Modern digital cameras have unbelievable dynamic range and post-processing latitude compared to those of a decade ago, and that has encouraged a lot of us to simply automatically bring the shadows up on every photo without a second thought. Is that the best choice, though? Maybe not. This great video discusses why you should reconsider how you treat the shadows in your photos and how to go about doing so.
Coming to you from aows, this excellent video discusses the importance of considering how you edit your shadows and why crushing your blacks can be such an effective technique. No doubt, I have been plenty guilty of going on autopilot and automatically bringing the shadows up in every photo I edit, because after all, isn't more detail better? But when you are trying to tell a story with your images, not only can darker shadows help to evoke a more dramatic mood if that is what you are after, they can leave more of the frame to the viewer's imagination, allowing them to meet the photo halfway, so to speak. And when that happens, they will have likely built a deeper connection with and appreciation for it. Check out the video above for the full rundown.
Crush the blacks?
:rolleyes:
So... I can forget about the zone system now? This video isn't really about controlling shadows as much as it is about obliterating them into blackness.