"Who knows what creativity lurks in the hearts of men. The Shadow knows." — paraphrased from the 1930s " The Shadow" radio drama.

"Shadows" is the subject of the latest Readers Photo Challenge assignment. Shadows are intangible and lack physical substance but can make bold visual statements nonetheless.

Shadows are pretty easy to shoot. No special equipment is required. You can photograph them with a top-of-the-line DSLR or with your cellphone. All you need is a strong, unfiltered light source. Sunny days usually are the the best source of light to create shadows. Try to avoid cloudy or overcast skies, which can make indistinct shadows or even eliminate them all together.

With the sun being mostly overhead the main place to look for shadows is the ground, but if you wait for the early morning or late afternoon setting sun, then shadows can be cast up against vertical surfaces such as an exterior wall. Or you can have long shadows on the ground, which can be more visually interesting. You also get an added benefit of having a warmer, more pleasing quality of light at those hours.

In addition to shadows, silhouettes are acceptable for this challenge, after all, a silhouette is just the shadow side of whatever subject you’re photographing. What both shadows and silhouettes have in common is that you have to be careful not to intersect other shadows and/or silhouettes with what you’re shooting. Too many things that overlap your subject will obscure it and ruin your shot. Look for clean lines and shapes on relatively clutter-free surfaces. The shadow has to stand out prominently in the composition.

If you’re creating a shadow with an artificial light source such as an indoor lamp, there a couple of things to consider. First, the farther away the light is from your subject, the less distinct the shadow will be. Try to get it as close as possible. The second consideration sounds similar but is just the opposite (and applies to outdoor shadows as well as indoors): the farther away your subject is away from where the shadow is being cast, such as a wall or the ground, the fuzzier its edges will be. To get the sharpest shadow, try to place your subject as close as possible to whatever surface you’re trying to cast it upon.

For this challenge the shadow has to be prominent in your photo and not just an incidental part of it. It has to the main reason for your image beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Contact photographer Clifford Oto at (209) 546-8263 or coto@recordnet.com. Follow him at recordnet.com/otoblog and Instagram @Recordnet.

How to enter:

1. Entries can be emailed to coto@recordnet.com. The preferred format is jpeg. Type in "Shadow" in the subject line.

2. Photos have to be taken between July 21 and Aug. 4.

3. The number of photos is limited to 10.

4. Include your name (first and last), hometown, the kind of device you used, how you got your close up and where the photo was taken (eg.: John Doe of Stockton, Canon Rebel T6i with 50mm macro lens. At Victory Park in Stockton).

5. If there is a recognizable person or persons in the photo please identify them (name, age, hometown) and describe what is going on in the photo (eg.: "Jane Done, 9, casts a shadow on the sidewalk at Victory Park in Stockton"). Please indicate how they are related to you (friend, mother, father, daughter, son, etc).


7. The deadline for submission is Aug. 4. The top examples will be published on Aug. 11 with an online gallery of all the photos on the same day at recordnet.com.

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