LOOOOOOOOOOONG Harsh Shadows.

EdinburghGary

EdinburghGary

Reply not Report
Messages
19,271
Name
Gary
Edit My Images
Yes
Jesus,

Absolutely brill weather out. Trouble is, everything is casting massive, long, black and hard....ahem...Shadows.

Are people still shooting Landscapes etc during these hours? I can imagine under the cover of a nice shaded woodland or something it's OK, but out in the open, must be impossible unless you are really aiming for the golden hours?

Gary.
 
wish I was up there then, its cold and grey here :(

Not exactly a landscape photographer but you could always use the shadows as part of the composition.

Or drop really low down so you dont see them as much
 
It's one of the best times. Low light makes the Golden hour even better for shape and texture. The really dull time is when the sun is overhead and everything sits directly under its own dome of darkness.
 
HoppyUK said:
It's one of the best times. Low light makes the Golden hour even better for shape and texture. The really dull time is when the sun is overhead and everything sits directly under its own dome of darkness.
Click to expand...

Thats what I mean. The golden light is long gone here, and we have sun way overhead with massive shadows. Annoying.

Interesting to see the comments RE making the shadows part of the comp. A challenge me thinks :) See if I can make it work!

I have no issue shooting in the golden hours, love it.

Gary.
 
Well there is the 2nd part of the golden hours yet to come, as the sun is setting - should get some decent light then.
 
I guess I just try to make the best of any situation im in... I very often dont get time in the evenings to take pics but the middle of the day is available... I just see it as part of the challenge but I agree its much harder.... and using shadows is a must...

I have a similar big issue comming up that im off a cruise and will only really be out and about through the day as in the evenings we will be away on the boat... so will only really be able to shoot at the brightest parts of the day... the med at 2pm is going to be hard work... but sorta looking forward to the challenge.... armed with a few grads and a polariser!

M
 
EdinburghGary said:
Thats what I mean. The golden light is long gone here, and we have sun way overhead with massive shadows. Annoying.

Interesting to see the comments RE making the shadows part of the comp. A challenge me thinks :) See if I can make it work!

I have no issue shooting in the golden hours, love it.

Gary.
Click to expand...

I'm not trying to be clever, but if the sun really was overhead you'd get very small shadows.

Another point that came to mind was - have you got big mountains where you are?

If you're trying to shoot close to the middle of the day remember that the sun is pretty high in the sky, even in March. It will be as high now as in mid-September. So getting on for 6 hours in the middle of the day will, all other things being equal, give disappointing results.

What I find frustrating at this time of year is that everything still looks so dead.
 
jerry12953 said:
I'm not trying to be clever, but if the sun really was overhead you'd get very small shadows.

Another point that came to mind was - have you got big mountains where you are?

If you're trying to shoot close to the middle of the day remember that the sun is pretty high in the sky, even in March. It will be as high now as in mid-September. So getting on for 6 hours in the middle of the day will, all other things being equal, give disappointing results.

What I find frustrating at this time of year is that everything still looks so dead.
Click to expand...

I wondered that, but in the back garden - around 11:30am, everything seems to be casting mega shadows. Perhaps the sun is still Relatively low, but at the same time extremely bright? I do not understand the way it all works, all I know, it feels more of a challenge when bright, outside the golden hours.

Gary.
 
EdinburghGary said:
Are people still shooting Landscapes etc during these hours?
Click to expand...

I was out yesterday in the most glorious weather conditions.

...if you were looking to sunbathe!

Even at 4.30pm, I'd forgotten just how harsh the light can be. Especially at the coast. Ended up trying some mono conversions, but even then I think it was a case of poo polishing!

Looks like it's back to rising at 4am come the weekend.
 
Personally, I find the Golden Hour a bit over-rated. Mind you, I never really favoured warm-up filters either.

Using a polariser I tend to get the most pleasing results around 2 hours before sunset and 2 hours after sunrise. 2 hours is a rule of thumb - there are all sorts of exceptions, for example during midwinter the sun will be low enough to get good results during the middle of the day, but then big shadows really are a problem.

I'm not sure why +/-2 hours works for me. I wonder whether there's a crossover point round about then when the height of the sun becomes less of a problem and its strength becomes more so....

But I say so with many years of experience and some success......
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top