blown-out backgrounds

(When the background goes unrecorded because of under- or overexposure)

A photograph can remain eligible for the TTG label even when it is recorded in a situation in which

• the background is “blown out” to full white (the background is overexposed, for example when exposing for the subject’s face with a bright overcast sky in the background)

or

• “blown out” to full black (the background is underexposed, for example lighting the subject with flash while standing outdoors at night).

See FAQ #884 for more on dynamic range in TTG photographs.

Note that unlike “blown out” backgrounds, cutout backgrounds always disqualify photographs from TTG.

See also the “seen vs. simulated” brief for background on why TTG allows backgrounds to be “blown out” but not “cut out.”