How to Get Better Contrast in Photos?

Getting better contrast in photos involves adjusting camera settings, using specific shooting techniques, and applying post-processing edits.

Understanding Photo Contrast

Contrast in photography refers to the difference between the light and dark areas in an image. High contrast images have significant differences between these areas, often appearing bold and dramatic. Low contrast images have less difference, resulting in a softer, flatter look. Improving contrast means increasing this difference to make your subjects stand out and add depth.

Methods to Improve Photo Contrast

Here are several ways you can enhance the contrast in your photographs:

1. Adjusting In-Camera Settings

Your camera offers settings that can directly influence the contrast of your images.

• Adjusting ISO: According to some perspectives, you can adjust ISO to raise the light sensitivity of shots to amplify contrast. While raising ISO often introduces noise, increasing sensitivity might help capture a wider range of light, potentially boosting apparent contrast, especially in challenging lighting conditions.
• Shooting in Manual Mode: To fully understand and control how settings like ISO, aperture, and shutter speed interact to affect exposure and contrast, shooting in manual mode will help you more intimately learn your camera settings and how to produce better high-contrast results.
• Picture Styles or Profiles: Most digital cameras have built-in "Picture Styles" (Canon) or "Picture Control" (Nikon) that you can adjust. These allow you to set parameters like contrast, saturation, and sharpness before you even take the photo. Select or customize a profile with increased contrast.
• Metering Mode: Using a metering mode that correctly exposes for the critical parts of your scene can help maintain a good balance between highlights and shadows, which is crucial for contrast. Spot metering on a mid-tone or highlight might help preserve detail in brighter areas.

2. Utilizing Shooting Techniques

How and what you shoot significantly impacts contrast.

• Use Lighting Strategically:
  • Directional Lighting: Light coming from the side (side lighting) or behind your subject (backlighting) creates strong shadows and highlights, naturally increasing contrast.
  • Hard Light: Shooting in direct sunlight or using a bare flash produces hard shadows and bright highlights, leading to high contrast.
  • Golden Hour: While often soft, shooting during golden hour (shortly after sunrise or before sunset) can provide warm, directional light that defines shapes and adds depth through shadows.
• Choose High-Contrast Scenes: Look for subjects with inherent differences in tone or color. Examples include:
  • Black and white patterns
  • Shadows cast by objects
  • Brightly colored subjects against a dark background
  • Landscapes with strong light and shadow interplay

3. Post-Processing

Editing software is a powerful tool for fine-tuning contrast after taking the shot.

• Basic Contrast Sliders: Most editing software has a simple "Contrast" slider that increases the difference between light and dark tones overall.
• Levels: The Levels tool allows you to adjust the black point, white point, and midtones of your image. Bringing the black point in from the left and the white point in from the right increases the tonal range used, boosting contrast.
• Curves: The Curves tool offers the most precise control over contrast. By creating an 'S' shape curve, you darken the shadows and lighten the highlights, dramatically increasing contrast.
• Clarity and Dehaze: These sliders (found in software like Adobe Lightroom/Photoshop) primarily affect contrast in the midtones and can make details pop, contributing to an appearance of higher contrast.

Summary Table

By combining these approaches, you can effectively enhance the contrast in your photos, making them more impactful and visually appealing.