If you recall, we’ve been talking about lighting, and more specifically, how the direction of light affects your images. This week, we’re focusing on sidelighting, a powerful and often underused technique in wildlife photography.
With sidelighting, the light comes directly from either the left or right side of your subject. This lighting direction creates several useful effects, but one of the most important benefits is how well it emphasises texture. Because the light rakes across the surface of the subject, any raised areas cast small shadows. Our eyes interpret these shadows as depth, which gives a strong three-dimensional feel to an otherwise flat, two-dimensional photograph.
Monarch Butterfly Wing Scales
The image accompanying this post is a close-up of monarch butterfly wing scales, and sidelighting was essential in revealing their intricate structure. Because of the extreme magnification involved, this photograph was created in my studio using flash rather than natural light. In fact, I used two flashes to control both texture and contrast.
The main light was placed on the viewer’s upper right and fired at full power. This light raked across the butterfly wing, causing each individual scale to cast a tiny shadow — exactly what we want when working with sidelighting. Those small shadows define the texture and give the image depth.
Sidelighting: How To Soften Shadows
A second fill light was placed on the lower left side of the subject and fired at half power. The purpose of this fill light was not to eliminate the shadows, but to soften them. Shadows are important. They create dimension. But if they’re too dark or featureless, they can become distracting. By gently filling in the shadow side, the image retains depth without looking harsh or overly contrasty.
This same approach works beautifully in wildlife photography using natural light. Instead of a fill flash, you can use a reflector to bounce light back onto the shaded side of your subject. Whether you’re photographing fur, feathers, scales, bark, or leaves, sidelighting is an excellent way to bring out texture and detail while keeping your images visually engaging.
Good Luck and Good Light!
Steve & Nicole
Image: Monarch Butterfly Wing Scales