Alistair’s top tips for capturing contrast

1 Don’t overthink it

Look for an area where the sun is causing shadows and start shooting. Forget about other constraints such as the rule of thirds or leading lines. Find your spot, fire off a few frames and move on.

2 Exposure compensation

If you’re shooting in full- or semi-auto modes, dial down your exposure compensation to -0.3. This will help drop the shadows to a slightly darker level without affecting the brighter parts too much.

3 Use pinpoint metering

Choose spot metering to get the right exposure for the main part of your building. Make sure that your spot is pointing at the brightest part of the building, like the white window frames here.

4 Avoid matrix metering

If you were to use ‘matrix’ or ‘evaluative’ metering, your camera will sense the darker areas and boost everything in the image, including those pleasing dark shadows – but this is not the effect you want.