Contrasts In Commercial Photographs

What's the best way to make something stand out? Contrast! A black object on a white background is simple, clean, and effective. Similarly, a light object on a dark background calls attention to itself. Contrast in photography refers to both tonal and color contrasts. It's the range of shades, from bright highlight to dark shadow. The more extreme the range, the higher the contrast.

A professional Toronto commercial photographer knows how to use make use of contrast creatively and effectively. Here are a couple of examples of contrasts in commercial photographs.

Notice how the white background and the metal gray borders really bring out the dark blue color of the conveyer belt. The lines and edges are very crisp against the white background. The shadows on this piece aren't very extreme. This is a good example of moderate contrast.

Morever, the lack of shadows actually balances out the photograph. We are initially drawn to the dark blue color, but then our eyes move on to the rest of picture. None of the other details are overshadowed, making the machine itself – and not a particular component – the subject of the photograph.

This is another example of contrasting shades. Dark, rich wood against a completely plain background. The lack of anything distracting behind the piece of furniture brings out all the little details; black painted circle in the middle, black-and-red flower borders, and the metallic-gold carvings on the edges and corners.

The shadows and angle give the subject dimension, but it's not over-emphasized. Notice how there are no shadows under or around the object itself. Editing the shadows out gives the piece a very clean, centralized feel. When you want a stand-alone object to really capture the viewer's attention, this is the way to do it.

What do you do when there are multiple subjects in the photograph and all are varying shades and colors? Centralize! Object placement is crucial here; find a way to group all the objects together without them looking cramped or forced. Pick a defining characteristic that all the subjects share, and use that to create the contrast you need.

In this case, the defining characteristic would have to be the plate. Since all the objects in the photograph are being supported by the plate, you'll want the plate to stand out a little more. White against black equals beautiful contrast. Your eyes automatically ignore the black background in favor of the food that stands out beautifully against the white plate.

This photo of a cosmetic product makes use of contrast between elements. By itself, on a plain white background, the jar of mineralized powder would have looked very clean, yes, but a bit too simplistic to really catch attention. The colors alone are very basic; black cover, light pink glass, white background.

The literal splash of color adds excitement to what could have been an otherwise very proper, very silent set-up. Colors and shades aren't the only things you can contrast in a picture. Elements like a rush of activity in the background against a subject standing still, or a very small object propped up against a huge building are examples of good contrast.

This is another example of contrasting elements. Just like the photo above, this contrasts chaos versus quiet. A blur of activity versus focus.

Imagine if the background and subject were the same. If the van was blurred as well, you wouldn't have anything to focus on. You'd be left looking at a pretty bad picture. If the background and the van were both still, there wouldn't be a sense of movement. You'd think the van was parked.

Many toronto product photography services have professional photographers who understand this concept very well. When you use proper contrast with proper angling, lighting, and exposure, the results are nothing short of breath-taking.