[Leica] Question about M8 exposure

[wildlightphoto at earthlink.net (wildlightphoto@earthlink.net)]

Ted Grant wrote:

>Dang Doug you always make it sound so simple. Maybe I should come down to
>San Fran again and we do a visit by the sea side and you could teach me. :-)
>Hey I'll even throw in a free lunch and beer! :-)

Sounds good, and we can use Gullzilla as a test dummy :-)

Doug Herr
Birdman of the Histogram
http://www.wildlightphoto.com

>Thanks for your explanation, I'll shoot something in daylight and see if
>between you and Hoppy I can at least learn how it works then I'll know how
>to use it when the time comes.
>
>Thank you.
>
>ted
>
> 
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: lug-bounces+tedgrant=shaw.ca@leica-users.org
>[mailto:lug-bounces+tedgrant=shaw.ca@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of
>wildlightphoto@earthlink.net
>Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2009 7:07 PM
>To: Leica Users Group
>Subject: RE: [Leica] Question about M8 exposure
>
> 
>
>Ted Grant wrote:
>
> 
>
>>Doug Herr answered and showed:
>
>> 
>
>>Subject: RE: [Leica] Question about M8 exposure
>
>> 
>
>>>> Not each time but where it makes the difference between this
>
>>> 
>
>>>http://wildlightphoto.com/temp/dash01.jpg
>
>>> 
>
>>>and this
>
>>> 
>
>>>http://wildlightphoto.com/mammals/artiodactyls/dash01.jpg
>
>>> 
>
>>you bet I'll do it.<<
>
>> 
>
>> 
>
>>Hi Doug,
>
>> 
>
>>Beautiful example, thank you very much. OK now I understand why one would
>
>>make changes. So you shoot the first scene, look not at picture screen, but
>
>>at the history screen and????????????????
>
>> 
>
>>Then you "squggle something to the right side of the screen.  What?
>
>> 
>
> 
>
>Ted, I do my personal voodoo well before the critter is within "keeper"
>range because when the animal is close enough for "keepers" I don't want to
>be forking around with the screen instead of taking pictures.  The first
>picture or two is at the meter's suggested setting.  I'll review the
>histogram at this point and see if any of the important highlights are
>clipped off the right side of the histogram.  If so I'll reduce exposure and
>take another test picture.  Repeat as necessary.  Similarly if the right
>(highlight) end of the histogram doesn't reach the right side of the chart
>I'll either lose shadow detail where the histogram is clipped at the left
>(shadow) side or at least there will be more noise in the shadows than
>necessary.  Increasing exposure will shift the histogram curve to the right
>& reduce shadow noise, but I have to be careful I don't increase exposure so
>much that the right end of the curve is chopped off (blown highlights).  All
>of this is with the camera o!
>
> n m for manual.
>
> 
>
>Getting the "perfect" exposure can be a bit tricky when the critter has a
>lot of deep blacks and bright whites:
>
> 
>
>http://wildlightphoto.com/birds/picidae/acwo02.html
>
> 
>
>A side benefit is that all this futzing around with test exposures fits my
>approach strategy of not staring single-mindedly at the bird and by the time
>I've got the correct exposure dialed in I've also gotten within "keeper"
>range and can just pay attention to the picture and to pushing the button.
>Cool, eh?
>
> 
>
> 
>
>Doug Herr
>
>Birdman of Sacramento
>
>http://www.wildlightphoto.com
>
> 
>
> 
>
> 
>
> 
>
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