Dallas Wedding Photographers - Creating Contrast Part 2

This is the second article about contrast, and how it can be used to your advantage when shooting photography.

When trying to control the contrast in a black and white photo, exposure is the biggest factor in the amount of contrast in the picture. When trying to get a high contrast photo, it is usually best to light the subject with a different light source than the rest of your shot. This will highlight your subject, creating more contrast and making them the center focus. For Dallas wedding photographers this becomes somewhat easy, as the bride’s dress will reflect more of the flash than any of the darker ares of the picture, creating the desired effect without a lot of extra work.

Exposure can also be used to limit the amount of contrast if you want a lower contrast photo. If you intentionally under expose the photo, you naturally get less contrast. If everything is dark, then you get a much more evenly light photo, with a lot less work than trying to light everything exactly the same. As with any aspect of photography, there is no setting that will work for every photo.

Getting the right contrast with color photos is a similar process, but there are a few key distinctions. For one, it’s no longer about black against white, or light versus dark. The photo can be exposed equally in all parts, but you still have contrast between the different colors present in the photo. If the colors are similar, such as purple and blue, there will be less contrast than if the colors are opposites, such as green and red.

When trying to get the right amount of contrast in your photos, try to keep in mind the color wheel from elementary school. Colors that are on opposite sides of the wheel get more contrast then two that are next to each other. The same is true with warm colors (yellow, orange) versus cold colors (blue, green). Contrast in the picture will usually make it more appealing to view. As a Dallas wedding photographer, I’ve seen bride choose opposing wedding colors, like orange and purple, to instantly create a nice effect for their wedding photos. If you learn to notice contrast when setting up your shots, you’ll notice a huge improvement in your photos in no time.