To enhance the effectiveness of your coastal images, an understanding of tonal range is essential. Both when you’re shooting and in post-production, the histogram will become your new best friend. The histogram displays the darkest tones in an image on the left, with the lightest tones on the right. The tonal range of a scene can be divided into five sections – blacks, shadows, midtones, highlights and whites.
Generally, darker tones and bright highlights should not be ‘clipped’ on the histogram, as this means detail is lost in those areas. But some coastal shots can benefit from deep blacks and increased contrast – indeed, photographers often shoot against the sun to create stylish silhouettes.
Lighting conditions in coastal areas can be challenging, and high-contrast scenes may require you to shoot…