Why This Will Help You Understand Contrast And Light

Every photographer at some point has taken a photo thinking the image would come out in a certain way but the lens, film and camera capture something altogether different. 

In a nutshell, contrast is the difference of brightness in light, in different parts of a scene being observed. On bright sunny days (which are few and far between in England) this may be extremely strong. Ofcourse in a studio these can be controlled using flash. In contrast [no pun intended!] it can get quite low, again depending on where you live on the planet! 

On a very wintery day, snow, due to its albedo, can result in extreme contrast if there are shadow areas present in the same photograph. 

The human eye is quite remarkable, being able to switch instantaneously, between extreme brightness of an open area to the light deprived alleyways of old London. In comparison with the human eye, film cannot process or adjust to these rapid changes. 

Generally, black and white film fares much better with contrasts in brighter light and darker areas. However, in comparison to colour film, particularly in my experience, slide film stocks such as Velvia and Provia seriously struggle. Ofcourse the human eye is leagues ahead, however, technology is rapidly changing and I would not be surprised if the digital realm at some point, reaches some degree of closeness to the experience of the human eye. The question I have on this would be, do we really need it? 

On average, black and white film, can handle much wider exposure latitudes. Films such as Kodak Tri-X or Ilford HP5 Plus allow for greater shifts in light and shadows. You can push-process HP5 Plus up to 6 stops but you might lose shadow detail as a result, although it generally tends to fare better in highlights. Ofcourse, if that is not enough for you, then try Ilford Delta 3200 or Kodak P3200 TMAX, these films can be shot from ISO 400 through to 25,000 making their exposure latitudes the widest available across all black and white films. 

Most modern colour films such as Kodak Portra can manage one stop underexposed or two stops over-exposed relatively well, however this will depend on what you are shooting. Often, highlights render as white, if you overexpose on a sunny day, and if you under-expose the shadows may be black. In either case, you’ll have an image, but, whether it's something you are happy with, is another question! 

One of the best ways to establish the ‘correct’ exposure would be to use a light meter. You can use your phone, the ‘Light Meter’ app is useful but you only get a reading for the entire scene which is not going to be ideal. 

Some film cameras do have their onboard light meter, but the trouble with this is going to be similar to your phone light meter. You have two further options, using a dedicated light meter. The Sekonic L-35, which you can use specifically to meter the light and shadows, however, the best and quickest way to figure out the exposure, is to use the Sekonic Speedmaster L858D. Which allows you to take multiple exposures and calculates the best lens aperture to lock in. Using a dedicated light meter will be especially useful when shooting colour stock films. 

Take for example these shots, incorrect metering resulting in overexposure of these images but when metered correctly the outcomes are much more accurate! However, with the absence of much light and overcast conditions, colour again underperforms, as you can see with these images! 

Light itself is not the creator of contrast. The subject, such as buildings, are what help to create shadows. The lack of light helps to create contrast and if you take the right steps you can reduce its impacts on shooting with film.

Remember, when shooting portraits out in bright sunny conditions, take a reflector with you to fill in light into the shadowy areas of the subject. Alternatively you could use flash, but bouncing light off a reflector has its own unique qualities! 

Ofcourse shooting in an extremely well lit environment, such as the deserts of Arizona will be much easier to expose for. However, shooting the sand dunes of the Sahara with its piercing light and shadows, you must come prepared and armed with a good light meter!

Focus On This For Composition Balance

If you've ever gone bowling, you'll appreciate that with every throw you’re only aiming for one pin - right at the top. Composing pictures in the camera is a bit like that too. 

As you look through the viewfinder you seem a bit lost as you can’t figure out where to place your main subject. There aren’t many choices available to make the picture balanced and well composed. 

Here's a shot taken in an urban environment. The model is placed well to one side of the picture area. That choice allows the picture to do more than simply provide a graphic rendition of the shape of her. In fact the emphasis is now on atmosphere, and a sense of the confines of an urban environment  that pervades every corner of the frame. 

Here's a shot taken in a coffee shop. The subject is placed well to one side of the picture area. That choice allows the picture to do more than simply provide a graphic rendition of the shape of them. In fact the emphasis is now on atmosphere, and a sense of the confines of a coffee shop that pervades every corner of the frame. 

But does such 'off balance', the placing of the main subject always introduce a certain atmosphere? Well, it is true, of course, that the more information you include with a picture the more material you have available to create an impression. But this is not an unbalanced picture. The difference between balance and imbalance is very subtle: it is much more a feeling than it is a set of rules. At the left hand side of this picture there is a greater weight of tone evident than there are in the trees and wall at left - though the subject provides a 'heavy' area. 

There is no one area which, screaming for attention, uncomfortably draws the eye - because the picture is predominant in either light or dark areas. But cover up the right hand half of the picture and you will see how quickly the subject dominates. 

