How To Make Your Images POP! — Photography Visual Patterns #5

Summary

This video delves into the concept of contrast in photography, explaining it as more than just a Lightroom slider. It introduces tonal, color, and conceptual contrasts, emphasizing their importance in directing viewers' attention and adding interest to images. The script uses examples to illustrate how these contrasts can create striking visual effects, encouraging photographers to explore and apply various types of contrast in their work.

Takeaways

• 📚 The video is part of a series on visual patterns, aiming to break down visual language to better understand photography heuristics.
• 🔍 Contrast in photography is not just about the Lightroom slider; it encompasses a variety of types that can be utilized in creative ways.
• 📖 The dictionary defines contrast as being strikingly different from something else, which is a key concept in photography.
• 🌗 Tonal contrast refers to the difference between the lightest and darkest parts of an image, often used to direct the viewer's attention.
• 🎨 Color contrast uses color differences, often complementary, to create visual interest and balance in an image.
• 💭 Conceptual contrast involves contrasting ideas such as hard vs. soft, or nature vs. urban, adding depth and narrative to photographs.
• 👀 Tonal contrast is used to highlight important parts of an image by making surrounding areas darker, drawing the eye to the focal point.
• 🌈 Color contrast can create balance by juxtaposing cool and warm colors, or by using shadows and light to guide the viewer's gaze.
• 🏞 Conceptual contrast can be used to contrast elements within an image, such as nature against urban structures, to evoke certain feelings or ideas.
• 🏠 In one example, a small house in a large field uses conceptual contrast to create a sense of scale and minimalism.
• 🗼 The final image combines tonal, color, and conceptual contrasts, using shadows, colors, and the juxtaposition of nature and the Eiffel Tower to create a dynamic scene.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video series on visual patterns?

The main focus of the video series is to break down visual language into visual patterns to better understand the heuristics of photography and how to apply them effectively in one's work.

What is the first step recommended for viewers who are unfamiliar with the terms used in the series?

Viewers unfamiliar with the terms should check the first video of the series where the presenter breaks down visual language and visual patterns, providing the necessary understanding to follow the content.

What does the presenter define as 'contrast' in the context of photography?

In photography, 'contrast' refers to the difference between the lightest and darkest portions of an image, often manipulated using the Lightroom slider, but also encompassing other types of contrast.

What is the dictionary definition of 'contrast' that the presenter emphasizes?

The dictionary definition emphasized is 'the state of being strikingly different from something else in juxtaposition or close association,' with a focus on the 'strikingly different' aspect in photography.

What are the different types of contrast discussed in the video?

The video discusses tonal contrast, color contrast, and conceptual contrast or juxtaposition, each serving different purposes in directing the viewer's attention and adding interest to the image.

Why is tonal contrast important in photography?

Tonal contrast is important because it helps to direct the viewer's attention to the most important parts of the image by emphasizing the brightest portions against the darkest.

How does color contrast work in photography?

Color contrast works by using colors that are different, often complementary, to create a visual difference that draws the viewer's eye and adds balance to the image.

What is conceptual contrast and how can it be used in photography?

Conceptual contrast refers to the juxtaposition of ideas or elements within an image, such as hard versus soft, or nature versus urban, creating an unusual or thought-provoking contrast.

How does the presenter use the example of Mount Cook to illustrate the use of tonal contrast?

The presenter uses the example of Mount Cook to show how making the valley intentionally dark and bringing down the shadows can make the mountain tips and sky stand out, drawing the viewer's eye to the intended focus.

What is the purpose of using contrast in photography according to the video?

The purpose of using contrast in photography is to create interest and drama, and to direct the viewer's attention to specific elements in the image, allowing the photographer to tell a particular story.

How does the final image in the video demonstrate the use of multiple types of contrast?

The final image demonstrates tonal contrast with shadows and a bright sky, color contrast with cool and warm sections, and conceptual contrast with the juxtaposition of nature and the Eiffel Tower's hard lines.

Outlines

00:00

📸 Introduction to Visual Patterns and Contrast

The video script introduces the concept of visual patterns in photography and emphasizes the importance of understanding contrast. The speaker explains that contrast is not just about the lightroom slider but also involves various types of contrast that can enhance photography. The dictionary definition of 'contrast' is discussed to set the stage for exploring tonal, color, and conceptual contrasts in the video series.

05:02

🌄 Exploring Tonal Contrast in Photography

This paragraph delves into tonal contrast, which is the difference between the lightest and darkest parts of an image. The speaker uses examples to illustrate how tonal contrast can be used intentionally to direct the viewer's attention to the most important parts of the image. Techniques such as darkening the valley in a mountain scene to highlight the mountain peaks are discussed to demonstrate the practical application of tonal contrast.

