As an experienced photographer, I’ve spent countless hours behind the lens, experimenting with light and shadow, composition and balance. One of the most critical aspects of photography that I’ve come to appreciate is the art of capturing highlights. In this blog post, I will share my insights and passion for this topic, explaining the perfect recipe for highlights in a photo, why burnt highlights are detrimental, how to create highlights correctly, and the camera settings that can help you achieve this. We will also delve into the role of the histogram in avoiding overexposed highlights.
The Art of Highlights
In the realm of photography, highlights are the brightest areas of an image. They are the parts of the photo that first draw the eye, adding depth and dimension to the image. However, when not handled correctly, highlights can become overexposed, leading to what we photographers refer to as ‘burnt’ or ‘blown out’ highlights. These are areas in an image where all detail has been lost, appearing as pure white. Burnt highlights can detract from the overall quality of your image, making it appear flat and less dynamic.
The Perils of Burnt Highlights
Burnt highlights are a common pitfall in photography. They occur when the highlights in an image are overexposed to the point where all detail is lost. This results in areas of the image appearing as pure white, devoid of any texture or detail. Not only does this reduce the overall dynamic range of the image, but it also distracts the viewer’s attention, leading to a less engaging photo.
Crafting Perfect Highlights
Creating perfect highlights is a delicate balance. It involves understanding how light interacts with your subject and how your camera captures that light. A well-exposed image ensures that your camera gathers enough visual information for you to work with during the editing process. Overexposed or underexposed images give you less to work with because they contain less tonal data.
To expose for highlights, aim your camera at the area of your frame where the highlights are, likely the sky. Press your shutter halfway, and the exposure and focus will be locked. Now keep your finger at this halfway position. Move your camera back to the composed photo you wish to take, and press to take that photo. Your image will now be exposed for the highlights.
Luckily the Photo editors enable us to recover part of the burnt photo by reducing the amount of highlights and make the photo looking good!
On the right you can see the image with too much highlights, the image on the left is the same but edited to cut out the luminosity and give more harmony to the photo
Camera Settings for Optimal Highlights
Understanding your camera settings is crucial for capturing the best possible highlights. Different cameras, whether they are DSLR, mirrorless, or smartphone cameras, will have different dynamic ranges. Understanding how your camera works in various lighting situations will help you capture the best images possible.
In general, these are the best basic camera settings for capturing highlights:
- Aperture: f/1.8-f/5.6 in low light or for a narrower depth of field, and f/8-f/16 for a wider depth of field.
- Shutter Speed: This can range from 30 seconds to 1/4000th of a second depending on the scene.
- ISO: 100-3200 in entry-level cameras, and 100-6400 in more advanced cameras.
The Histogram: Your Ally in Avoiding Overexposed Highlights
The histogram is a powerful tool that can help you avoid overexposed highlights. It is a graph that represents the tones in an image: the highlights, the shadows, and everything in between. If an image has blown-out highlights, this will be visible on the histogram.
To avoid overexposed highlights, you can use a technique called ‘expose to the right’. This means exposing your image to push the peaks of the histogram as near to the right side of the graph as possible without clipping the highlights. Then, in your favorite photo editing suite, the shot is then processed to reduce the brightness and bring the final image back to your desired exposure.
In conclusion, mastering highlights is a crucial aspect of photography. By understanding how to avoid burnt highlights, how to create highlights correctly, and how to use your camera settings and histogram effectively, you can create stunning, well-exposed photographs. Remember, photography is an art, and like any art, it requires practice, patience, and a lot of passion. So, keep shooting, keep experimenting, and most importantly, keep enjoying the process. Happy shooting!
