Guide To High Contrast Photography

High contrast photography is challenging to master, but in this post, we'll teach you a tonne of tried-and-true techniques that ensure stunning results. Some of our high-contrast photography suggestions cover how to make the most of contrasty lighting, while others advise you to lessen contrast for stunningly detailed pictures. So whether your aim is to easily record scenes with great dynamic range or to produce spectacular, high-contrast photographs, let's do it!

- Sujay J Shatananda

What is high contrast photography?

In photography terms, high contrast refers to pictures that have a lot of contrast between bright and dark tones. Here is a straightforward illustration where the Moon is coloured brightly while the surrounding is largely black and shadowy: However, images of high contrast settings are also referred to as high contrast photography. For instance, whether or not the final image has a lot of contrast, if you take a picture of a sunset with a brilliant sky and a dark foreground, you have already taken a high-contrast picture. In other words, even if you used a variety of ways to lower contrast in the final image, the photo would still be classified as "high contrast" because the original scene had high contrast features.

What causes high contrast scenes?