10:03

🎨 Color Contrast and Conceptual Juxtaposition

The script moves on to color contrast, which involves using colors to create visual differences, often through complementary colors. The speaker also introduces conceptual contrast, which includes contrasting ideas such as nature versus urban or soft versus hard. Examples are provided to show how these contrasts can create balance, interest, and direct the viewer's attention in a photograph.

Keywords

💡Visual Patterns

Visual patterns refer to the recurring elements in visual language that help to understand and apply the heuristics of photography. In the video, they are used to dissect and better comprehend photographic composition and techniques, such as contrast, which is a key focus of this particular episode.

💡Contrast

Contrast in photography is the difference in tonal or color values within an image, which helps to draw attention to certain elements. The video discusses various types of contrast, such as tonal, color, and conceptual, and how they can be used to direct the viewer's attention and create visual interest.

💡Tonal Contrast

Tonal contrast specifically refers to the difference between the lightest and darkest parts of an image. The script explains how tonal contrast can be used to emphasize the most important parts of a scene, such as making the mountain peaks stand out against a darker valley.

💡Color Contrast

Color contrast is the visual difference created by using colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. The video script illustrates this with examples of cool and warm colors that create balance and draw the eye to specific areas of the image.

💡Conceptual Contrast

Conceptual contrast involves the juxtaposition of ideas or elements within an image, such as nature versus urban, or old versus new. The video uses examples like sakura flowers against a hard, man-made castle to show how this contrast can add depth and meaning to a photograph.

💡Juxtaposition

Juxtaposition is the act of placing two elements side by side to highlight their differences. In the context of the video, it is used to explain how contrasting elements like hard and soft, or big and small, can create a striking visual impact.

💡Complementary Colors

Complementary colors are colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel, which when used together, create a strong visual contrast. The script mentions these colors in the context of color contrast, as a way to make an image pop.

💡Intent and Purpose

Intent and purpose in photography refer to the deliberate choices made by the photographer to guide the viewer's attention and convey a specific message. The video emphasizes the importance of using contrast with intent, such as darkening parts of an image to highlight the light.

💡Attention

In the script, attention is discussed in relation to how contrast can be used to direct the viewer's gaze to particular parts of an image. This is crucial for storytelling through photography, as it helps the photographer to communicate what is important in the scene.

💡Storytelling

Storytelling in photography is the ability to convey a narrative or emotion through an image. The video explains how using contrast effectively can help photographers to tell a story by guiding the viewer's attention to specific elements within the frame.

💡Visual Language

Visual language encompasses the elements and principles that make up the way we communicate through visual means. The video script breaks down visual language into patterns to help photographers better understand and apply these elements in their work.

Highlights

Introduction to the series on visual patterns, breaking down visual language to understand photography heuristics.

Explanation of the term 'contrast' in photography, beyond just the Lightroom slider.

