Art and Photography

High contrast photos?

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Deal Addict
Jun 21, 2008
2995 posts
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Toronto

High contrast photos?

Can anyone give some advice on how to shoot high contrast situations?

Usually when there's sun and sky and then a foreground/building.

I can never expose the photo well because one area is dark and the other area is light...
16 replies
Member
Apr 9, 2012
473 posts
399 upvotes
What camera body system are you using? What capture or input file format are you using, raw or jpeg? What is the intended output (how are you using the end file), monitor, print, small, large? OUTPUT type is extremely important as it determines what your input needs to be. What editing software do you have & know how to use?

Professionals would wait for the best lighting conditions. Photography on a more cloudy day? Avoid high contrast conditions, again, that's what pros would recognize & try to do. But if you can't, then: if your quality requirements are "low", & your camera had an HDR Mode/Style, then you could also use that, but usually it limits the jpeg output file size & resolution & some in camera processing do a better job with it than others. Some are just awful unless viewed at a small size. Or if your quality requirements are high, then exposure blending is a good method. Do 2-5 exposures, with one at least for the shadows & one for the highlights & then use Photoshop or HDR software to blend the exposures to how you want the detail to be. Easier said to expose for shadows & highlights if you don't know exactly how to do that, but some Google or YouTube searching should get you some tips. Then there are other processing techniques such as luminosity masking that can help a lot. If you want to do it IN THE CAMERA, then you need to choose better light or use an HDR in camera mode or if the subject allows, you could use a graduated filter.

Several exposures, blended in software, preferably from a tripod for best registration of frames & thus detail is likely the best way to do it but requires some software editing skills. An in camera HDR mode is a quick way to do it, but will likely make a mess out of any moving things in the image like cars, people, tree branch detail.

Give us more info.
Deal Expert
Jun 15, 2012
15662 posts
10440 upvotes
Southern Ontario
Post a pic of what you are trying to achieve.
Strictly large architecture? Or with people as subjects? Or real estate where you can introduce light and/or paint with it?

Are you bound by time? Do you intentionally want a bit of drama in choosing high contrast? If not, choose a better time of day.
Deal Addict
Jun 21, 2008
2995 posts
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Toronto
I already went during dusk when the sun was setting - I'm using the RX100 mark 1.

Here's an example of where I just can never get the exposure right - I want both the fore and backgrounds exposed but it either exposes the back and keeps the foreground dark, or when I tried spot metering, the foreground is brighter but the background is overexposed...

I think my phone (G4) somehow manages to get this right - or at least, better. I'm not sure why a more powerful camera is giving me troubles. I realize cell phones tend to have a lot more post processing...not sure if that's the case.

I'm just an amateur enthusiast.

Image
Member
Apr 9, 2012
473 posts
399 upvotes
Ticco wrote: I already went during dusk when the sun was setting - I'm using the RX100 mark 1.

Here's an example of where I just can never get the exposure right - I want both the fore and backgrounds exposed but it either exposes the back and keeps the foreground dark, or when I tried spot metering, the foreground is brighter but the background is overexposed...

I think my phone (G4) somehow manages to get this right - or at least, better. I'm not sure why a more powerful camera is giving me troubles. I realize cell phones tend to have a lot more post processing...not sure if that's the case.

I'm just an amateur enthusiast.
As mentioned, I can't see your sample image either, so something didn't go quite right when you tried to embed it in your post. But yours is a classic example of your just needing to learn a bit more about a complicated subject & tool. Your exposure meter in the camera is just a tool & sorry to say, while the camera is very good, it is geared for those a bit more knowledgeable than you presently are. Absolutely no offence intended, we have all been where you are now, or we are presently there on something else. Again, no offence intended but have you read over your User Guide & the section on exposure meters, as it should have such a section & you clearly know what a spot meter is. You could see if your RX100 has a more averaging meter somewhere wider than what your were using and far wider than a spot meter? I don't know that model but often amateur point & shoots or Program or Full Auto mode use a fairly wide metering set up. Usually more advanced cameras like yours have 3-4 metering set ups. But that still doesn't always work if the dynamic range of the lighting / subject is beyond what the sensor can capture & what your jpeg can show. RAW files have a wider dynamic range or exposure latitude than jpegs do, hence the other posters suggestion to shoot raw & adjust in software. We also don't know what the RX processing algorithms for jpegs are geared toward. Hence my suggestion to use an HDR style or mode if your RX100 has one?

