Doc Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 I'm not sure there is a real, practical solution or not, but I'm sure any of you who has taken wildlife and landscape pictures has run into the problem of heavy lighting contrasts. You're in a fairly dense woods, and there are all kinds of shafts of intense bright sunlight here and there. A deer or something else stands half in the shadows and half in the blazing sunlight. The effect is such that it makes a spectacular picture. BUT ........ there is no way that I know of where that image can be captured and represent exactly what you see. A compromise in exposure will result in shaded areas of the deer turning black and sunlit areas of the deer washing out to a featureless white. So the question is: is there a way of capturing these kinds of spectacular pictures in a way that will show what you are seeing. A follow-up question is: Is there a compromise technique that will come closest to getting you what you want. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billkay Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 The human eye has a much greater range of light/contrast than either film or digital cameras cn reproduce. So the simple answer is no. Working with an image shot in a RAW format will give you about the best starting point. Shadows will hold a bit longer than will hilights in a digital image so you may want to bias your exposure toward the highlights. It's the exact opposite with film. The best way is to shoot when the light is the most even or on an overcast day that will reduce the contrast range. Another option is to use angles and lenses that can minimize the visible contrast, or to wait until your subject, in the case of the deer, moves to a spot that is not as contrasty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted July 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2009 Thanks for the reply. I will try some of those techniques. What really bothers me is that years ago (30 or more) I did successfully take such a picture (using film) and came up with almost a perfect balance. The bright areas were a bit subdued, but still portrayed the two, side by side, young bucks almost like they were in a spotlight in the forest. It was quite spectacular. One major criticism was the much less than perfect focussing that I did.....lol. The problem is that I can't remember what I did and have no idea if the same manipulations would have the same results with my digital even if I could remember the procedure and settings. We have an area up back which is rich with wildlife, and consists of a 200'+ ravine surrounded by some pretty ancient hemlock trees that shut out light except for a bunch of shafts of sunlight on a clear day. It really does create some rather "artsy" compositions of potential wildlife photographs but has some real lighting challenges that come along with them. I keep trying, and I keep on failing.......lol. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elkoholic Posted July 10, 2009 Report Share Posted July 10, 2009 If I remember correctly, from a photography glass that I took in college, if you use an amber or yellow filter it helps to clarify and match what the eye sees. So, if your camera can accommodate lens filters I recommend you head to the local camera shop and purchase a few and experiment. Most of the time I am disappointed with how my pictures turn out as compared to what I saw, but, every now and then I get lucky. Just keep taking pictures and a master piece will appear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted July 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2009 I could try the yellow filter trick. I have a whole set of Cokin filters from back in the dark ages of film and my 38 mm Minoltas. I'll bet I could cob up some way to stick a yellow one on there. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billkay Posted July 11, 2009 Report Share Posted July 11, 2009 Lets see some examples of what you're talking about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted July 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2009 The one success that I inexplicably and mysteriously had is now only an 8x10 print and I have no idea where the negative has gone. The picture has to be 20 years old, and a lot of my stuff has been pilfered, lost or otherwise destroyed over the years. The failures usually are pitched as quickly as they occur. However, I am sure that you have seen the lighting situations that I am talking about. Anytime you get into a dense mature forest with the high canopy, on a sunny day, you always encounter these wild variations in lighting where the sun does find its way through as shafts of intense light in the otherwise very dark surroundings. If I should be able to arrange the yellow filter on my digital, and run into the same lighting conditions, I will post the results here. I'll have to work on how to reliably attach the Cokin filter. That'll be quite the adventure since it has absolutely no attachment features. My old film cameras are out of service right now and I don't have any intention of getting them repaired any time soon, so it is the digital that I have to work with now. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billkay Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 The cokins should attach to any camera via the properly sized attachmnet ring. It slides into the filter holder on one side and threads onto the lens on the other. You just need a ring to match the size of the lens you plan to use it with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted July 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 My Olympus digital doesn't have any threads or rings on the lens barrel and is hust a straight featureless tube. So I am going to have to get a bit creative when figuring how to attach the Cokin filter holder. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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