Seeing Tone: The First Thing You Need To Know About Photography

Do you want to learn photography? Are you unsure where to start? If so then you've come to the right place. Seeing tone is the first thing you need to know about photography. And, this article will teach you how and why to do just that.

Seeing Tone: The First Thing To Know About Photography

Practically speaking, your first photography lesson should be how to tell the difference between tones. What are tones?

Understanding Tones in Photography

Tones are differences between how much brightness is in your photos. More than this, they are discreet areas of brightness which can each be turned black, white, or somewhere in between by adding or subtracting how much light we capture.

We don't see the world this way. In fact, we generally see the world more like the top of the illustration below than the bottom.

However, our camera changes the brightness in discreet steps. Therefore it's important to think about tones in blocks like in the lower portion of the illustration below.

Tones in real life vs. those in photography. We see the world like those on top. However, our camera changes the brightness in steps. Therefore it's important to think about tones in discreet blocks like in the lower portion of the illustration.

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Photography Exposure

Photography exposure is the method of controlling the amount of brightness in our photos. As such, when we make a change in that brightness we're doing so by reducing a percentage of the light. Generally speaking when we change one setting we're either doubling or halving the amount of light coming into the camera. Of course we can reduce it by smaller increments these days. However, it's easier to think of in these larger terms.

Changing Your Exposure

The three settings we can usually change on our cameras are:

• Shutter Speed
• Aperture
• ISO (sensitivity)

When you choose a number that is half or double the setting you're on either in shutter speed or ISO, you're doubling or halving the amount of light.

For example, ISO 100 is half as sensitive as ISO 200 and a quarter as much as ISO 400. Additionally, a shutter speed of 1 second allows twice as much light into the camera as one-half-second does and four times as much than a quarter second.

Aperture and Pi

You'll have noticed that I didn't include aperture in the half and double. So, why is that? Aperture is a percentage of the opening in the lens that allows light in. Easy enough until you realize lenses are circular. Therefore, we need to take Pi into consideration. If we're doubling the volume of light allowed in then the fraction can't be 2,4,8, etc. Instead we end up with 2, 2.8,4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16. However, these are half or double the amount of light.

Half-stops and Third Stops

All of this halving and doubling would be super easy but for cameras allowing us to change things in half or thirds of those doubles or halves. In other words, rather than removing half the amount of light by changing our shutter speed one position, we end up only reducing it by 1/3rd of that half or essentially 1/6th. Therefore, to reduce it by half we need to move our dial or position on the dial three times in order to cut the light in half or to double it.

What Does This Have To Do With Tone?

Because we're changing the brightness by cutting it in half or doubling it (or by smaller increments) it's important to think of where things are in relation to absolute black and absolute white.

Find the Tone of Your Subject

In order to understand how to adjust the brightness of your photo, you first need to figure out where on that tonal scale you want your subject to be. This is completely up to you. In fact, there is no objectively correct exposure.

First, ask if your subject very bright, very dark, or towards the middle? Then, decide if this is where you want them to remain. After all, you can choose to over or under expose them.

What is Middle Gray?

Middle grey, also known as 18% gray is the tone that photographers have historically exposed for. That is, this is the level of brightness that was long taught to be correct. In fact, you can still buy and use gray cards.

How to Use A Gray Card

To use a gray card you first need to place it where your subject is. Then you want to take a meter reading off of this card. Use whatever settings your meter tells you. If your using your camera's built in meter, change your exposure settings until the meter is in the center.

Why I don't believe in using gray cards

I don't believe in using gray cards. In fact, I have not used one since graduating from photography school in 2001. Why? First, our camera's meters are fairly accurate. Second, they're limiting, they only really work if our subject is the same tone as they are. Finally, they don't teach us to see tone.

The Problem with Gray Cards

Gray cards are problematic in that they approximately match average white skin tones. No joke. In fact this is what they were designed to be used for. Therefore, unless you're photographing a white person with average levels of whiteness to their complexion they're not really useful.

Additionally, they don't help us to see tones. Seeing tones requires us to understand how bright our subject is in relation to everything else in our photo.

Seeing Tone

In order to see tone better we need to understand where our subject falls in the space between the absolute black and absolute white which our camera sees. For example, imagine your subject is a bright white bird and the background is dark shadowed foliage. How do you expose for the bird?

Your Camera's Meter

First, you need to understand that your camera's meter. If it's looking at the entire scene then it's going to try to balance it out tonally. Assuming your bird is fairly small in the frame, it's going to prioritize capturing details in the dark shadows. To do this it's going to bring those shadows (and everything else) up in brightness.

As a result, the bird is going to be very over-exposed. Therefore, we need to override what the camera's meter says. In fact, we probably need to do so by a fairly large margin. For example by cutting down our brightness by 50% or even 75%.

The brighter the light and harsher the shadows the more this matters. In fact, unless it's overcast, most of your photos will likely require an understanding of tone. In other words, if you're taking photos in the sun you're going to benefit greatly from understanding how to see tones.

Read next: The one setting you need to learn to master photography

Take Action With This Knowledge

Once you begin to understand tone and to see it, you can put it into action. Doing so ensures your photos are always exposed the way you want. In fact, if you want a dark and moody photo you can do it. Alternatively, if you want a bright sunny picture, now you know how to do that as well.

Remember, first look at your subject. Then decide where they fall on the tonal scale. Of course, don't forget to consider the entire scene and where they fit into it tonally. Next, figure out where you want your subject to be on that scale. Is your subject extra bright? Alternatively, do you want your subject to be a bit darker for a moody looking photo?

In Conclusion

Remember, first look at your subject. Then decide where they fall on the tonal scale. Of course, don't forget to consider the entire scene and where they fit into it tonally. Next, figure out where you want your subject to be on that scale. Is your subject extra bright? Alternatively, do you want your subject to be a bit darker for a moody looking photo?