On the internet, you could also research sensor dynamic range or exposure latitude. There are some lighting situations & subjects that just cannot be captured in one frame as the contrast between light & dark is just too great. So supplemental lighting, different lighting or HDR processing is required. You also need to know WHAT YOUR CHOSEN EXPOSURE METERING PATTERN LOOKS LIKE. If you use spot metering, then make sure that you aim it at the correct tone, ideally in your situation something half way in tone (not colour) between the darkest desired part of the scene & the lightest part of the scene & make a mental note of that & dial it in manually, or read the section on spot metering in your user guide & learn how to HOLD an exposure reading while you recompose or learn about setting exposure compensation in your camera. So spot meter the darkest part, the lightest part & then split the difference with a manual exposure setting or with an exposure compensation setting. It's a big topic of skills in doing all of this & time consuming to type it all out especially without knowing what you know.

The other options are to learn a bit more. Try a series of manual exposure brackets, maybe even up to 10 stops in 1/2 stop intervals, 5 stops over & under an Average Exposure metering set up & see if you do get an exposure that splits the difference. If there is no one good exposure, then you know that you need different lighting conditions, multiple exposures, use HDR or exposure blending to get a high contrast scene all in one capture.

No matter how good or expensive the camera, they still have limitations. Experience & knowledge help to overcome & to aid those limitations. Your scene sounds like a bit too wide an exposure range for your sensor & in camera software to process as you'd like (compared to your phone's software) or you just aren't doing something quite right. More expensive cameras with lots of options & features require knowledge of these options & features & really more manual input than automatic. Sort of like buying a Ferrari but not knowing more than the basics of how to drive. Again, please, no offence whatsoever intended, I'm just guessing here of what you may or may not know.

Hopefully you can figure out how to embed the photo in your post.
Deal Expert
Jun 15, 2012
15662 posts
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Southern Ontario
Image isn't showing on mobile or desktop.
Deal Addict
Jun 21, 2008
2995 posts
413 upvotes
Toronto
AncasterRFD wrote: Image isn't showing on mobile or desktop.
Hmm, I usually have no problems linking images on RFD - I even did it before using flickr but can't seem to do it now.

Did something change? I can't seem to figure out at all, how to insert an image that I uploaded to flickr anymore :s
Deal Addict
Feb 13, 2007
1169 posts
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The easiest method to get there is to shoot in RAW and manually adjust your exposure to somewhere between the extremes, so you end up with neither the sky nor foreground looking great (sky slightly overexposed, foreground underexposed). Then throw it into Lightroom (or whatever) and bring the shadows up and highlights down, adjusting brightness, contrast, and clarity after to bring out a bit more detail. It likely won't be fantastic, but it's easy.

Getting more complex, you bracket a number of exposures and combine them in post-processing. Ideally you'd want to be on a tripod for this, but most HDR software/scripts will adjust for slight camera movement. They'll also generally have some sort of ghosting correction to keep moving objects from ruining the shot.

If you really want it in one shot, then you need to light the foreground. Assuming we're talking about buildings or something similar, this would likely require a fair bit of lighting setup. There's a reason film shoots have giant lights all over the place, even in daylight. If you're just shooting a person in the foreground, a flash will get the job done.
Banned
Oct 27, 2016
192 posts
44 upvotes
I am not an expert. Actually, I am learning photography. I suggest you to watch few videos on YouTube. I always found videos more effective than articles.
Sr. Member
Apr 12, 2008
753 posts
277 upvotes
Toronto
Ticco wrote: Do you mind telling me how you did that? lolll

The flickr site has gotten pretty complicated and I couldn't figure out how to get the link (the one you just posted).
I opened your link in a new tab, right clicked to look at the page source, and then did a 'find' on jpg, then selected one that looked reasonably large.

