ERIC KIM

Overexposed background shot with a flash on RICOH GR II in P (program) mode. Creates a strong figure to ground because Cindy’s face is well lit, the background is very bright. This picture is strong, because it creates a DYNAMIC CONTRAST between Cindy’s face and the backdrop.

Photography Composition: Light and Dark

My buddy (the ancient Greek, pre-socratic) philosopher Anaxagoras has some pretty fantastic atomic theories in philosophy. A basic concept is that everything is comprised of dark and light, and other opposites. The reason this was fascinating to me was this: the word “composition” literally means “what something is comprised of, or made of”. Therefore a photographic composition isn’t just lines, shapes, and forms (as Henri Cartier-Bresson believed it to be), but actually something deeper; the contents of a photograph, and why a photograph has power, dynamic emotions, and soul!

Overexposed background shot with a flash on RICOH GR II in P (program) mode. Creates a strong figure to ground because Cindy’s face is well lit, the background is very bright. This picture is strong, because it creates a DYNAMIC CONTRAST between Cindy’s face and the backdrop.
Overexposed background shot with a flash on RICOH GR II in P (program) mode. Creates a strong figure to ground because Cindy’s face is well lit, the background is very bright. This picture is strong, because it creates a DYNAMIC CONTRAST between Cindy’s face and the backdrop.

We mostly talk about dark and light, shadows and bright, in the context of “figure to ground“. Figure is the subject, and ground is the background.

For example study the below images and examples:

Abstract. Simple figure to ground composition. Man in silhouette in black in top left of frame against white sky.
Simple figure to ground composition. Man in silhouette in black in top left of frame against white sky.
Black circle against white background. Strong figure to ground.
Figure to ground: White circle against black background.
Figure to ground example: Silhouette of Cindy against backlight of stairwell. Hanoi, 2017
Inverse figure to ground: with a white background, your eyes are first drawn to the darkest colors and shapes.
When we introduce a fourth shape (very dark grey lightning bolt in bottom right corner) we can barely see it — because very dark grey has “weak” figure to ground (contrast) against a black background.
In figure to ground, your eyes always travel to the areas of the highest contrast, then to areas or shapes of less contrast. For example, your eye will first look at the white box (most contrast) then the grey box (less contrast)
Figure to ground: White box creates a “strong” figure to ground against the black background.
Figure to ground: White box creates a “strong” figure to ground against the black background.
Figure to ground: Black background
Even with the blur applied, you can still see the separation of the man’s head from the background
Separation of the mans head from the black on top of the frame. Strong figure figure to ground.
Separation of the man outlined in red.
See the separation between his head and the background.

Apparently the birth of the universe was light. Remember the saying,

Let there be light!

Light is the birth of all life on earth. With light comes heat and warmth, energy, food, photosynthesis, and biogenesis.

Anyways light is essential to life. And photography means “writing with light”.

So as photographers, the camera is our pen. And the light is what makes our photos and images possible!

Generally speaking we can think about photography composition in terms of light and dark. We need both, or else we cannot make photos.

A photo that is pure light (all white) would have no meaning or significance. Even “high key” mostly white photos have some dark in it, to show the contours of the subjects.

Generally speaking to improve your composition, I recommend shooting super high contrast black and white. This technique is called “crushing the blacks“; shoot in RAW with black and white preview, and then increase the blacks slider in Lightroom to 100!

For ease of use, download free ERIC KIM PRESETS.

Minus exposure compensation

An easy way to adjust the light and dark in your photos is just to shoot in P(program) mode, and do -1 or -2 exposure compensation. This allows you to make the highlights (bright parts) of the photos look nicer. And you make the dark parts of the photos (the shadows) very dark! This makes for a more dynamic play and contrast between the light and darks of your photos:

Simple ways to manipulate light

Blurry Cindy, low angle perspective. Hanoi, 2017
Abstract of the ‘figure to ground’ relationship of the picture.
Figure-to-ground composition
Gaussian blur effect. The woman in the black silhouette pops out from the background.
Hanoi, 2017
Leaves and skyscraper. Hanoi, 2017
My mom in bed. Hanoi, 2017.
Face mask. Hanoi, 2017. Shoot with a flash, see negative black space in background.
Cindy at work in Hanoi on her laptop. 2017
Hanoi, 2017
Hanoi, 2017 #cindyproject
Hanoi, 2017
Hanoi, 2017
  1. Shoot with a flash. Just use a simple pop-up flash on your camera (like on RICOH GR II) or the smallest external flash.
  2. Shoot at different times of the day. Shoot sunrise, noon, and sunset, and indoors.
  3. Shoot high contrast black and white to better understand the light.
  4. Exposure compensation: Play around with it!

Let your light shine!
ERIC

PHOTOGRAPHY Composition 101 >