![]() ![]() Still, others contend that it’s perfectly fine to either burn or blow out some luminance values for the sake of contrast. Some photographers feel that images should contain no areas of complete black or complete white – that all portions of the photograph should present some level of detail for the viewer. If you ever open a conversation among a group of photographers about the suitability of brightness levels within a photograph, you’d see that the schism is split. Having these areas within your image isn’t necessarily a bad thing, so let’s talk about that now. Consider them the ‘dark abyss’ within a photograph. Let’s look at some shadows that are completely burnt out and retain no detail whatsoever:Ĭompletely black areas are so dark that you can see nothing. Much like the complete white areas earlier, these points within our images don’t have to be utterly devoid of color to be regarded as pure black. BlacksĪny portion a photograph that has zero luminance is considered to be black. However, if we darken them to the point where that detail gets lost or ‘burnt out,’ then…you guessed it, they become a completely black luminance value. These darker areas still possess information seen by the viewer. The above photo is a perfect example of more information in the shadow areas, so let’s use it one more time: Shadows are the areas of a photo that are dark but still retain a level of detail. ShadowsĪreas that appear as shadows are closely related to highlights albeit in the opposite direction. While mid-tones help to ensure much information is contained in an image, a photograph consisting of only mid-tones lacks dynamics. Most of the time our camera meter will attempt to expose for this average brightness when in ‘Automatic Mode.’ MidtonesĪ mid-tone is precisely that – all luminance values that are not dark or light are considered to be mid-tones. We’ll talk more about this as we discuss the relevance of tonal range in regards to constructing your images. ![]() The following is an example of luminance considered total white:ĭepending on your photograph, it may or may not be desirable to push the exposure to the point of white-out. If we increase the brightness to the extent that our highlights become ‘blown out’ (where details are invisible), we have complete white.Įven if the white area doesn’t appear white, it may be considered a total ‘white area’ due to the lack of detail. If we were to increase the exposure, in camera or with post-processing, it would become so bright that it would lose detail entirely, which brings us to our next point. ![]() Notice that even though these areas are bright, there is still some discernible texture and detail to be made out within the bright spots. Here’s an example of highlight luminance values: In truth, highlights can be considered the areas of a photograph which consist of high luminance values yet still contain discernible detail. At least not the case to the utmost extent. Traditionally, I’ve always thought of highlights as the brightest portions of an image, which is not the case. Now, let’s talk about each of these values and how they relate to your photography. This scale applies for both color and black and white photographs. We move from complete darkness on the left (black) to complete light (whites) on the right. The range between the different brightness levels within our photos determines its degree of contrast. A Brief Word on Tonal RangeĪll that we’re talking about here today is the measure of brightness from complete dark to complete light. Our photographs are displays of contrast between light and dark, but the distance between the two are virtually limitless. In our weirdly flexible digital age of post-processing, we can sometimes forget what is happening with the luminance values of our images. Take as an example the most basic building block of any photograph light. This malady spans every level of skill and afflicts both pros and hobbyists alike. In the same vein, the steadfast technical concepts of our photo work are misunderstood, misinterpreted or worse – completely forgotten. The simple elements are sometimes overlooked first – such as a sloppy tripod setup or assuming our cameras settings are where we last left them. Understanding tonal range in photography can be the last thing on a photographers mind.Īs we progress on our particular paths, there can be times when even the most mindful of us take some things for granted. ![]()
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