Mikes Photography

Blue · Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 3:16 pm Post subject: All boxed up

I'd like some advice about the shadow on this one. I didn't want it to seem like she was floating in space, so I added in the shadow on the bottom and right of the box. What I did was make a selection, then lower the exposure (gamma) within the selection. Does it look natural? The angle and everything? Or does it look obviously added in? (of course now that I've told you what I've done, it's going to be more obvious, but- you know- if you didn't know). Does anyone have any ideas how it could be better accomplished? The corner looks a little weird to me. I'm thinking of just having it be in the front. Thoughts?

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jonH · Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 3:36 pm Post subject:

it looked wrong before i read what you'd put.

what does it look like before adding it in?
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creators · Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 5:16 pm Post subject:

Applying a shadow to a photograph requires that it follow the exact same direction of the existing light. If you look at the shadow from the hanging carton lid at the front, the light is coming from the front, so there will be no shadow in front of the box. Secondly, the light is going to give a much larger shadow to the right which will include the whole of box. Placing shadows is really tricky, as a suggestion, try taking the same shot but exposed to show the fall of shadow, so that when you do it digitally you have a reference shot.

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