Are you having trouble capturing high contrast moving subjects in a way that truly showcases their beauty and detail? It can be difficult, but with the right tips and techniques, you can achieve stunning, single-frame high contrast images that truly stand out. In this video, we will dive into expert advice and practical techniques for capturing high contrast subjects in a way that makes them shine.
We cover everything from selecting the right camera settings to adjusting your composition and lighting to capturing the perfect moment. Additionally, we will explore the advanced editing tools available in Photo RAW 2023 and walk you through editing your high contrast shots to bring out their full potential. Whether you’re a professional photographer or an amateur just starting out, these tips and techniques will help you capture and edit high contrast subjects like a pro. So if you’re ready to take your photography to the next level, don’t miss this video.
On January 17, 2023 at 7:54 am Chris Taylor wrote:
Hi Hudson. Great video.
Do you ever try layering the highlight area (in some of your examples- the sky) from one exposure with the foreground at another exposure level?
I was thinking this might be a way around moving subjects. I agree that using the HDR function in Photo RAW is not the way to go when you have something moving in the scene.
Cheers.
On January 17, 2023 at 6:43 pm Adam Rubinstein wrote:
Fantastic video Hudson though I can’t figure out how you were miked? It’s picking up the rustling of your clothes with your arm movement. Is it the microphone on the desk? Anyhow, these techniques work well for low ISO settings where shadow noise is minimized.
On January 22, 2023 at 12:26 pm Rashmideva Veldhuizen wrote:
Can’t you better easely mask out the person whith Super select AI and use the shadow slider to make it pop, and then -by copy the mask, separetly the background cq. sky?
On January 23, 2023 at 12:55 pm Michael Schulte wrote:
Thanks a lot, Hudson for sharing your experience and tips with us. Much appreciated!
I enjoy the new masking tools in ON1 Photo RAW 2023, too. Based on the principles outlined (re: expose to the highlights) also the AI adaptive presets help to easily refine the tweaks to the desired parts of an image. If you review your first example with Rick (being almost “black” in the first place) there is one issue however that sometimes bothers a bit and causes need for some major editing: halos around the subject masked (i.e. here around Rick). It’s clear that an AI based algorithm won’t be always perfect. But the improvement in the overall exposure is paid for with either the halos or elaborate masking after the AI masking. Perhaps you could mention or address this aspect in one of your next videos or workshops.
In the (I think) 2nd example you pulled up the shadows in the foreground with the Local Adjustment tools. If you review the video recording you let the exposure slider at -0.85 while pulling up the shadows. Was that intentionally or wouldn’t it be somehow more obvious to reset the exposure slide to zero (0) and then recover the shadows?
Thanks again also for reading through all the comments and your feedback,
Michael
On January 24, 2023 at 1:01 pm tcfromky wrote:
I watched only 3 minutes of this video before deciding it wasn’t for me. I’m not a professional photographer, and I don’t always make good photos. But I know enough about contrast and am able to tell when it’s bad and when it’s good. I also know that yes, you can recover blown out highlights, a sky for example, IF you shoot raw images. Mr. Henry should rephrase his reasoning a bit because it can be (and was for me) misleading. I suppose his reasoning might have something to do with the business of ON1 making money.
On January 24, 2023 at 1:43 pm Toni Ertl replied:
I would respectfully disagree – if highlight detail is blown then there’s nothing to recover. One might ‘fake it’ and possibly get away with that if you’re both skilled at editing and lucky with the kind of detail lost so that the result doesn’t look to bad, but otherwise the image is spoiled.
Of course if one just looks at a jpg and not the raw then areas that *appear* to be blown or blocked could well be recovered vey well from the raw file, but that’s another issue.
On January 29, 2023 at 1:28 am Gene Lugo replied:
Mr. Henry’s explanation of camera dynamic range and how to best utilize a camera’s capability has nothing to do with who employs him. There is nothing misleading in his presentation. Perhaps watching the entire presentation may better inform your opinion.
The rules of maximizing dynamic range by shooting raw, using baseline ISO, and exposing to avoid blowing highlights apply regardless of the software used to process the image. I happen to like and use On1 a lot because of the class=leading features like sharpening, denoising, masking etc.
Not being a professional doesn’t mean you have to accept lower quality in your images, or avoid taking some because they may present challenges. From your comments it seems that you are primarily accepting camera processed images instead of using raw capture, and prefer to avoid post-capture image manipulation. You may be missing out on some opportunities as a result.
On January 24, 2023 at 1:45 pm Toni Ertl wrote:
It’s good to see the old bogey of graduated ND filters being put to bed. They were a poor solution when we shot film and couldn’t do our own printing, but with digital and decent sensors there really is no need for them. Thumbs up, Mr.Henry.
On January 24, 2023 at 2:46 pm Bart Carrig wrote:
Thanks for this very helpful presentation on a common problem with early and late light scenes. As always, well presented and explained. Your techniques and explanations always seem to “stick” both on screen and in the field. I always find your advice to be so spot-on and practicable.
Bart Carrig
On January 24, 2023 at 3:54 pm Eugene Dopheide wrote:
For some reason I get a lag in downloading with this recordings that I don’t get from other presenters, and it’s annoying to wait for the download to catch up?
On January 24, 2023 at 8:36 pm David Price wrote:
Henry
Is there any particular reason why, when I watch the video, I’m seeing a halo around the figure in the first image? Especially noticeable after converting to B&W.
On January 25, 2023 at 3:25 am Robert Hansen wrote:
Thank you for good education. It would improve with a shorter introduction.
On January 26, 2023 at 1:20 am Bernd Palmer wrote:
Thanks for this! I never stop learning …
On January 26, 2023 at 5:56 pm Alexis Pendleton wrote:
I always shoot 3 exposures +/- -2-3 stops. My middle exposure always goes for the highlights. As far as movement between shoots, 3 exposures in about 1-2 seconds. If I don’t HDR,, my middle exposure has no blown highlights and I can recover the shadows. I can be more flexible in editing in ON1. Love your explanations, very concise and using all your tools. thank you!!
On February 1, 2023 at 8:11 pm Wink Jones wrote:
If life works out in my favor, I will schedule a trip or two with you. I have another year or two, possibly three if I get real lucky of being my wife’s caregiver and then I will have my late seventies and early eighties to play with my camera.
I doubt I will ever sell a single photo, but I take them for myself and have many on my walls that I would have bought if I had not taken them myself.
It is videos like this that will make my photos more fun to take and better photos as a bonus. Thank you for the time you spend with us, and thank you for not talking down to us, but rather with us.