I have seen others have difficulty embedding Flickr photos in forums, so there's probably a better way of doing it.
Member
Apr 9, 2012
473 posts
399 upvotes
Without an HDR Mode in the camera (it's a bit of a gimmick compared to doing it with software on the computer but on some cameras it does a pretty good job), that contrast range is just too great to get all in one frame IN THE CAMERA SAVED AS A JPEG. Your background looks to be reasonably exposed, one could argue it could be just a bit lighter, but it is late in the day. So without adding FILL IN LIGHT to the foreground shadows via say low level electronic flash or HMI lights (what used to be done in the film days before Photoshop), the contrast between the foreground shadows & the background light building is just too great for the in camera software to process, after all it's just software & it has regulations for "normal" outputs & is basically just always guessing how it should output / save a processed jpeg. RAW files are NOT processed in the camera but just saved as RAW data & a processed jpeg for preview. The sensor can capture all the detail / dynamic range in this high contrast scene but if saved as a jpeg, the in camera software doesn't know how to process the image as it can't read your mind or know your expectations. That is what RAW processing or just editing software is for. In the old film days, you just learned to accept this look or you physically added light to shadows with usually Flash, or you did editing in the darkroom, then later in the early digital days, you scanned the film & adjusted the look in Photoshop. Now, the camera can do "some" in camera processing but it is fairly general. Or you pick a Mode or Style & that helps the in camera software process & save a jpeg as per the style parameters. It will NOT process RAW files. It looks like your camera has an Auto HDR Mode that you could use, see here: Sony RX100 Auto HDR But the in camera processing ALWAYS has compromises & is not of the highest quality or resolution. It's up to you to decided if that is good enough or not.

Whether you did it via spot metering or the camera did it, you exposed pretty well correctly for the highlights. If as a jpeg original, you had exposed for the shadows making them a lot lighter, then you would have lost too much detail in the highlights, which are less recoverable than those shadows.

However, in software, without likely even needing HDR software, you could just lighten the foreground with a "Shadow" tool. Even an Auto Contrast setting in free software would help enormously. So this is a scene for extra lighting being added on site, which is not practical, or doing work in editing software such as an HDR program, Photoshop, Lightroom, Capture One, or even free software such as FastStone.

This was adjusted with Photoshop's Shadow / Hightlight tool / slider. It took seconds. Could be done lighter, darker, but I did it quick just to show you what's possible without it looking too phoney.

What software came with your camera? Doesn't Sony include either it's own editing software or Capture One Sony Version? Looking at the Sony RX100 website, it looks like you can download the Capture One Sony Software Capture One Express (for Sony) I would suggest that you download it!!!! IT IS A FREE DOWNLOAD for Sony camera users. You might have to input your serial #. You would have to pay a discounted rate for an upgrade to Capture One Pro, which for you would be overkill. Software or digital editing is the norm for today, especially if you shoot the raw file format. But even still, these cameras are just machines & while the Auto settings do a pretty good job, they can't please everyone, so they have "average" target outputs. In your case, the camera could not decide how or was not programmed how to blend the exposure into an HDR look without an HDR setting. I would have been horrified if it had issued that much control, so to me as an experienced photographer, I'd say that your high contrast exposure is actually correct & what I would have pretty much expected.

Shooting it in the RAW file format would be best for high contrast situations like this as then YOU do the processing & can repeat it ad infinitum, whereas an in camera Jpeg is at the mercy of the in camera processing software & too much detail is discarded after it saves the file to the SD card. The camera ALWAYS captures the scene data in a raw format but processes it as a Jpeg if that is the chosen file format & then it discards the captured raw data & saves it as the smaller file size of Jpeg with less dynamic range & data overall. Sometimes it doesn't matter if the raw data is not saved but sometimes it does.

Click on the image to enlarge it to the original size you provided. Also your file had no colour profile tag, such as sRGB, so I left it the same. Welcome to the learning curve of photography!! Enjoy the ride.

contrast-scene.jpg
Last edited by Mtnviewer on Nov 15th, 2016 5:18 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Deal Addict
Jun 21, 2008
2995 posts
413 upvotes
Toronto
Mtnviewer wrote: Without an HDR Mode in the camera (it's a bit of a gimmick compared to doing it with software on the computer), that contrast range is just too great to get all in one frame IN THE CAMERA saved as a jpeg. Your background looks to be reasonably exposed, one could argue it could be just a bit lighter, but it is late in the day. So without adding FILL IN LIGHT to the foreground shadows via say low level electronic flash or HMI lights (what used to be done in the film days before Photoshop), the contrast between the foreground shadows & the background light building is just too great for the in camera software to process, after all it's just software & it has regulations for "normal" outputs & is basically just always guessing how it should output / save a processed jpeg. RAW files are NOT processed in the camera but just saved as RAW data & a processed jpeg for preview. The sensor can capture all the detail / dynamic range in this high contrast scene but if saved as a jpeg, the in camera software doesn't know how to process the image as it can't read your mind or know your expectations. That is what RAW processing or just editing software is for. In the old film days, you just learned to accept this look or you physically added light to shadows with usually Flash, or you did editing in the darkroom, then later in the early digital days, you scanned the film & adjusted the look in Photoshop. Now, the camera can do "some" in camera processing but it is fairly general. Or you pick a Mode or Style & that helps the in camera software process & save a jpeg as per the style parameters. It will NOT process RAW files. It looks like your camera has an Auto HDR Mode that you could use, see here: Sony RX100 Auto HDR But the in camera processing ALWAYS has compromises & is not of the highest quality or resolution. It's up to you to decided if that is good enough or not.

