any tips on how to get high contrast in camera?
Lucky Hack
Registered Users Posts: 594 Major grins
I tried to get a decent landscape but was foiled by my own ineptitude, post couldn't even save this one. Guys like Ansel, aside from a mountain of talent, must have had some process or some tips, or filters yeah, that's what it must be, I just need to get the right filter, or maybe I should go see a fortune teller so I know where to be when the right shot happens. Maybe it's my shoes, i just need shoes with better traction, it's gotta be the shoes...
Any tips? I'm especially interested in any that happen before post.
hoping this message finds you willing to share your secrets -Ian
Any tips? I'm especially interested in any that happen before post.
hoping this message finds you willing to share your secrets -Ian
Chance favors the prepared mind. -Louis Pasteur
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I never pay any attention to this, shoot landscapes.........well, I just never do get it and shoot what I have. But my guess is that Ansel Adams came back when the light was better.
If one part were shaded, and another part had bright sun on it, you would get contrast.
This is just a guess. I notice good light, rarely have a chance to shoot in it. But it is a very important factor, especially for what you want.
ginger
Hello Lucky !
Have you tried a red filter .
This works great when shooting black and white pictures.
Bye,
Peter Dumont
Oh my stomach hurts, that's hilarious, I'm crying I'm laughing so hard, :lol4 :lol4 thanks for a really good laugh.
hoping this message finds you well -Ian
Thanks Peter, I'll try that. Hey cool light painting by the way...
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Thanks wax
hoping this message finds you well -Ian
Last way is to shoot RAW, get a good histogram that is biased to the left, then do a lot of work in post-processing. This is the same as what Ansel did in the darkroom. It was easier with film, however, because negative film has a larger dynamic range and exposure latitude than digital does. RAW helps, however.
A former sports shooter
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Cool, I've always known how to read a histogram, but I've never thought of using it that way, I'll be sure try that, thanks for the tips.
hoping this message finds you well -Ian
For a pic with very high contrast, I recommend using a spotmeter: meter the bright part of the scene, then the darkest part. If the difference exceeds what the camera can record then you can:
- use the only filter which reduces contrast in a scene: a graduated ND filter. From your measurements you know the amount of graduation you need
- with the camera on a tripod, take two pictures, one which will preserve the brightest part of the picture, but some areas will be very dark/black, another which will blow the highlights, but preserve details in the darkest area. The pics will be combined in post (sometimes one can get away with one pic shot in raw, create two pictures with different digital exposure compensations, then blend the pics. It all depends on the scene. If the contrast in the scene exceeds what your camera can record, taking one shot only will involve some sacrifices). Again the spot meter tells you how much difference in exposure you need.
- if you can take only one picture (for instance, it is a little windy and lots of vegetation is moving. You're using high shutter speed to "freeze" the action but blending two pics may not work well ! Or you don't have a tripod handy, ...), then you can spotmeter diverse parts of the scene near the darkest/brightest part of the scene. From there you know which parts of the scene will be very dark or overblown for a given setting. Hence you can make an exact informed decision about the sacrifices which you're going to make. This is even better than the histogram !
- What if you want a simple life: no blending in post - you'll accept a scene with some highlights and/or some dark areas, and no way you're going to do all these metering measurements ! There is still a way as good as the one just described, which is bracketing. You set your camera in your favorite setting (say aperture priority), and takes several pictures using various exposure compensation settings in a systematic way like -1 EV -0.5 EV 0 +0.5 EV +1 EV (many cameras have a setting to automate the process). Then you'll decide in front of your computer which one you like the best. Let's face it: this is truely in essence just plain brute force, but who can argue that "bracketing" does not sounds much more sophisticated ?
Thierry