When you photograph a subject in sunlight, like this crocodile at the Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, Florida, contrast is an issue. That requires dealing with the highlights and the shadows in either Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom. I move the shadows slider to the right (sometimes all the way) and the highlights slider to the left (again, sometimes all the way). In addition, I will use the gradient filter tool to lay down a gradient of tone (usually to darken an area) as well as the adjustment brush to paint in either under- or overexposure. This is the main reason why you should be shooting in RAW mode all the time.
2 Comments
Jan 17, 2016, 2:32:21 PM
Bob Vestal - Hi Jim, I use this approach all the time and find it to be very helpful. What I haven't tried is the gradient filter in this kind of situation, but now will do so. As always, thank you for the tips that you send us....Bob
Jan 17, 2016, 12:34:02 PM
Jim Zuckerman - You're welcome, Bob. I use the gradient tool a lot for toning down bright skies, too.