Tokyo Contrast
Tokyo Contrast
Perhaps the element most commonly used in photography. All major editing software have robust contrast settings for a reason. They are potent tools all street photographers should master. However, I want to discuss scene contrast—the naturally occurring contrast of the scene at capture.
What is scene contrast?
Scene contrast is all the contrast within a given frame. Some of it obvious, highlight vs shadow or complimentary color for example. Other types of contrast are, well, more complicated. Ideas of contrasting elements such as stationary vs an in-motion subject, or the weight of each image element. The goal here is not preach a particular style over another but to be aware of multiple concepts to create the contrast each image demands.
Tokyo contrast: a speedy yellow taxi and a big blue umbrella.
Highlight versus shadow is the most common and easily identified form of contrast. Of course, it refers to the variance of light to dark in a given picture.
In the example picture, the foreground subject is shadowed to mid-tone, while the background is highlighted to mid-tone. The balance of contrast gives the man and the taxi equal weight in the image, as they are both equal in interest.
It is pretty simple: Dark things catch the eye, and light things catch the eye. The gradient between the two gives the image a sense of balance. From here, it gets more complicated. In the moment of this image, I didn't see light or dark; I noticed blue vs. yellow, then stationary vs. motion.
First, the colour: the man standing held the gorgeous blue umbrella, and my initial shot was him in the foreground with the other pedestrians slightly out of focus in the background. The problem was taxis. They were relentless, driving through my frame. I had to go with it, except for another issue. Black taxis, to be specific. Black on black and wasn't going to work. I reduced my shutter speed to give the cab a little blur and waited. Before the stop light changed, a yellow cab went through. A bit of luck as Tokyo has green and white taxis, but yellow works the best here. Green or white would work, but yellow allows the near-silhouette man to jump off the page while also being a complimentary colour of the blue umbrella.
I slowed my shutter speed to help accentuate the contrast of a stationary subject against a background in motion. Some may like more motion, some less, but this is right. The elbow and umbrella crest the wheel well. This separation gives so much pop to the image. The still man, his attention entirely on the phone, Tokyo rushes by, her attention full in the swollen now of a million moments happening all at once.
Seeing and harnessing the contrast in a scene is a powerful tool for any photographer. I happily employ curves and selectively push and pull the saturation of an image, the best rendering always comes from capturing as much scene contrast in the moment as possible.
