Light on the Landscape

SEPARATION OF TONES

CREATE SEPARATION OF TONES TO COAX NUANCES OUT OF YOUR IMAGES

When I am teaching photographers how they can improve their photography, I often talk about the need to create separation of tones in post-processing. The idea is simple: key areas of an image, especially highlights and shadows, should show good detail and tonal separation. This concept was drummed into my head when I listened to Ansel Adams teach in the early 1980s. In making his prints, Adams used the Zone System to handle contrast decisions when developing and printing his negatives. His brilliant printing style gave a luminous quality to the shadows and smooth graduation in the highlight tones. Digital processing and print technologies currently allow for very ...