How does contrast help in bringing out the very best in your photos? How is it able to help your subject pop out from its background? How is it able to add a rather more important dimension to your photographs enough to make it visually appealing to your spectators ' eyes? Needless to say, contrast is among the most vital elements that can help your images stick out from the rest. So , how do you use it and how can you harness its full potentials? Well, let's see.

Understanding Contrast

There are 2 forms of contrast used in photography: tonal contrast and color contrast. Using either of these two can undoubtedly help create wonderful photographs that are sure to capture your spectators ' full attention.

Tonal Contrast

This form of contrast is the one used in black and white photography and is generally used to lead the spectators ' eyes to the primary point of interest in the image.

Tonal contrast may range from high to low. High-tonal contrast uses typically black and white tones and no middle gray tones. Medium-tonal contrast uses dark and light tones together with a good range of grey tones while low-tonal contrast uses tones that are roughly the same all throughout the image. Pictures using high tonal contrast customarily picture toughness, power and strength while those using low tonal contrast generally lends the reverse effect.

Color Contrast

You can explore the employment of colours in bringing contrast to your photographs. You may either use high contrast colours (colours directly opposite each other on the color wheel) or low contrast colours (colours that are close to one another on the color wheel) to realize your chosen effect.

To get dramatic high contrast pictures, always remember that less is more. Incorporating further colors into your image can only reduce the impact of your main point of interest. You must also use one of the 2 contrasting colors in a far greater amount to achieve greater visual impact.

Using tones and colors are only 2 of the methods by which you can create intriguing contrast in your photographs. You can use size, texture, lines, direction and abstract ideas to gain the effect you need to create.

The correct use of contrast in photography has the power to stir the imagination. It's also got the power to capture the interest of your viewers so don't hesitate to explore its full potentials. Therefore do you actually think you are ready to start experimenting with it next time you take your camera for a shoot? Well, you really should!