Whether you did it via spot metering or the camera did it, you exposed pretty well correctly for the highlights. If as a jpeg original, you had exposed for the shadows making them a lot lighter, then you would have lost too much detail in the highlights, which are less recoverable than those shadows.

However, in software, without likely even needing HDR software, you could just lighten the foreground with a "Shadow" tool. Even an Auto Contrast setting in free software would help enormously. So this is a scene for extra lighting being added on site, which is not practical, or doing work in editing software such as an HDR program, Photoshop, Lightroom, Capture One, or even free software such as FastStone.

This was adjusted with Photoshop's Shadow / Hightlight tool / slider. It took seconds. Could be done lighter, darker, but I did it quick just to show you what's possible without it looking too phoney.

What software came with your camera? Doesn't Sony include either it's own editing software or Capture One Sony Version? Looking at the Sony RX100 website, it looks like you can download the Capture One SCapture One Express (for Sony) I would suggest that you download it!!!! IT IS A FREE DOWNLOAD for Sony camer users. You might have to input your serial #. You would have to pay a discounted rate for an upgrade to Capture One Pro, which for you would be overkill.

Shooting it in the RAW file format would be best for high contrast situations like this as then YOU do the processing & can repeat it ad infinitum, whereas an in camera Jpeg is at the mercy of the in camera processing software & too much detail is discarded after it saves the file to the SD card.

Click on the image to enlarge it to the original size you provided. Also your file had no colour profile tag, such as sRGB, so I left it the same. Welcome to the learning curve of photography!! Enjoy the ride.


contrast-scene.jpg
Wow thanks! That's great, just what I wanted. So I'd basically have to do editing, I see.

Thanks for everyone's help, learned a lot!
Member
Apr 9, 2012
473 posts
399 upvotes
Ticco wrote: Wow thanks! That's great, just what I wanted. So I'd basically have to do editing, I see.
You could also test out the RX100 Auto HDR Mode for this type of scene (link to manual info in my post above). I'd bet that it would do a pretty good job for a jpeg file. The only downside is that it limits the final size & resolution (though you could still make some adjustments after but maybe lose some quality). I didn't see on the page what the limits for Auto HDR would be, but it does mention there are file output limits. If you shot it as a jpeg as normal or as a raw file, you could edit the results in software however you like, & output the size however you like. I use Auto HDR mode on my Motorola phone camera A LOT & it does a really surprisingly good job. The Auto HDR mode on my Panasonic point & shoot camera though is not that good. Details usually get mushy or smeared & fake looking. The phone does a much better job & holds excellent detail.

Worth playing with that feature to learn it's pros & cons & also learning the software editing.
Deal Expert
Jun 15, 2012
15662 posts
10440 upvotes
Southern Ontario
Understanding photography:
Our eyes dynamically adjust greater than 24 stops of light.
Your camera captures anywhere from 8-11 stops. HDR combines images to try to replicate "Our Mental Image". It's not always ideal because it has no way of referencing what is normal human perception.

Image

There are several ways to approach your example pic. It's not content I would personally spend a lot of time editing so manual HDR with several images off a tripod in HDRphotomatix or Photoshop is out. I might try in-camera HDR if it looks natural. But I'm more apt to shoot RAW and quickly take it into post processing software to boost the shadows, perhaps brush it in, and do some minor adjustments to give it pop. This is what I would do if you gave me your RAW as is and you said don't crop it or change any elements.

Become a better photographer:
Now go back in time and step back for a minute, I would encourage you to try thinking outside of the box with different compositions. You don't have to capture everything in the scene using rule of thirds. Go earlier when the sun hits the statue's face like rembrandt lighting, and/or wait for a cloud to diffuse the area like a giant softbox. Shoot vertically, crop tight removing the cars, let the viewer imagine the base. Change your angle of view, only use the building as a backdrop. Lots of possibilities if you think creatively.

Go beyond contrast, here's an example of what I'm talking about and challenging yourself:

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