How should I describe the contrast of a sunset photo with silhouettes?
Asked 11/23/2019
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I’m trying to understand whether a sunset image with dark silhouettes should be called high contrast or low contrast. In this photo, the bottom portion is nearly black, while the sky ranges from bright yellow on the left to darker red-orange in the middle and right. I was taught that strong shadows or silhouettes usually mean high contrast, but I’m not sure that applies to the whole image. If different parts of the frame have different tonal separation, is it fair to describe the photo as both high and low contrast in different areas? Overall, how would you describe the contrast of an image like this?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
6y ago
2 Answers
2
The word contrast as it relates to a picture is defined as the degree of difference in tonality.
To call it high or low requires context... generally that would be within the capabilities of recording/reproducing the scene. Using rough measurements/rounded in the LAB color space... The right side has values that range from 0:35-60, the middle has values that range from 0:60-80, and the left side has values that range from 0:80-98. I was unable to find any points that reached the maximum contrast level of 0:100.
So I would call this primarily a low contrast image. You could call it a high contrast image because it does contain a small area of high contrast and you wouldn't be wrong. But simply having a discernible silhouette is not enough.
Originally by user70370. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user70370
6y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Contrast refers to the difference in tonal values in an image. A silhouette alone does not automatically make the whole photo “high contrast.”
Based on the answers, this sunset image is best described as moderate or mixed contrast overall. The left side, where the bright sun sits near very dark foreground silhouettes, shows stronger contrast. The middle and right side still have noticeable contrast against the dark foreground, but less than the brightest area.
So the most accurate description is that the image contains localized areas of higher contrast, but the photo as a whole is not an extreme high-contrast image. It’s also not especially low contrast, because there are clearly dark and bright tonal regions.
If asked to summarize the image with one phrase, “moderate contrast overall, with stronger contrast near the sun and silhouettes” would be a reasonable answer.
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