Shadow Manipulation

Shadow – A dark area or shape produced by an object between rays of light and a surface.

Basically, a shadow is created when a object is blocking rays of light. Shadows are created on objects as small as a face to objects as large as a moon during an eclipse.

Shadows can be manipulated by changing the light source. Anything from the position of the light source to the type of light can change a shadow. Some lights have softer washes which will reduce a shadow and blur the edges while others are sharper creating more distinct shadows. Moving the light source will also change the shape of the shadow. A higher altitude angle will produce a smaller one while a lower degre angle will stretch the shadow and produce a longer angle.

Included are two pictures that illustrate the effects of manipulating a light source to produce different effects with shadows. The image with the camels shows almost perfectly shaped camel. Look again, the angle of the picture is almost directly on top of the camels so you aren’t looking at the camels, but at their shadows. The second shows an artist’s efforts in adding different objects and changing the light source to produce an almost paridolic effect by creating a shadow in a familiar shape.

So, being a group of paranormal investigators and students, how does this affect us? Taking a client’s testimony into consideration when talking about shadows, we can use this information to determine if perhaps a child’s toy is casting a demonic looking shadow on a wall every time the light from a passing car enters through a window. When we check for shadows (the absence of light) find the light source that is causing the shadow.