Photography Prompt: Shadow

Week of 2025-05-03- to 2025-05-09

May 03, 2025

The photography prompt this week is: Shadow

Create and share photos inspired by this week's prompt on your Aminus3 website, Substack Notes, or linked in the comments on this post.

Substack community can tag

Aminus3 Photography

in your posts.

Those of you posting on the Aminus3 community, add tag: #am3-prompt-202519

Be Inspired and Learn Something New

Working in this medium of light, we photographers are well versed in shadows. The more light we shine on our subjects, the larger the shadow it reveals.

Well placed light can add an extra shadow element, transforming photos of ordinary objects into something more unusual.

In psychology, the shadow takes on a distinct meaning that represents the unconscious aspects that we keep hidden from others, even ourselves.

This “shadow self” phenomenon is experienced at a personal and societal level. Much of the world’s problems can be attributed to an imbalance, or need for better integration, in our collective shadow.

Shadows are not reflections, they are distortions of our reality.

Unlike reflections, shadows are not always exact mirror images. Shadows can even convey a different meaning than the original subject.

A perfect recent example is this photo shared by

Liza

for the balance prompt. As you can see, the scales on the gate are balanced, but they appear to be weighted unevenly, or tipped, in the shadow version.

While subtle, it creates a whole new symbolic meaning for this image. We can (and often do) project our own meaning onto other people’s photos. When I saw this one, which was photographed outside a courthouse in South Carolina, it caused me to question whether the scales of justice are truly balanced, now, or ever before.

You can tell whole stories in shadows that interact with the physical objects around them, blurring the lines between the realms of reality and shadow.

If you are looking for some inspiration on what is possible with shadows, I created a more in-depth “how to photograph shadows” post that includes some truly excellent images and ideas.

What shadows will you photograph this week? Give it some thought and share some photos with us on Substack Notes or Aminus3.

Last Week’s Prompt Photos for “Balance”

Before you looking for strange angles and distorted shadows, take a moment to enjoy the peaceful tranquility of these balance photos that were shared last week.