How can I create a newspaper-style look in harsh midday sun with bright highlights and open shadows?
Asked 10/21/2019
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I like the look often seen in editorial/news photos shot in strong sunshine: highlights are controlled, shadows still show detail, and the image has a punchy, gritty feel without looking like obvious HDR. In an example like a protest scene shot in bright tropical sun, what techniques are likely being used? Is this mostly exposure choice, lens/scene choice, and post-processing, or can it be done from an auto-exposed shot afterward?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
6y ago
2 Answers
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More photos by Meridith Kohut may be found at Getty Images. Most of her images there look like this. It seems she keeps the exact formula to herself, but I see:
- Boosted shadows.
- Excessive sharpening.
- Under exposure (exposing for highlights)
- Mismatched saturation.
It seems you assume she uses HDR tonemapping techniques, but those usually have a different look, which some of her images use. They have reduced overall contrast, increased local contrast, and a significant halo.
The easiest way to achieve the effect seen in the sample image is to use a toy-camera mode. It is literally called "Toy Camera" on my camera. During a security check, a dial on my camera got moved, and I ended up with a series of images that looked like this.
If you can't find it, you can fiddle with other settings until you find something similar. On my camera (X-H1), the following seems close:
- Film simulation: Negative High
- Highlights: +2
- Shadows: 0
- Color: +4
- Sharpness: +4
- Noise Reduction: 0
- Dynamic Range: 400%
- Exposure Compensation: -1
- White Balance: Auto
It's a bit more work to do on a computer. Adjust curves and boost details until you find settings you like. Then save them as an action. You can try the following process from PIXLS.US: Freaky Details (Calvin Hollywood):
- Duplicate the background layer.
- Invert the colors of the top layer.
- Apply “Surface Blur” to top layer.
- Set top layer blend mode to “Vivid Light”.
- New layer from visible.
- Set layer blend mode of new layer to “Overlay”, hide intermediate layer.
Originally by user75526. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user75526
6y ago
0
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This look is usually a mix of capture choices and post-processing, not just an HDR effect.
From the answers, the main ingredients are:
- expose for the highlights so bright areas are close to clipping but not blown
- use a camera with strong dynamic range if possible
- lower overall contrast, then lift shadows in post
- add local contrast/sharpening for the gritty editorial feel
- sometimes saturation is adjusted unevenly, which can add to the stylized look
- a wide-angle lens used close to the subject can also contribute to the dramatic feel
It does not look like classic HDR tonemapping alone, which often produces flatter global contrast and halos.
Can it be done from auto exposure? Sometimes, but it’s less reliable. If the camera overexposes highlights, those details are gone. For this style, it’s better to intentionally protect highlights at capture, ideally from RAW, then recover shadows afterward.
So: shoot RAW, bias exposure to preserve highlights, then in post reduce contrast, raise shadows, and add careful sharpening/local contrast. The scene itself and lens choice also matter a lot.
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