When learning photography, you’ll discover there are lots of different elements that make an photograph appear the way it does. Exposure, film speed, camera quality, type of frame (like a gallery picture frame) and printing method all have an impact on the quality of your final print. Contrast is one of the easist elements to manipulate in photography and also one of the most important. When used properly, contrast can take your pictures to a whole new level.
Contrast is simply the difference between the darks and light in your photographs. In terms of black and white photography, high contrast images have very bright whites and incredibly dark blacks with little room in between, while low contrast images will have more grey and appear less distinct. In color photographs, contrast can be used to describe the intensity of the colors and how they stand out in relation to each other. While theres no perfect level of contrast, a good rule of thumb is to try and create images that have pure black, pure white, and every shade in between. However, this is more challenging than it sounds!
Different Degrees of Contrast
As a photographer, you’ll have a preference on the amount of contrast that you like in your prints. Some prefer high contrast, some prefer low, but remember that its all about what works for you. As long as your pictures tell the story you want to share, there is no right or wrong answer.
If you want to see some examples of excellent normal contrast just look at the work by Ansel Adams. His landscape black and white pictures are so powerful because they cover every possible shade of grey, black and white. No wonder Ansel Adams images are so frequently seen framed in simple black picture frames in homes and offices - as the contrast black and white tones are exquisite. For an example of high-contrast, recent films such as Sin City and The Spirit used high-contrast imagery to augment their story.
Adjusting Contrast
There are a few things you can do to adjust the contrast of your images. Different types of film or digital camera settings will give your pictures different amounts of contrast. For example, slide film has a high contrast ratio compared to regular film. You can also push your film while developing it by allowing it to soak in the developer longer than recommended the longer it sits, the higher your contrast will be. Be careful that you don’t over-develop your film because, unlike prints, it can’t be redone once you develop it.
In the darkroom, you can apply a filter to your enlarger to change the contrast of your images. A #1 filter wil be a slight contrast increase, whereas a #4 filter will significantly increase the contrast level in your print. If you’re using a digital camera, most photo editing software has a built in contrast option that will let you mimic the changes you could make in the darkroom. Contrast is unlimited in what you can do with it so play around and take it to the limit and see what happens.
Contrast can control the focal point of an image, as in where your viewers look. It can help further define important parts of your photograph as well as create a higher quality image when done properly. The right (or wrong type) of picture frame can also impact how the viewer looks at your picture so make sure to stick with a frame that has simple clean lines and avoid highly decorative, beaded or jeweled picture frames.
Use the “pure white, pure black” rule in every picture and you’ll see a huge difference in the prints you will produce. Once you understand what degree of contrast works in your photos, you’ll start to see how you can use contrast in the real world to shoot even better pictures. As always, the best way to get better is to shoot, shoot, shoot!