iPhone Contrast

Contrast in Photography is used in two ways:

Contrast in Color and Light / Shadows.

A popular choice with a lot of photographers who photograph in Black and White, contrast in terms of color and light refers to its intensity.

High Contrast = Dynamic with Dramatic Flair
An image with high-contrast will feature areas or subjects that stand out more. This gives the image a more powerful, dynamic, and stronger feel to the photograph.

 

(left) The boy’s dark skin blending in the background make the brightness of his eyes and the red stripe completely standout. It entices the viewer to keep looking.

(right) Ansel Adams (famous photographer; practically the Grandfather of landscape photography perfectionism) spent hours if not days waiting for the perfect moment to capture on large format negatives. Adam’s expertise in light, contrast, and exposure produced gorgeous hi-contrasted landscapes that are almost too magical to believe they are real.

Low-Contrast = Soft and Carefree

 


You do not always need to have high contrast to achieve a successful image. Subtle grays and low-contrasted blacks / shadows can bring about a warm, soft feeling. It really all comes down to what mood and atmosphere are you trying to achieve.

Lecture and Notes: Contrast1

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Contrast in meaning and narrative: Juxtaposition

Contrast is not just visual contrast. Photographers just contrast in the sorts of images they include in a photograph to question the meaning or story of an image.

Juxtaposition is a literary term that means taking two opposing elements and binding them together in some way.

 

  • The lady doesn’t look as happy and sunny as the sun beside her.-
  • A photograph with the old and young.
  • A man wearing white standing in a kneeling crowd of black during prayer.

Juxtaposition in photography is tough to master. But, with the right narrative and idea, Juxtaposition Photography can be one of the strongest visuals as it makes the viewer to think about why those elements are together and how they work, even if they are, in some cases, extreme opposites.

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