The subject and surroundings offer a shape of tone - and they become the centre of interest. Now examine the entire picture. Without doubt the surroundings of the subject with the trees and large balloon like shape are of interest, and have an effect on the impression conveyed to you. 

Imagine the effect you'd experience if the subject was arranged at the right hand side of the frame instead of on the left.Even then, the major areas of heavy tone - the black bits - would all be in one place, and at the left hand side there would be a similar sort of backdrop to the left as there was on the right. 

Only if there was a blank backdrop to the left with a lightweight tone that the image would probably become more disinteresting creating an imbalance. Was this balance or effect a conscious choice? In this case it was more a case of being at the right place and being aware of the surroundings. Once you begin to appreciate light and how light works with film then things begin to feel more tangible. Obviously when shooting with BW film, you will become more aware that the light will be exposed well and subsequently the shadowy areas will come out black. 

Finally, remember that the strength of tone can be adjusted to a certain extent in the darkroom. Any area of this picture could be made more heavy than it is by the simple act of burning in - that is, allowing more light to fall on that area when printing, so that it becomes darker in comparison with the rest of the print. That's part of the value of darkroom work. 

If you are keen on enhancing your photography beyond just your getaway snaps from the beach then you must work on your visualisation. Your ability to visualise a picture in advance can only happen if you are getting out there and shooting in all sorts of different lighting conditions. I’m not sure I know anyone who sits and reads a camera manual. I suspect in most cases it never leaves the box! Only through patience, practice and continual reviewing will you,  in time, become a master of light! 

What You Can Learn From John Berger

John Berger is able to merge together lots of different disciplines - visual materials, paintings, photographs, drawings, sculptures, movies, the world, its truths and realities that exist in the world and peoples stories and emotional responses - for him they are all one thing. 

John Peter Berger was born in 1926 and passed away in January 2017. After serving in the Army in WW2 he went on to study at the Chelsea School of Art and Central School of Art and Design in London. He was an English art critic, novelist, painter and poet. Most notably his novel ‘G.’ won the 1972 Booker Prize, and his essay on art criticism Ways of Seeing, written as an accompaniment to the BBC series of the same name, is often used as a university text. He created great controversy when he donated 50% of his prize money to the Black Panthers in the US. Both the ultra right wing in the UK were incensed by this and the ultra left too when they thought he had not given enough! He lived the majority of life, 50 years in France. 

Berger’s abilities to describe images in so much detail mean that you even if you haven’t seen the image it will appear in your mind - and if you have have it will pop right back in. This chapter is based on the amazing Don McCullin’s and his photographs from the war in Vietnam. His haunting images are world known. How have you processed seeing Don’s images? It got me wondering how he did. Was his experience different to the framed narrative we see? I think its pretty amazing how much of how we see an image is a reflection of our lived experience. Today Now Don shoots still life and landscape photography, and shoots a lot on 4x5 cameras. This chapter left me with the question, if you took the photos he did in the Vietnam War, how would you process that? 

By drawing in so many disciplines in his written work Berger is able to capture the essence of what it means to photograph. You can be a world renowned photographer or not, you are capturing the essence of the human experience for you and for others- through reading his work he gets you thinking - thinking about your work and why it matters. 

This book is a collection of essays that Berger wrote over a long period of time. The string that ties them all together is his continual effort to try and make social and human connections between all types of disciplines, some which I to some extent agree with and others I’m not so sure about. 

In the Suit and the Photograph chapter - he shows this image of Three farmers going to dance - John fixates on is the suits they are wearing and how much they are like the suits in his village when they dress up and do something - the cheapness of the suits and the cuts says not only something about them but also about the world we come from today. Have things changed, if you really think about it? For Berger, art is something that means something to people. 

Through his immersive writing you can get a sense of depth of what the components of a great photograph are - for you it will trigger thoughts and ideas of how and why you shoot. How you can refine how you look at the world and how you can refine and contribute more of your unique style and work. 

For Berger, form and content does not exist. He is completely immersed in what is going on in the picture and what people are saying. In his second chapter he says ‘It looks as though (whatever kind of activity it might be) is going to outlive painting and sculpture as we have thought of them since the Renaissance’ he goes on to say ‘no work of art can survive and not become a valuable property’. 

It’s amazing how Berger has brought together so many aspects of the human experience which help us to understand a photograph. Often through the book he drifts off and makes some tenuous links between photography and history perhaps as a way to demonstrate his knowledge about the subject. In a way the book is timeless, by reflecting on the past he gets you to think about how modern industrialists are influencing how we see and experience the world. Overall this book is an excellent read for anyone looking to learn more about how they see the world and help you to construct your own vision which communicates your story. 

Understanding a Photograph is a drop in the ocean of all the work he has produced. He has translated many foriegn poems, the latest of which is by Mahmoud Darwish. You may also want to check out ‘Susan Sontag: On Photography’ which from a grapevine I have heard is very intellectual! Have you read Understanding a Photograph or any other photography books recently? Let me know, I’d love to hear from you in the comments!