Contrast - One Element of Good Photography

Good photography depends far more on skill than it does gear. Just because you have a good camera doesn't mean you'll get good photographs, as some professional photographers have been known to shoot with disposable cameras. One of the best things you can do to become a great photographer is to get a solid understanding of the technical elements and how they interact with each other. When you combine all of these things- depth of field, contrast, composition and color balance - these are what make a photograph unique which is why understanding them all is so important. So, here is a thorough breakdown of one of these important elements- Contrast.

Contrast?

Contrast is the range of difference between different tones in a photograph. In black and white photographs, contrast defines the grayscale, and is the difference between the darkest tones and the lightest tones in the picture. In color photography, contrast applies to how sharply colors stand out from one another.

Controlling Contrast

If you want to control the contrast in your photograph there are several ways you can do it. Most simply, you can import your photographs into any digital photo-editing suite, find the contrast button, and drag the slider around until you get the desired result. If you are using a darkroom you can increase the level of contrast in the picture by using filters on the enlarger, remembering that the higer the filter number you use, the higher will the contrast be. The ability to control contrast in the camera can be challanging as it depends on available light, the lens filters, and exposure time. It's usually a good idea to shoot with a little caution and opt for less contrast than more since you can always increase the contrast later without losing quality.

A Good Quality of Contrast

While opinions differ on how much contrast is "just right," a good general rule of thumb is that your tones should run the gamut from very dark to very bright, with every level in between represented in the photograph. This is best understood in black and white photographs, as you would want a pure white, a pure black, and every shade of grey possible represented in every photograph. A good level of contrast is when your colors "pop" or your subjects look clearly defined.

Fine-Tuning

One of the classic tricks in the photographer's toolbox is dodging and burning photographs. This is the way that you can adjust the contrast of individual parts of the picture, not the whole image. This helps in modifying the composition (like darkening the background) and highlighting the subject (like lightening their eyes) or improving the overall appearance of the image. In the darkroom, photographers will often create complex stencils that are placed on top of their blank photo paper. These stencils allow certain parts of the photograph to be exposed for different periods of time than others, which in turn gives the photographer greater control over the contrast of the entire image. Fortunately, this process has been greatly simplified in most photo editing suites and areas of interest can be dodged or burned with a mouse pointer.

Areas of a photograph that are "dodged" will be exposed to light for shorter periods of time, or in the case of digital editing will be lightened and lose contrast. Places in your picture that are "burned" will have higher contrast and the grain will be darker.

Controlling the contrast of your images is a tricky skill, but with a little practice and a whole lot of dodging and burning it will become second nature. Good contrast helps your photograph tell a better story by making the important images stand out and making the less important things just fade away. When shooting, always try and imagine what your contrast options will be before you take a shot, and go wild when you finally make it to the computer or darkroom. Like anything, practice always makes perfect!

Comments? Questions? Email Here

© HowtoAdvice.com

How to Advice .com