When learning photography, you’ll discover there are lots of different elements that make an photograph appear the way it does. Framing, exposure, film speed, camera quality, printing method and even the type of frame (like a gallery picture frame) all of these have a say in your final product. 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.
Put simply, contrast is the difference between the lights and darks in your images. In terms or black and white photography, high contrast prints have very dark black and super bright whites with no shades in between, while low contrast images will have more grey. 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, youll probably find a set amount of contrast that works for you. 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 photographs in black and white cover every base possible in terms of greys, blacks, and whites, and are quite powerful because of it. 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. As an example of high contrast, films like Sin City and The Spirit used high contrast imagery to tell 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 increase the time your film develops or “push” your film so that your images will have more contrast. Be careful not to over-develop your film; while you can always make new prints your actual shot film is irreplaceable and cannot be fixed after you break 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 youre using digital, most photo editing software has a contrast option built in that will allow you to mimic darkroom filters and adjustments for similar results. Contrast is infinite in the options it can provide so take it to the limit and then take it one more step just to see what happens.
Contrast can also change what your viewers look at in your photograph. It can help better define important parts of a picture and creates a better final product when it is present in the right levels. 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 figure out what level of contrast works, youll begin to see contrast in the real world and be better prepared to shoot it. As always, the best way to get better is to shoot, shoot, shoot!