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Cloud Photography Tips
- Thread starter James Lemon
- Start date
Doug Kerr
Well-known member
Hi, James,
From that piece:
I guess that means, "reduce your exposure time by a few stops".
It's a tough language (photography).
Best regards,
Doug
Interesting. Thanks.
From that piece:
The next time you’re out taking pictures of clouds, reduce your shutter speed by a few stops.
I guess that means, "reduce your exposure time by a few stops".
It's a tough language (photography).
Best regards,
Doug
Asher Kelman
OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Hello Jim!
Yes, this is a good start to an important discussion. I know writers who take detailed notes on especially interesting people they meet, like a detective with a notebook. That, news stories and history books help populate characters in novels and screenplays.
The same eye for collecting can be so helpful in photography if you don't fe it's an esthetic sin to add or replace elements in one's photographs. The artist just adds to blank frame. The photographer first has to find the subject, light, timing and angle of attack and then exclude everyrhing else.
But what if the sky is dull. Whether it's a portrait, a car or a landscape, even a snap for real estate listing, clouds can add punch and balance to an already competent photograph.
But what clouds should we go after?
Asher
Asher Kelman
OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
No, Doug, not quite......., it's does mean shutter speed! If one is shooting a model a car or landscape the camera is set to manual and the aperture must remain fixed so the focal plane is unchanged as one decrease the exposure by reducing the shutter speed.
One can so the same thing setting the exposure to bracketing, minus, normal and plus some Ev amount, but with the camera set to Av or aperture priority, the shutter speed alone will change. I do this, add the 3 pictures as layers in Photoshop with the normal exposure on top, and paint the clouds in a layer mask, so a darker cloud set from below replaces the lighter clouds.
In practice, I set the normal to -1EV and then the bracket enteral is +/- I.0 EV.
That gives me two sets of dark clouds to choose from.
With the Ricoh GR and GXR bodies, the three shots are obtained "instantly" in one press of the shutter and since there's no mirror from a shutter, the pictures are vibration free and line up very well!
I wonder whether or not Ricoh has added that to the K3 firmware?
Asher
Michael Nagel
Well-known member
Asher,
Pentax had this function well before it became part of Ricoh - the first time I saw this was with the K-7 almost exactly 5 years ago. The mirror stays locked up during the up to 5 frames. The feature name is 'one-push bracketing'.
Innovation is not always where you are looking for it...
Best regards,
Michael
Asher Kelman
OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Well Michael,
My reference camera is the origin Pentax SLR with its revolutionary damped mirror and the wonderful SMC Takamur 50mm lens. Still have it although one can't get the mercury batteries in the USA!
I am so impressed that they have that Mirror-up 5 bracket one press function. Has to be so useful for expanding Dynamic range!
Thanks for the update!
Asher
Doug Kerr
Well-known member
Deleted
I say, deleted.
That is, deleted.
I hope that is long enough.
Doug
I say, deleted.
That is, deleted.
I hope that is long enough.
Doug
Michael Nagel
Well-known member
Hi Asher,
The circuit design of the Pentax Spotmatic makes it possible to use silver oxide batteries (1.5V) instead of the original RM640 (1.35V) cells.
Back on topic:
The recommendations for clouds are nicely put together, but it is no mystery. If you want to have some detail in a very bright or very dark part of the dynamic range of your film/sensor, you have to move this part away from the limits imposed by the dynamic range of your film/sensor.
For film you have to correct the exposure accordingly, digital adds the possibility of expansion of the dynamic range though multiple shots.
Best regards,
Michael
The circuit design of the Pentax Spotmatic makes it possible to use silver oxide batteries (1.5V) instead of the original RM640 (1.35V) cells.
Back on topic:
The recommendations for clouds are nicely put together, but it is no mystery. If you want to have some detail in a very bright or very dark part of the dynamic range of your film/sensor, you have to move this part away from the limits imposed by the dynamic range of your film/sensor.
For film you have to correct the exposure accordingly, digital adds the possibility of expansion of the dynamic range though multiple shots.
Best regards,
Michael
James Lemon
Well-known member
I like to refer to them as slow exposures some might call them long exposures.
James Lemon
Well-known member
Doug Kerr
Well-known member
Hi, James,
But when we speak of reducing speed (in this context), there is little excuse to not think that refers to a slower, or longer, exposure.
Best regards,
Doug
In this context, both terms are meaningful and not ambiguous.
"Long" is of course the better term technically. "Slow" better applies either to movement (speed, rate of change) or rate of recurrence.
But when we speak of reducing speed (in this context), there is little excuse to not think that refers to a slower, or longer, exposure.
Best regards,
Doug
James Lemon
Well-known member
Makes sense !