Photography. this style is easily recognisable from the highly contrasted black and white images and dramatic lighting. for this shoot, i used low key lighting in the form of a studio light with a snoot to create a strong and direct light. i also used a black background and made sure there were no other light sources in the room. this style links to my theme as it uses shadows as a way of manipulating what the viewer sees in the photo, and gives it more of a mysterious atmosphere. this links back to my research on Film Noire, and how the use of shadows created an atmosphere similar to how people were feeling during the time the genre became popular, such as feelings of mystery and uncertainty.

this image was created as a response to Tomas Maly. i had found an image of his while i was researching the theme, and it stood out to me as a very interesting concept. although there wasn't a lot of background information about the source of the photo, i wanted to explore it further and experiment with my own interpretation of the idea. this led me to create the image above. it depicts someone doing a shadow puppet of a gun, with the shadow of a real gun behind it. the photo that inspired me for this an image of a knight chess piece, with the shadow of a rearing horse with wings behind it. the shadows in these images are supposed to represent what the object in front symbolises. in the pieces i made, this could be interpreted as a comparison between a child's point of view against an adults point of view.  this relates to my theme as a way of shadows being used to represent the meaning of something in a more subtle way.

the future

in the future, i see shadows being used as a way of adding more emotion and hidden meanings to a photo. this is because they can be subtle and easily manipulated, which means more and more aspiring photographers are able to use them to show what they want portray through a photograph. this could be an emotion, a hidden meaning/motive or even just a way of adding drama and contrast to a photo. more and more photo editing software is being developed, and due to companies changing the way that they market the software, it is becoming increasingly accessible to the general public. previously, the entire program had to be purchased by means of a one off payment. now it is billed monthly, which makes the cost more manageable for people like students or anyone on a limited income.the software is also being regularly updated with new features, meaning the creative possibilities are endless.

conclusion

from my research and shoots i have completed so far, i have learnt different techniques and found inspiration from the different photographers and pieces of work. to take this project further, i am going to continue to use the GIF as a technique. this is because the technique was effective and there are a lot of different ideas that i could pursue with it. id like to mix the technique with the theme of shadow play.