How much contrast is too much contrast? My conclusion:

Stronger contrast is better.

Aesthetics are all subjective.

My theory:

Follow your personal taste.

For example here are some experiments:

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In the above study, the second photo with more contrast looks better to my eyes. It has more impact and power:

Let’s crank up the contrast some more:

And some more:

This is my first observation:

When you increase the contrast of a photo, it becomes brighter, and has more “pop” (stronger figure to ground contrast between different elements of the frame).

For example see the first original photo (with Gaussian blur applied) compared to the second photo (with additional contrast). We can see improved definition (compare above and below the green line):

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A closer look.

The two photos side by side:

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Original photo:

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The photo with more contrast added:

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So this is the part I find really fascinating — the little squiggle on the top half of the frame seems to be more prominent in the example after additional contrast has been given.

Furthermore, you can see that the highlight intensity of the second photo is stronger:

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To be more clear, note the separation as indicated in the red:

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Stronger is better

Therefore my hypothesis on why more contrast looks better:

1. Photos which are brighter pop out more to us, and seem more interesting and appealing.
2. Photos with stronger contrast have better separation in the frame, less clutter.
3. More contrast simplifies your photos.

How much contrast is too much contrast?

This is more of an aesthetic taste thing. I personally prefer maximum contrast unto the point that you cannot “stand it anymore”. I try to push the contrast to the extreme limit, until I feel it becomes ugly.

My practical suggestion:

Just keep fucking around with your photos, until they look good in your eyes.

For example:

The examples:

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Out of the three, I prefer the third and last one. It starts to look like a face.

The curves I applied on my iPad with Procreate:

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This is what happens when we invert the photos:

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Immediately I can see that the second photo is far more fascinating. More detail, sharpness, and contrast.

With Gaussian blur applied:

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We can better see the outline with more contrast. In fact, the photo on the right looks like a statue of Zeus’ face.

The two photos side by side:

Another theory:

Perhaps the ability for artists to see “hidden faces” in abstract art is what makes us artistic?

Also to discover new truths about monochrome images, we should invert the photos more often, and add Gaussian blur?

For example the evolution of this image:

All the photos laid out:

Stronger contrast is better.

ERIC