Tone
Tone by definition is the contrast between light and dark in varying degrees and colors.
In other words: Tone is the lightness or darkness of how something appears.
Uses of Tone
1. to create “pop” with contrast between light and dark colors
2. to create “mood” such as dramatic, mysterious, or tranquil atmosphere.
3. to create the illusion of form.
4. to create a stronger sense of depth and distance.
5. to create a stronger sense of rhythm or pattern within a composition.
Tone also can be known as the “luminosity” of the composition...
Tones are created by the way light falls on a 3D object.
The parts of the object on which the light is strongest are called highlights and the darker areas are called shadows. There will a range of tones in between the highlights and shadows.
Tone is probably the most intangible foundation of a photographic composition. It is often the hardest for photographers to grasp and understand and achieve. But Tone is what creates the “liveliness” of a photo, and is one of the most important of the foundations.
Often, photographers call tone the “pop” of an image…this is what gives viewers their first impression of an image, the “wow factor”
Tone is what makes the image “jump out” to the viewer…remember the old saying: "You can never have a second first impression”
Tone Sets the "Mood" of a Photographic Image
Tone is very powerful in that it can be used to create and set a “mood” in an image. By setting the mood of a composition, tone adds to the first impression your image gives.
Interactions of light against dark shades in varying degrees and colors helps to set the "mood" of a photographic composition.
Different Moods Created by TONE:
1. An image consisting of extra dark or somber shades (such as with low key exposures) conveys mystery, intrigue, or sadness.
2. When the shades are mostly light and airy, such as with soft pastel colors of powder blue, pink, and pale yellow, the picture portrays lightness, joy, or airiness.
3. Contrast between bold primary colors like red, blue, green convey a sense of celebration, loudness, or a world more full of life
4. When there is little contrast and the tones are muted (such as with high key exposures), there is a sense of calming and quietness.
5. Use of glowing colors & diffused light creates a warming mood of peace and faith.
6. Brighter, sharper colors & direct light creates a mood of excitement and being alive.
7. Or it may consist of dark against light colors with little or no grays to make something stand out.
A photograph is essentially a range of tones from dark to light that form an image. Typically, the key tones are mid-tones (the average brightness in an image). Camera exposure meters are calibrated to average out the exposure to an overall mid-tone…however, if you stray away from this, different moods can be created. There are two artistic variances to this mid-tone “norm” when thinking about tone and its effect on the projected mood on an image:
1. A high-key image is one that has been exposed so that the key tones are lighter than the mid-tone ideal. This means that shadows are brighter and more open and the image usually has a light airy feeling mood
2. A low-key image is one in which the key tones are darker than the mid-tone ideal. This makes the highlights dimmer, the shadows dense and the overall image with a mood that is darker and more brooding.
The photographic foundation of Tone defines the lightness or darkness of a color. The tonal values of any color can be adjusted to alter its expressive character. This could be a shade or how dark or light a color appears.
THE POWER OF GOOD TONE can’t be underestimated! It is the “WOW Factor” of every image…Plus, Tone is very powerful in that it can be used to create and set a “mood” in an image.
Black and white photography is completely dependent on the foundation of tone to set its emotion and mood. Tone consists of shadings from white-to-gray-to-black, especially the disparities between really dark with really light. The use of dark areas against light areas is a common method of adding the feeling of a third dimension to a two-dimensional black-and-white picture.
Tone of this image helps to create a mood of awakening with the light glowing through the fog in this tunnel created by cypress trees. The light at the end of the tunnel creates a luminous glow that sets the mood for the image, as well as fits the well known metaphor of "the light at the end of the tunnel"...editing was created to help enhance the glow of the light on the trees as well as at the end of the tunnel...
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The tone in this image is lively and magical. It has a big "Wow Factor" to it...This is created through the use of a bright and colorful color range reminiscent of the rainbow that is combined with the glowing light from behind the tree to make the leaves more luminous in stark contrast to the much darker trunk and branches of the tree, this is used to create a mood of wonderment and life....editing help to add more glow to the leaves in the tree and the glowing edges of the moss on the trunk and branches...
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Tone of this image helps to create a mood warmth, much like looking into the glowing wooden ember in a campfire at night. This is created by the contrasting tones of dark reds and darker earthy browns that are offset by the brighter glowing reds and orange tones around the "rock window" looking out into the distance
The tone in this image comes from the glowing petals of the flower which helps create a warming mood, similar to looking at the sun itself at sunrise or sunset...the stars add a little extra mood of amazement and wonder in the background of the image, with awe coming from the very luminous and glowing yellow-orange petals of the sunflower, making the flower look much like the actual sun with glowing flares coming off its surface...with editing, extra glow was added individually to each of the sunflower petals to make them more luminous
Tone of this image with the glowing light on the leaves both on the trees and on the ground, creates a mood of enlightenment, following the path through the trees...the sun-flare & light coming through at the back end of the tree create the "wow factor" of the image...editing helped to create extra glow in the leaves on the ground & the light at the back making them brighter & more district, creating extra tone in the process
Tone of this image helps to create a mood of amazement and awe coming from the very luminous and glowing rainbow that brings your eyes into the composition (leading line), this rainbow is also creating the "wow factor" of this image...the entire rainbow had a luminosity layer added to it to enhance its glow
Tone in this image is found with the glow in the wet sand on the beach around the doggie coming from the glowing sun setting on the horizon...a darker vignette around the edges has been created to create a stronger contrast to the bright sun and glowing clouds and sand, and mellow the mood, a mood of "love" with giving off a warm and fuzzy feeling of goodness...editing was used to really help bring out the glow around the doggie allot more
Tone of this image coming from the glowing leaves of this cypress tree in the morning fog helps to create a mood of enchantment as the glowing tree seems to be dancing with its reflection in the water...editing was used to help make the tree glow extra and also darken the trees in the background to help the glowing tree along with its reflection in the water stand out much more, become more prominent...
In this image, tone is created with the glowing sun flare lighting up the sky and orange clouds along with the edges of the solo rock creating a mood of calmness and comfort with being alone...editing was used to enhance the glow of the sun along with the edges of the rock making them more luminous...
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