[How-To] High Contrast vs Low Contrast Scene
INTRODUCTION ^
You may be a total beginner or perhaps an enthusiast into the world of Photography or Videography, the word "Contrast" most likely pop up so many times that you lost count.
Contrast in the world of Photography is a representation of the ratio between the Highlights, Shadows and Midtones. The whole tones spectrum can be represented from 0 to 255 with 0 being the Shadows and 255 Highlights.
If you do a search on the internet, you may not be able to find a lot of information of a definite number for the Shadows and Highlights but I typically like to separate them as followed:
Highlights: Pure Black is 0-10% (0-25) Near Black is 10-20% (26-51) Greyish Black is 20-30% (52-76) Shadows: Pure White is 90-100% (229-255) Near White is 80-90% (204-228) Greyish White is 70-80% (178-203)
Anything else in between is considered the Midtones. These are just reference numbers that you can choose to follow or not or simply use it as a rough guide when you are adjusting the exposure from your phone camera.
Just want to stress that this post is basically a theory to provide you with additional food for thought when you are doing your post processing of your photos or videos ON YOUR PHONE OR PC.
USE CASE ^
If you are active on Instagram or social media platform which sees people sharing photographs on, you see tons of High Contrast Photographs day in day out but not a lot of people actually does Low Contrast Scene. High Contrast photographs are so overused that a lot of people tend to associate an "awesome" photographs to it.
But it don't have to be this way especially when Photography is such a subjective term. So back to the biggest question, when do we use a High Contrast processing and when do we use a Low Contrast one.
You should be able to see the differences now. A High Contrast scene have deeper black which in turn emphasize the bright areas whereas a Low Contrast scene emphasize more of the midtones with lesser black and white. Let's take a look at their respective Histogram and the difference becomes clearer.
Let's dive deeper into each of them and see how and when we can use them on.
HIGH CONTRAST ^
The best way to describe a High Contrast Photograph or Video are "Intensive", "Mysterious", "Horror", "Suspense". See the common denominator here? High Contrast is most often use when the atmosphere is almost not necessarily negative emotion but rather high emotion situation.
Let's take a look at some photos here.
High Contrast processing not only works on a full color situation but also in black and white because it can make a black and white shot feels more mysterious.
High Contrast processing also works in Architecture situations as you can earlier. Making it a tac more contrasting gives it a sense that something is going happen, that same sense of anticipation.
If you are slightly more adventurous, adding in some effects and look what it became!
High Contrast look also suit a particular type of Photography or Videography which is product shoot. Look at the difference between these 2 and how much the High Contrast shot actually makes the product feels more premium.
LOW CONTRAST ^
Low Contrast may perhaps be the most underrated types of processing that anyone can look at it. With High Contrast processing giving it a higher sense of intensity and anticipation; For Low Contrast, it is tend to be used for a more positive situation.
Looking at the following shot, a Low Contrast processing do it more justice than a High Contrast processing. It portrait a more positive happy note than a darker one in the High Contrast processing. This is after all the scene of a wedding setup.
If you run through an Architecture magazine, you will typically find photographs processed in a more Low Contrasting look.
CONCLUSION ^
There is honestly more to just High vs Low Contrast because this is just touching the surface. If we were to dive deeper into lighting and stuff, we will see more terms like Soft lighting, Harsh Lighting. High Key vs Low Key and stuff.
As far as standards are concerned, these are just there as a guide. Nothing is stopping you from processing a photo or video a certain way. Even in a professional sense, it all depends on what your client or project requires you to do.
Never let anyone tells you how you should or should not go. Suggest not Dictate. You will even find some Photographers having their own styles of processing which totally ignores which contrast suits which scenes.
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