Picture This

Made In The Shade

Staff | Jan 8, 2013 | First Published: Dec 1, 2012

This month’s assignment for Picture This! was “Made in the Shade,” photographs made solely in the shadow thrown by tree canopy or roof or even under overcast sky. While light levels might be lower, there’s nothing quite like the soft, diffuse light of shade to bring out every nuance of color and detail in a subject or scene. Using appropriate white balance and exposure settings, shade cast shots can look as if they were made using a large diffusion tent, all using natural light. And while HDR can help with excessive contrast, shade shots have the advantage in that they work entirely with one exposure and the most natural sense of light. Readers sent in a wide range of images covering nature, urban, and portraiture, all of which have a quality of light that bright, contrasty sunlit shots could never display.

Sunflower

Terry F. Sweatman made this photo in the backyard after the sun had set behind the Rocky Mountains. Exposure with a Hasselblad 503CX and a Carl Zeiss 150mm f/4 Sonnar T* lens on Kodak E100VS Pro film was f/22 at 1/2 sec.
© Terry F. Sweatman

Hosta Plant

The cool mood and detail delineation of this photo by Mark E. Levin is a direct result of exposing in the shade. This late morning photo was made with a Nikon D80 and a Nikkor 18-135mm lens with an exposure of f/4.8 at 1/125 sec at ISO 400.
© Mark E. Levin

Acadia National Park

Creating silken water flow is made easier when there is an overcast sky or the tree canopy provides a low-contrast cover. Will Hoskins took full advantage of this with his photo of a rushing stream made with a Canon EOS 5D and an EF 24-105mm lens and an exposure of f/16 at 1/2 sec.
© Will Hoskins

Old Mercantile Signs

Gerry Mettler captured all the subtle fade in this painted wall in Athena, Oregon. Exposure with a Nikon D90 set at Shady WB and an 18-105mm VR lens atop a Manfrotto 3021 tripod and a Manfrotto 410 head was f/11 at 1/100 sec.
© Gerry Mettler

Backyard Umbrella

Sally Perreten created an abstract form with rich texture and color contrast with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II and a Canon 17-40mm lens. Exposure at ISO 200 was f/8 at 1/125 sec.
© Sally Perreten

Town & Country

While the chrome shows some welcome reflection, this photo of a 1948 Chrysler looks like it was made using diffusion scrims and an assistant. Chuck Johnson took full advantage of the shade with this photo made at “The Elms” in Coosada, Alabama, and shot with a Canon EOS 7D and a Canon 15-85mm lens. Exposure was f/8 at 1/640 sec.
© Chuck Johnson

Mountain Laurel

Dan P. Brodt photographed these laurel flowers in the shade of an oak with a Canon EOS 20D and a Canon
EF-S 60mm macro lens. Exposure was f/22 at 1/100 sec at ISO 1600.
© Dan P. Brodt

Hopper

Otto L. Danby II made this photo in the open shade in the flower bed along the back of the house using a Canon EOS Rebel XS and a Sigma 70mm DG macro lens. Exposure at ISO 1600 was f/2.8 at 1/160 sec.
© Otto L. Danby II

Watering Cans

Tone, texture, and weathering all combine in this photo made under a doorway overhang at Château de la Bussière in Loiret, France, by Irwin H. Segel. Exposure with a Nikon D200 and a Nikkor 18-200mm lens was f/8 at 1/125 sec at ISO 400.
© Irwin H. Segel

Picture This! – Our Next Assignment
Patterns
As photographers we walk around with eyes wide open for potential compositions, plays of color and light, and classic forms that attract our eye. One of those classic compositional gambits is the recognition of and framing of patterns. These can be found patterns, still life setups you make yourself, or just an unusual gathering of objects that just happen to form a pattern that catches your eye. This photo of dockside kayaks in Alaska was made with a Canon EOS 30D and a Canon 35mm lens with an exposure of f/5.6 at 1/160 sec.

Please Read This
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Send your image and information to:
Picture This! Shutterbug Magazine,
1415 Chaffee Dr., Suite #10, Titusville, FL 32780.
Deadline for submission: January 15, 2013.
Images will appear in our April 2013 issue.
Our next topic: Multi Exposure
Deadline: February 15, 2013
Publication Date: May, 2013

Please note: We receive hundreds of submissions for Picture This! each month and want to be sure we properly identify each image we publish. Please put your name and all camera, exposure information on the back of the print or attached to slides when submitting. Also, please include your e-mail address in case we need to contact you.

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