Help required please how to take a proper shot under this condition

Hi,

I require some advise please.
I uploaded 2 pictures taken with a 10D and a 24/70L on
http://www.classicfloatingfloors.com/photos.htm
The top photo shows nicely the window louvers and the house, the bottom
photo the sky nice blue.
How should I have taken this photo under the same condition to get both
combined? What would you do in this circumstance?

Thank you very much for your help.

 

Perhaps a grey graduated filter would have helped.

It is always best to get it right in the camera, but digital images seem to
have lots of detail in the shadow areas that is not always apparent.
I have taken your darker image and selectively lightened the building area
using the adjustment layers tools in PhotoShop.
(see http://www.bradley2234.fsnet.co.uk/temp/xxx.jpg )
You can see that this has lifted the otherwise hidden details in the
louvres, while retaining the sky tones.

This technique does increase the noise in the lightened areas, so it is only
advised as a way of rescuing an otherwise lost image.

Dennis

 

Hi Dennis,

Thank you very much for this.
Do you say it would be impossible to get it right to get a good shot in
this condition?
I don't have a grey filter. Do you really think it would help or is
there maybe a shooting technique which would do the trick?

I like your amended image. I know this is not a PS forum, but could you
please quickly explain, what steps you made to come to this result?

Thanks again.

 

Simple answer: no way to do it without supplemental light.

Usually, one would first think of a polascreen but the sun position is wrong
here and there will be no polarized light from the sky to filter.

As another poster suggested, you could use a graduated grey filter. You
could also use a piece of black cardboard to slightly vignette the sky area
but both are far less than precise.

What is needed is to increase the light coming from the house thus allowing
less exposure thus darkening the sky. IOW, flash.

--
dadiOH
_____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.0...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico
____________________________

 

The problem is that you overexposed the sky to brighten the house, which was
somewhat in shadow. Putting more light on the house probably isn't
practical, but careful, custom printing can make the picture better. I
copied both of the pix into Paint Shop Pro. The results were better with
the darker of the two. Even the one-click Enhance Photo function brightened
the picture enough to show the house well, while leaving the sky blue - but
not as deep blue as in the original. Working with the film, or a scan from
the film, would let one do better, because the film has a wider dynamic
range.

 

As you say, probably not appropriate to explain on this newsgroup, but I
have set up an explanation using a masked adjustment layer on
http://www.bradley2234.fsnet.co.uk/photoex/ex1.htm
Regards
Dennis

 

My experience of film-v-digital is that the digital image from my camera has
more shadow detail than a negative or slide scan.
Although the film probably does have wider dynamic range, if you have a poor
scanner, as I obviously do, then you are limited by the dynamic range of the
scanner.

I am probably talking through of my hat on this one, but I am sure there
are others in the newsgroup with a good grasp of the technological facts.
Looking forward to learning more as the thread develops.

Dennis

 

Wait until the house is NOT back-lit.

It looks like the picture was taken in mid-to-late afternoon ... what is the lighting like
in early morning?

 

I think a flash powerful enough to fill the shadows on the house might be
classed as a weapon of mass destruction

Dennis

 

Another easy technique I watched a fashion photographer use was to
make two exposures, one for the house, one for the sky, and paint the
sky layer into the other one. Of course, this requires a tripod
unless you want to spend hours in post processing, but it's a very
easy way to do it.

 

Not at all...duck soup with a between the lens shutter with something like a
Metz potato masher. Even a small flash like a Vivitar 283 could be used to
do it by making multiple exposures at the fastest shutter speed so that the
aggregate total would = correct exposure.

Harder to do with a focal plane shutter but it can be done. Besides, you'd
be surprised how much a flash can bump shadow detail.

--
dadiOH
_____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.0...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico
____________________________

 

Hi Dennis,

Thank you very much for your detailed description on this and the time
you spent to explain it!
Much appreciated.

I owe you a beer next time you come to Australia.

Cheers

 

The front of the house is only bright in summer.
the front points south (think Downunder).
It was at around 11AM.

 

If I ever get round to visiting that great continent, I will keep you to
your promise

Dennis

 

Ouch ... then your best option(s) would be

(1) Provide some additional lighting ... fill flash, if you wish. You might be able to do
some good with white cardboard reflectors, but it would be cumbersome

or

(2) PhotoShop adjustment(s) ... similar to those posted by 'McLeod' 'Dennis Bradley' and
so forth.