Subtractive Lighting Techniques

• Darkness can sometimes be helpful to photographers as well as light. Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images

  Photography means "writing with light." The camera needs light to be able to take pictures, but sometimes light is deliberately removed from a photo to make changes in contrast that strongly affect the mood and to make figures stand out from the background. Various techniques are used to create ideal lighting conditions for a particular mood, including techniques powered by photo-editing software.

Selecting Subjects

• Subtractive lighting is simply removing lighting or adding shadows to an image. Subtractive lighting is used to create more contrast on a particular image, to get rid of reflections or to create shadows that are as deep as possible, according to Lighting Essentials. These features are usually found in situations of natural lighting, but subtractive lighting is sometimes used to create certain effects with indoor studio lighting. Subtractive lighting is the most effective when the situation being photographed would already be considered a good photograph without the subtractive lighting.

Highlights and Contrast

• When the lighting casts many shadows on a particular object photographed, the character can appear to be emerging from the shadows. The photographer places a light source that illuminates the side of the subject farthest from the shadows, creating a highlight on the edge of the subject. This enhances contrast between the shadows and the character, according to Lighting Essentials and creates the effect of the face appearing smooth and soft.

Black Cloth

• Black cloth is a staple of subtractive lighting. Since light reflects off all sorts of objects in a room, a black cloth can alter undesirable reflective surfaces by simply covering them, according to Lighting Essentials. Black objects can be used outdoors to block natural light and create the subtractive effect.

Photo Editing Software

• One way to subtract light from a photograph is using photo-editing programs. Features such as the burn and darken tools can create an artificially darkened effect. Since this work can be time-consuming and sometimes looks artificial, photographers usually try to create natural subtractive effects, before they employ photo-editing software, which can safely make changes that are easily undone.

Backlight Effect

• Subtractive lighting is often most effective in situations where there is an abundance of natural light. The large amount of natural light makes it more difficult to create contrast between subject and background, according to Kodak. Shadows allow the natural light to create a backlight effect, which is where shadows make the edges of the subject look darker than the rest of the image, creating contrast and a clear outline for the subject.