Shadows, which never leave your side, are the best prop for photography.

Presenting pictures taken with shadows as a key element and published in Retrica

Shadows always stay with me. When you are not confident that you can take a good picture, people say that you only need to switch to black and white, and it will come out “classy.” Pictures taken using shadows as a key element also have the advantage of looking “classy” for some reason.

There are many pictures of silhouettes where shadows play a key role, but there are many ways of using shadows to enrich pictures. Where can we find such pictures for reference? There are many works of art published in Retrica. Today, I’d like to introduce my collection of “best-of-all-time” shadow-based pictures.

Shadows play up advantages and downplay disadvantages in people photos.

Only I can find easily what I don’t like about my face. As a matter of fact, people are not really in every detail of how the faces of other people look. Nevertheless, it is human nature to want to take pictures of myself or my face according to my fancy, no matter what others may say. If you are not very good at taking selfies or you want to play up only the part that you are confident about in your face, I recommend that you make use of shadows.

The above photo was taken with a filter from the BBB pack. A bluish hue permeating the entire photo and a shadow covering half of the man’s face give a mysterious feel to the photo. The photographer emphasized this mysterious and dreamy feel by hiding half the face with a shadow!

This photo by @joana_cocoo also shows the user’s great sense of photography. A shadow, which I guess is cast by a window blind, is falling over the woman’s face and yellow T-shirt. It makes the photo fabulous like one in a fashion magazine, and the relaxed and confident look on her face completes the picture. The shadow boosts the so-called “beauty index” of this photo. It is a good example of putting shadows to great use in photography.

My first impression of the photo by @avenumlaut was that it looked like an album cover photo. I was struck by the beauty of the picture, asking myself, “How could the user think of such a creative and artistic way of taking pictures?” A stripe of bright sunlight breaking through the shadow brings the woman’s clear and shiny eyes into relief against the dark background. I think it’s safe to say that this is a “holy grail” photo for @avenumlaut.

Landscape completed by shadows

Shadows can also enhance the quality of a landscape photo. When I saw the photo below – which was taken with the Cinema filter – for the first time, it touched my heart so strongly that it is now one of my favorites. It appears that the picture was taken at a waiting room of a train station or an airport. Strong sunlight and dizzily-intersecting shadows are falling down over people bustling about the place. Amid this busy crowd, there is a lone figure – a man in a blue shirt is walking all by himself. How could the user find this intriguing scene and capture it at this wonderful moment?

This is a crowded place, but it takes photography talent to discover this fascinating scene. After I saw this photo, I got into the habit of looking around me often when sunlight fills a big place. If you want to take nice pictures, why not start by looking for shadows that can serve as a good prop for your pictures.

There is nothing but a table and chair sitting on a street, with a distinct shadow cast in the back. If it were not for the shadow over the yellow wall, the picture would have been very boring, but the shadow not only creates a sense of three-dimensions for the photo but also brings the vividness on site into life. When I see this picture, which was taken by the Chic filter, I feel good as I can feel the warmth of the sunlight casting a sharply-defined shadow.

Appeals of shadows – Shadows draw the flow of time.

There is no fragment of daily life that does not have a shadow. Shadows keep changing their positions and lengths with the passage of time, and maybe it is shadows that make us feel that we are living and breathing in our daily life.

The Minimal filter was applied to this picture, which I think was taken on a late afternoon before the sunset. The faint shadow of an electric wire is cast across the picture, while succulent plant pots arranged densely together cast short shadows behind them. The shadows in this photo provide reality and make this lovely moment in daily life feel more endearing.

I also think that the photo by @rach.hello was taken way past lunch time. A shadow is cast in front of the store with cute artifacts arranged neatly on the window sill. Maybe this is why I feel that the artifacts are comfortable inside the store as if they were taking a nap. This photo makes me feel as if I could go and open the door for a look around on a relaxing afternoon, without feeling any pressure. Just looking around would fill my heart with pleasure.

Referencing the photos shown above, I took a picture with an emphatic shadow at a small store that I visited after lunch with my friends. A shadow from the autumn flowers in a vase comes out in full blossom over the white table. The sunlight shines through the shadow, filling the photo with warmth. How amazing it is to be able to take a picture with such a warm vibe! This picture makes me feel great from the moment that I took it.