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What is Value in Photography (And How to Use it) By Tsour Lee Adato.
Value in photography refers to the range of light in an image, and how it can be used to create contrast. Tonal value, which is the distribution of light and dark tones in a photograph, can be used to change the feel and appearance of a photo.
To understand value in photography, it’s helpful to group tones into categories such as blacks, shadows, midtones, highlights, and whites. Blacks and pure whites are the darkest and lightest parts of a photo and contain no detail or texture. Shadows, highlights, and midtones all contain detail and texture. A histogram can be used to map the tonal values, with darker tones on the left and lighter tones on the right.
An important concept in value in photography is the Zone System, developed by Ansel Adams. The Zone System labels the range of light and dark tones in a photo, and divides the range from pure black to true white into 11 zones. Adams advocated using a wide range of light to maximize contrast in a photograph.
Exposure value
is also a key aspect of value in photography, and is determined by the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO…
