or: USING A FLAG TO MIMIC THE DIAGONAL, GEOMETRIC SHADOWS OF ARCHITECTURE ON A SPHERICAL PLANET WITH A NON-BINARY SUN
The slanted shaft of light and shadow created by afternoon sun slamming into a building is always a beautiful thing. And it’s created geometric interest in many photographs that might otherwise have been a little flat and lifeless. But what do you do when the buildings don’t align to create the magic you want? Especially if you’re on a shoot for a magazine, with a full team and a deadline?
You make it! With a C-stand and a piece of foam core!
So, we’re looking at this photo featured above. You see the shadow? It’s subtle, since it’s a close shot. But it adds some depth to an otherwise flat image:
How’d we do that? Check out this behind the scenes photo! (Please excuse the quality, it’s a cellphone photo)
We used a C-Stand and a Quacker Clamp to hold some foam core to form a flag to block the light. As you can see, we could have captured a lot more shadow if we had shot a wider shot, or a horizontal shot. We could also make a bigger shadow if we used a bigger flag.
Okay, so first of all, let’s talk about how the building shadow geometry works.
The further the sun goes down, the longer the shadow becomes, changing the angle of your triangle of shadow.
So, with a building, you have three variables in your equation — how tall the building is, where you put your subject, and the time of day (since that controls the angle of the sun). You hope that those things align to form the geometric composition you want, in front of the background you want. But if the building is too short, your the shadow might end in front of a giant dumpster instead of in front of a beautiful cement wall.
Everything has to align perfectly, basically. And the only controls you have are the time of day and where you place your subject. If the building is too tall or too short, or if it’s too far away from the background you want, YOU WON’T GET THE SHADOWS YOU WANT.
If you use a C-stand and a flag, you can remove the building height/location variables. You still have to battle against the sun to get the angle that you want — but if you want the shadow to be higher, you can raise the C-stand and make it higher. If you want it 5 feet to the left to work with a different background, you can pick up the whole aparatus and move it 5 feet to the left.
The C-stand/flag combination gives you back control and the ability to fine tune the effect.
Now, of course, if you are able to work with a light source other than the sun, you can have even more control! You won’t have to rush to get the shot done before the sun moves, and you can change the angle of the light to any angle you want. This just shows how a C-Stand holding a simple flag can shape shadows, outside in the sun or in the studio!
How do you use flags to add interest in your compositions?