Transcripts

hello my lovely photogs welcome back to

another video welcome back to the series

on visual patterns the series where we

break down visual language into visual

patterns so that we can better

understand the heuristics of photography

and how best to apply them to our work

now again if you don't know what any of

those terms mean and make sure to check

the very first video of the series where

i break down visual language and visual

patterns and everything you need to know

about it so that you can get a better

understanding of why you would

potentially use this kind of system

versus

something like photography rules for

example now in this video we are going

to be talking about contrast now when i

say the word contrast you probably are

thinking of

you know the lightroom slider this one

and you'd probably be right you know for

most intents and purposes what we're

talking about when we talk about

contrast in photography

is to do with that slider but you'd also

be selling yourself a little bit short

if that's all you thought about

you see in photography there's actually

a whole bunch of different types of

contrast and that's what i wanted to

cover in this video today and introduce

you to a couple of these concepts so to

start this video i actually wanted to

jump into the dictionary meaning of what

the word contrast means

and this will make a lot more sense as

we go on through the video but the

dictionary meaning is the state of being

strikingly different from something else

in juxtaposition or close association

now the strikingly different portion is

the key phrase that i want to focus on

especially when it comes to photography

because we usually are talking about

tonal contrast when we're talking about

the strikingly different portion the

contrast of an image and that is the

brightest portions of the image versus

the darkest portions of the image but

as i alluded to earlier in this video

there are other different types of

contrast that are super useful to us in

our photography practice that i want to

introduce you to as well so let's dive

into some of those okay and just to

recap the basics what i just mentioned

tonal contrast tonal contrast is the

difference between the lightest portions

of the image and the darkest portions of

the image usually done with a purpose

usually done with an intent and we will

get more into the purpose and the intent

in the examples later on in the video

but for now this is the basics of

contrast this is the basics of tonal

contrast now the next one is color

contrast and if you haven't checked out

my last video on color theory then i

highly recommend that you do that before

you watch the rest of this video as

it'll make a whole bunch more sense but

color contrast is exactly what it sounds

like it is using color to create

difference to create a contrast usually

that's done through the complementary

colors so the colors on the opposite

sides of the color wheel not always but

it is usually in done in that way and

the third and final contrast that i want

to introduce you guys to is conceptual

contrast or juxtaposition

now this is more of a kind of grouping

together of ideas when i talk about

conceptual contrast but it refers to

ideas like hard versus soft or nature

versus urban or old versus new it's

generally these elements within the

image itself that are contrasting each

other in a way that's a little bit

unusual maybe it's a person standing you

know left and another person standing

right and the two people contrast each

other because of what they're wearing or

something like that there's a whole

bunch of different styles of contrast

that it could be so this conceptual

contrast is kind of an umbrella for all

of those of course there are a great

many different types of contrast out

there in the world and so i encourage

you to go out there and look for them

yourself and add them to your

photography

as for now we will go through a little

bit of the why you would use them and

how you would use them through the use

of some examples okay so in this example

we have an image from mount cook we have

all of these lovely mountains here

and i want to talk about the reason why

tonal contrast works tonal contrast

works because the eyes are naturally

drawn to the brightest portions of the

image contrast in general like you would

use contrast so that you can direct

attention as the photographer so that

you can show the viewer exactly what is

important to look at in the image so in

this example

what i wanted to show the viewer is this

top portion of this mountain is the most

important part

and so i in lightroom made all of this

valley intentionally dark and i brought

down the shadows for that so that it

makes the tips of this mountain stand

out and the rest of the sky stand out so

that's automatically drawing your eye

into that in this example i'm doing the

same thing i'm accentuating what already

happened in the world

which is this nice big ray of sunshine

right here and i made this portion of

the image a lot darker

than what the human eye would see

so that the actual image

pops so that the portion of where you're

supposed to look it gets accentuated and

that is the purpose of tonal contrast

and that's why it works so well in this

example it's very obvious what is going

on and where you should be looking at as

the viewer and in this image in

lightroom i've actually darkened these

outer portions so that this one sliver

of light is the only thing that you see

as the viewer that's very intentional

and it makes images

very easy to understand it gives a cue

to your viewers as to where they should

be looking in this image i wanted to

show you guys color contrast and the

idea of color contrast what we've got

here is two colors that aren't exactly

opposing each other

in like the strictest of senses when it

comes to

complementary colors but they're close

what we've got here is a cool

top portion and a warm middle portion

contrasting each other in a sort of 50

50 kind of relation and in my opinion

that makes the image quite balanced and

quite easy to look at and easy to

understand in addition we've also got

the silhouettes of the very dark city

versus the very bright sky which has

these two colors which gives the rest of

the image balance in this image what i'm

using is an abundance of cool colors and

just a very small flash of you know warm

colors

in addition to

tonal contrast so a lot of shadows up

here you know down here and then only a

very sliver of light

and again this has the

intention of drawing your eye in to

exactly where it needs to go now when it

comes to conceptual contrast what i

wanted to show you guys is

this image of you know nature versus

urban

what we have here is a very natural

foreground of sakura very gentle

you know flowers

and then we have this very hard

man-made

castle in the background which

has a strong juxtaposition right you

have this nature element and you have

this man-made element that both go

together whatever meaning you want to

associate with that is obviously up to

you but this is a technique that you can

definitely add to your practice in your

photography in this image we've got the

whole man-made versus nature again in

the form of these you know this little

house in the middle of nowhere

we've also got this idea of you know

soft and soft and then very hard lines

in the middle as well so you know there

are a whole bunch of different avenues

you can use to

instill conceptual contrast into your

images and they all have a different

kind of feeling and a different kind of

mood in this instance you know it what i

was trying to do with this image is

actually make it quite minimal and so i

was actually focused more on the

contrast of big and small where you

would have this kind of small

little house in the middle of nowhere

juxtaposed with this huge

field and this huge sky

and this kind of sense of

i guess you know giant planet little

person kind of vibe

and that's what i was trying to go for

but again there is a lot of different

conceptual contrasts that you can use

all right and in this final image we've

got a little bit of everything that i

mentioned in these last examples we've

got

tonal contrast so we've got a bunch of

shadow here with this very bright sky

behind it and they both juxtapose each

other then we've got color we've got you

know very cool colors up the top

juxtaposed against this very warm middle

section

and then to a lesser extent we've got

nature in these birds

adding you know very soft very round

lines to the overall image juxtaposed

with the very hard lines of the eiffel

tower alright just to wrap this up

when you're creating

contrast in your images you are creating

difference and it is this difference

that creates interest and drama and

allows you as the photographer to direct

your viewers attention to the exact

elements in the exact position that you

want the viewer to look so that you can

then tell the story that you want to

tell

alright that's it for this particular

episode of contrast in the visual

pattern series i will see you in the

next video but until then get out there

and make something that matters

peace

you