In the digital era we are making photos too light. Always pushing sliders and exposure UP. But darker photos are not what you think. In today’s video I’ll show you.
Why you need DARKER photos
All of this starts in camera. But you see how I found the looks easy with tools like Filmist (get the free pack), Natural HDR (get the free pack) and Alchemist Actions.
Dark tone, not underexposed photos.
Don’t just crank down the exposure. Do this.
I don’t underexposing everything. The big secret of exposure is that your meter has no idea what it’s doing. The secret is to use darkness, shadows to reveal the luminescence in the frame.
ETTR is another bad method. It tell you to exposes right to save shadows. But the shadows don’t need saving. It’s a dated method based on negative film, not on how digital cameras work and usually promoted by people who lack experaince in tone.
I’m also not proposing ETTL either. Or that Exposing to the LEFT is a rule. Only that the awareness shadows truly transforms your photos. My exposure workshops won awards because I have studied every aspect of exposure for decades in master classes like Exposed.
Well placed shadows make light visible.
If you’ve been to one of my Shadow Hackers classes this will apply easily to your work. But if not you can go make it work right now.
You see in the video how in each photo it’s about just ab out being dark. I lean dark in the photo and the edit but I let the bright areas shine, using that shadow to make a path that leads you thru a scene or to the subject.
Your meter is clueless.
So stop doing what it tells you.
Remember that this control of shadow and tone comes from ignoring your meter. Not that you should not see your meter to read light. It ignore it in the sense that it does not know what a GOOD exposure is.
So whether you shoot manual, or use exposure compensation only YOU can take the zones, histogram and tone and decide what create the rich feeling in your image that you want. Use the meter. But YOU place the tone where it should be.
So so start with expose down a little. Edit with rich tones and darker more shadowy presets and processed. Let the light shine out of that and you will be amazed how much more drama your photos have.
Gavin Seim
