A discussion on dynamic range, highlights and the emotional importance of photography

 

 

As a professional photographer, Sean Tucker spends much of his time behind the camera or working on images on his computer. For him, despite photography being his job, it's also his passion and one of his most important emotional outlets. Rather than spend free time away from the camera, he finds himself drawn to photography as a way to help him deal with anxiety and stress.

Tucker mentions the phrase, "protect your highlights." It's something he's learned in cinematography, but he also applies it to photography and to his life in general. He asks us to consider movies which we consider to be beautifully shot and he says they all have one thing in common, they have all their tones present, even in bright areas of a scene. Tucker isn't saying that an image with blown highlights is a bad image, but it is certainly a creative choice and isn't necessarily representative of how we see things with our own eyes.

This brings us to dynamic range. As cameras improve, dynamic range is an important aspect of a camera's overall performance. We typically want to protect highlights, ensuring that we have detail in the brightest parts of our image, while maintaining as much detail as possible in the shadows.

To learn more about dynamic range and how Tucker "protects highlights" in photography and in life, check out the video below. It's an interesting blend of tech discussion and a look at what makes photography ultimately meaningful, the emotions behind the technicalities.

(Via Sean Tucker)