DARKEN FOR IMPACT
How to control landscapes that are overflowing with light
There may be times when a landscape simply has too much light. It can be on bright sunny days without a cloud or a shadow to be seen. Add in top or front lighting and the resulting landscape can be a tad boring. In fact, this typifies what we’re taught not to do as landscape photographers yet, as with poor weather, sometimes we need to shoot what we are given.
We can learn a technique from portrait photographers when working outdoors or under harsh studio lighting: base the final exposure on the highlights and let everything else darken down naturally. The technique begins exactly the same in that we need to ensure our capture exposure is correct and definitely not clipping the highlights. Detail in the highlights is very important.
However, once you have your RAW file open for post-production, there are no rules that say we need to simply obey the histogram. Using a correctly calibrated monitor, add in an adjustment layer and darken down the file, keeping an eye on the highlights. What you can find is that the light highlights gain texture and, depending on the subject, colour as well. This approach works best when your subject is lighter than its surroundings – as in the example of the snowcovered Booth Island in Antarctica – because the surroundings become even darker, providing an automatic vignette.
Next, to enhance the direction of light, or the suggestion that your subject is spotlit, darken down the surroundings as well. However, rather than adding a circular vignette which can be easy to spot, try darkening down the tops and bottoms of the image. The edges of your masks or brush strokes should follow natural edges in the image – such as water textures or clouds.
Reducing the light in your subject can go even further, perhaps mimicking a night scene, even though the original was shot in broad daylight. As you become familiar with what your camera and post-production can do when used in tandem, you’ll find that enhancing the light is a natural extension of your photographic eye.