Dynamic range is about the difference between the light and dark areas of your photos. Your camera is limited in the amount of difference it can record from the brightest to the darkest. Anything outside this range becomes either pure black or pure white with no detail. Choosing lighting conditions that don’t exceed your camera’s ability will help you reveal the qualities of your subject better. Film photographers have exploited this knowledge to their advantage for years, but digital photographers rarely consider it. 

Rich’s talk will introduce you to the basics of dynamic range, so you can learn to read the light to understand when it is “contrasty” (high dynamic range) or “soft” (low dynamic range,) how that affects your exposure choices, and how you can use that knowledge to find better light and get better results.