Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/01/15

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: [Leica] Question about M8 exposure
From: tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant)
Date: Thu Jan 15 21:04:06 2009

Geoff,

Yer da man!!! :-)

I figure any one who can end up with:

>> At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is what works for YOU.
I

think you should get Henning or someone around with a bunch of beers and

sushi and sit in front of your computer together if you want to
understand<<<

 

Now that kind of understanding and learning is my kind of style. Trust me in
that fashion one retains every word and click! :-)

 

Thanks Geoff.

ted

 

-----Original Message-----
From: lug-bounces+tedgrant=shaw.ca@leica-users.org
[mailto:lug-bounces+tedgrant=shaw.ca@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of Geoff
Hopkinson
Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2009 6:41 PM
To: 'Leica Users Group'
Subject: RE: [Leica] Question about M8 exposure

 

Ted you should keep on shooting Raw and developing your photos exactly like

you are now. If you are happy with your current process and it works for you

then you don't need to change anything. Especially if you don't refer to

histograms or any other digital voodoo there but just adjust your photos

until they look right for you. A histogram is just a graph if you like that

shows you how much of your image is highlights, mid -tones etc. Lots of high

lines to the right means lots of highlights. A graph (histogram) chopped off

at one end means some tones have been lost.

Very basically, what Tina and others have said if that they don't mind

underexposing a little because they feel that will help them avoid blowing

highlights (chopping off at the right end of the histogram). Just think of

shooting your M8 the way you shot slide film before.

The voodoo part is when you keep as many of the highlights as you can right

up to the point where they are clipped you can use that raw information if

you want to get in there and make a lot of adjustments to the image later.

The trick is knowing when the highlights are chopped off completely. Much

depends on how you meter and what you are photographing, of course.

Doug's second shot is a textbook example of meticulous exposure for his

subject. The main subject is all lights  and it was vital that he retain all

of the detail in those. Note though that there are almost no tones in the

bottom 25% (the darks).

Where you brain starts to hurt is that a meter reading on the white animal

SHOULD THEORETICALLY render the white coat as middle grey so the exposure

should be increased. But Doug has decreased the exposure because he knows

his subject, his light, his meter and his sensor really really well and it

was imperative that none of the light coat be blown into pure white.  But

then the camera or software are shifting all the tones around so they make

sense for our vision. Then the software is making an automated exposure

adjustment out of THAT like your corner mini-lab making colour prints!

Doug and I had this discussion once before using a very high key image of

his previously (an egret). If you are willing to work at the original Raw

files you can get a LOT of information out of the highlights. 

At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is what works for YOU. I

think you should get Henning or someone around with a bunch of beers and

sushi and sit in front of your computer together if you want to understand

more.  

 

 

Cheers

Geoff

http://www.pbase.com/hoppyman/e

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/gh/

Pick up your camera and make the best photo you can.

 

-----Original Message-----

From: lug-bounces+hoppyman=bigpond.net.au@leica-users.org

[mailto:lug-bounces+hoppyman=bigpond.net.au@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of

Ted Grant

Sent: Friday, 16 January 2009 10:42

To: 'Leica Users Group'

Subject: RE: [Leica] Question about M8 exposure

 

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?

 

 

 

This maybe off the wall impossible to explain in e-mail fashion, if so not

to worry, thanks.  Now you folks have me turned on to learn this I'll hang

tough with it and learn.

 

 

 

I can get one of the locals give me a show and tell. But now I visually

understand where and when one would make changes. But is it not an

adjustment you'd do only under certain situations where one requires better

detail in whites?

 

 

 

Other wise one leaves it alone?

 

Ted

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ted Grant wrote:

 

 

 

>>>> 

 

You can't be serious that each time you shoot, you turn on the mountain

 

screen, twiddle something to supposedly make image better, turn off screen

 

and return to shoot?..... Is it truly an absolute necessity?

 

<<<< 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

Doug Herr

 

Birdman of Sacramento

 

http://www.wildlightphoto.com

 

 

 

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------

 

mail2web.com - What can On Demand Business Solutions do for you?

 

http://link.mail2web.com/Business/SharePoint

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_______________________________________________

 

Leica Users Group.

 

See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information

 

No virus found in this incoming message.

 

Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com 

 

Version: 8.0.176 / Virus Database: 270.10.7/1895 - Release Date: 1/15/2009

7:46 AM

 

 

_______________________________________________

Leica Users Group.

See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information

 

 

 

_______________________________________________

Leica Users Group.

See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information

 

No virus found in this incoming message.

Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com 

Version: 8.0.176 / Virus Database: 270.10.7/1895 - Release Date: 1/15/2009
7:46 AM


In reply to: Message from hoppyman at bigpond.net.au (Geoff Hopkinson) ([Leica] Question about M8 exposure)