I went back in time and found these two photos of our cat, Barney. They were taken in our barn. Front light played a large role in each image. Barney is a handsome guy, so he is a saving grace in these two photographs, but essentially (even with the depth of field adding a bit of dimension here) the photos are somewhat flat. Flatness, our author notes, is one of the dilemmas of front lighting.
In contrast to these two photos, let me show you one of the photos I took this week, using front lighting in a different way.
Now, let's take a look at side light. First this photo, also taken this week, but in a different location, just outside our front entrance door. Unfortunately, we did not have the kind of sun this week that throws dramatic shadows.
There are, however, some soft shadows to his left (our right), down his left ear-to-neck area, and under his chin, which helps to make him more of a dimensional character and not simply a snapshot of a cat. If you think back to last week and my photos of Roo in the field, the one where he is covered in dirt from a good roll, is a classic example of side light.
One more try is below, with both flash and Barney moved a bit to a better angle.
Now off we go into the blog loop to see what others have done this week with front and side light. Start here with Cahlean Klenke of About A Dog Photography in St. Cloud and Central MN. Enjoy!