What’s Your Preference?

RainPacket · #1 (**permalink**) 02-09-2007, 09:34 AM

Here's a question, inspired by someone else's post elsewhere in the forum.

For me, the focus of my photography is light and shadow. No matter what I'm doing, the light and shadow in a shot is most often the main thing I'm concentrating on. I have an entire set on my Flickr photostream devoted to 'Light and Shadow,' even. So, obviously, this is where I put a lot of my experimental energy!

I've find that sometimes a very high contrast in a shot can add a phenomenal amount of character to a shot... especially in black-and-white. This doesn't just mean whacking the 'contrast' slider to one end in photoshop, of course; it needs to be done thoughtfully, and in a way that actually matters to the shot.

Two of my favorite shots that I took right after getting the XTi are (deliberately) very high contrast, and I think they only have the impact they do because of it. I'll toss them in below (in small form), but my query is whether others have tried going for deliberately high-contrast (even 'overexposed') shots, and if not, talking about what they might try... and if so, I'd be curious to see the best results!

steevdavis62 · #2 (**permalink**) 02-09-2007, 11:05 AM

Yes i have indeed. I love shooting on black and white film. becuase of the higher dynamic range it offers. I love using black and white as a medium, because it seems to make photos more powerful in a way, especially when using high contrast. I find when i shoot in black and white, i use contrast to replace my colour. Instead of concentrating on colours, i think about contrast. I love it alot... Do you ever shoot on black and white film, you should definatly try it if you get a chance....My flickr acount has a nice, 7 photo series on a beach, i took and mounted as part of a photography assingment. Have a look at them if you like, feel free to leave a comment

alissasanderson · #3 (**permalink**) 02-09-2007, 01:13 PM

I like the look of high-contrast photographs, especially in black and white, when they're other peoples work. But I've never been particularly successful with taking them, or creating them in photoshop. I think after seeing the original scene my eyes/brain don't adjust well to the extra contrast and it makes me think it looks "off". So, either I'm doing it very badly and it does look off, or I'm just not destined to be very artistic.

jiminyClickit · #4 (**permalink**) 02-09-2007, 04:58 PM

During the 5 minutes of sun Mother Earth shone on us today, this third of one photo stood out. Compared to most of what I have, this is H/C. What say ye?

steevdavis62 · #5 (**permalink**) 02-10-2007, 06:39 AM

interesting in deed...like the high contrast...im jsut not sure about the composition.. in a way i like it, in a way i dont... cant pint point anything though...but i think liking it out weighs disliking it

RainPacket · #6 (**permalink**) 02-10-2007, 08:38 AM

I like the concept... and the upper part, with the bright sky and the dark clouds, is really striking. I /love/ the upper part.

I think the cloud is /too/ overpowering in the rest of the image, however. It blocks out the trees below, and makes that little line of light look almost more like noise to me. Crop the photo into a landscape instead of a portrait, just keeping the top, and I think I love it.

For me, the point of high contrast is to draw attention to something, or to make something stand out. In my two example shots at the beginning of the thread...

With "Cathedral of Mass Transit," the bands of light on the subway station ceiling are something I meant to immediately draw the eye to the arching ceiling... the cathedral-like shape that I wanted to capture.

With "Ascent into Light," the deliberate overexposure at the top of the escalators... the bright white light draws the eye to it naturally. If I had a lower contrast -- if I had NOT blown out the white at the top -- I don't think it would've been terribly interesting. The dark parts of the escalators remove the features... you know they're escalators, but you can't see the steps, so it adds something to the whole odd 'ascent into light' (or "stairway to heaven" as my friend Kaylan puts it) effect.

Now, granted, don't think that I wasn't really planning either shot meticulously! In one, it was just two days of "Okay, I need to find a time when I'm not dashing madly between trains to get a picture of this platform because the arched ceilings make me think of a cathedral, and I like that imagery. Now I have the time, let's try taking shots with about 7 different sets of settings, to see what comes out the way I like." With the other, it was just "Whee! I've had this camera for about a week... let's see what happens if I shoot with THIS setting, which should create something with an absurd contrast. I wonder what it'll look like..."

jiminyClickit · #7 (**permalink**) 02-10-2007, 08:51 PM

RainPacket,

When this hit the monitor, I thought of paintings with the dramatic sky setting the stage for whatever moment was portrayed. This was the harbinger of more snow, and I kept the lower part to show size and shape of cloud. It is the pastels in the upper right, however, that got me to save this, twiddle with it. I'll try isolating top in landscape.

As I did this and then came back to look at your work, it came to mind that the more manmade or structurally defined a subject is in the photo, the better this works. I easily could have lost all the goodness in that sky, and the rest of what's left of the trees in the darkness by overdoing. But I don't have many buildings, nothing grand certainly. Back in a bit with a redo.

steevdavis62,

Thank you for almost liking this photograph, maybe.

steevdavis62 · #8 (**permalink**) 02-10-2007, 11:01 PM

LoL, well i agree, the black cloud looks really over powering and ominious. But in a way its a greast effect. I think this would be a great background photo. Like a photo for a suspence/murder movie cover. Because it gives a really strong feeling. But to be a stand alone photo, i think maybe a little bit less negative space might help