Luminous Landscape Discusses Exposure

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.luminous-landscape.com/columns/determining-exposure.shtml' target='_blank'>http://www.luminous-landscape.com/columns/determining-exposure.shtml</a><br /><br /></div>"Exposure. The word contains a certain notion of risk and a certain amount of irremediable commitment. Once the exposure has been set on a camera and the subsequent photograph taken there is no way to physically change this exposure. You are done, set and have to live with the consequences. Hopefully the exposure is “right on” and the photograph holds details everywhere. <br /><br />But what if the photograph does not hold detail everywhere? What if your calculated exposure isn’t absolutely, 100% correct? What if your calculations were off, what if you made a mistake! Then what? Is there a way out, a way back to a great image despite the fact you could have done better in the field exposure-wise? More importantly, in order to avoid post-photographic-exposure stress, how can one calculate, with absolute accuracy, the perfect exposure, each and every time, in the field?"<br /><br />This is a delightfully detailed article about exposure - so detailed, in fact, that I can hear a swooshing sound as some of it goes right over my head. ;-) Correct exposure is something I constantly struggle with, so I'm going to block aside some time in the next week and read this article very slowly, and very carefully.

[Suhit Gupta]

Such a well written article/tutorial. This is one of the reasons I love luminous-landscape.

Suhit

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

Ah, I guess I can skip the article on exposure now. =P

[Jason Dunn]

Ah, I guess I can skip the article on exposure now. =P

Did I mention I need concept reinforcement? :wink:

[Suhit Gupta]

Yeah, I agree :). The one thing that would be useful, that is missing from this article, is comaprison shots of no exposure vs. with exposure control, i.e. something to show how auto-exposure would not do a good job in all cases.

Suhit

[dartman]

The article is worth reading just for the pictures.

I'll have to take some time with this and read it again.

dart

[SassKwatch]

Great article! I learned a couple things I'll definitely put into use.

[Jason Kravitz]

Thanks for the link - great article and photos...

this goes along with my previous post about the zone system - specifically compensating for bright and dark colors...


http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5167&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=11

[SassKwatch]

Yeah, I agree :). The one thing that would be useful, that is missing from this article, is comaprison shots of no exposure vs. with exposure control, i.e. something to show how auto-exposure would not do a good job in all cases.
And not just auto-exposure vs manual, but the meter choice as well. With most, if not all, of the higher end 'prosumer' devices......and all the DSLRs having 'Averaging', 'Center-Weighted Averaging', or 'Spot' metering capabilities (or some other flavor), when is it appropriate to utilize each.