Forums > Photography Talk > How do I remove these shadows?

Retoucher

HammadsWorks

Posts: 79

Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

I'm testing my lighting. I have two speedlites with the same power: one at the top right corner, and one at the bottom left corner. The BL light is closer to the object, which has caused one side to have a shorter shadow. When I have both lights about the same distance the shadows are equally as long. How do I get rid of these shadows? Is it a height issue? Though, they're pretty much the same height....Should I go higher and angle the lights? (I'd test out the different possibilities but I have a fractured shoulder bone, so less moving equipment is easier smile ) Also, the lights aren't angled directly at the object.

https://preview.ibb.co/eFH0iS/ask.jpg

Mar 07 18 05:09 pm Link

Photographer

rmcapturing

Posts: 4859

San Francisco, California, US

Do you have a low, white ceiling? Try bouncing one or both of the lights.

Mar 08 18 12:17 am Link

Photographer

FIFTYONE PHOTOGRAPHY

Posts: 6597

Uniontown, Pennsylvania, US

If You can, try moving the lights in closer

Mar 08 18 02:27 am Link

Photographer

Mike Collins

Posts: 2880

Orlando, Florida, US

Don’t use two lights.  Keep the top right one and just add a fill card (white or silver) on the oppisite side of whatever that is.   USing two lights causes cross lighting AND the shadows that come with it.  You may have to use a large one if your trying to keep the background the same tone all over but then again, you can fix that in post if need be. 

That bottom left light HAS TO be lower than the other or else you wouldn’t get that longer shadow.  That’s just simple physics right there.  Light travels in a straight line and doesn’t lie.  If you do keep the lighting, just raise that left light up a bit.

Mar 08 18 03:56 am Link

Photographer

Eye of the World

Posts: 1396

Corvallis, Oregon, US

Continue shooting and experiment moving the lights to different positions and heights and see what happens, and you will learn a lot. And watch this video, then do the exercise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM7CcUrUD2g

Mar 09 18 04:46 pm Link

Photographer

JoesAlterrnative

Posts: 353

Tampa, Florida, US

Select it, cut out the object and paint them out? lol

Mar 14 18 07:49 am Link

Photographer

Voy

Posts: 1594

Phoenix, Arizona, US

Bounce light to create a larger light source. Using a huge soft box or octabox can take of the problem.

Mar 14 18 04:40 pm Link

Photographer

Brooklyn Bridge Images

Posts: 13200

Brooklyn, New York, US

Mar 14 18 06:36 pm Link

Photographer

TerrysPhotocountry

Posts: 4649

Rochester, New York, US

Try putting the light TDC  Top Dead Center over the object.

Mar 14 18 06:55 pm Link

Photographer

David Kirk

Posts: 4852

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Put the object on a piece of glass and have a significant distance between the background (table top) and the glass so the shadows fall further away from the subject (due to the distance between the glass and the table top).  Then place/angle your lights so that the reflection of the light off the glass does not come back into the lens and casts a shadow which provides sufficient space to crop them out in post.

Another option is to hang the object with thread or fishing line and hang the background well behind it and let the shadows fall away.  This is the same idea as the table, but turned sideways.  This way you don't need the glass and can have larger distances between object and background more easily but you have to clone out the thread/fishing line.

Mar 15 18 12:10 pm Link

Photographer

robert christopher

Posts: 2706

Snohomish, Washington, US

Mar 18 18 09:27 am Link