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High Dynamic Range Photo

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waterskier

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Because of the confines, I shot wide. tripod 20mm @ f10 1/80 no flash.

Any comments on ways I could have improved the shot would be appreciated. I had a tripod mounted off camera SB-800 set to 1/64 that I bounced for some shoots, but I liked the shadows from the natural light from the cabin better.

 
You are pretty much out of luck if it is a jpg. In PS CS2 try Image-Adjust-Highlight/Shadows and open up the shadow area 30%. If a raw file simply convert twice - once for the highlights, once for the shadows - and combine. here is a simple tutorial to get you started if you have raw.
-- http://dustylens.com/luminosity_mask.htm
Steve Bingham
http://www.dustylens.com
 
The image has a larger dynamic range than the capturing equipment. The normal route would be some sort of flash/reflectors to increase the light in the shadows or some sort of graduated ND filter to reduce the brightest areas of the image.

If I were trying this image, I'd try taking multiple images and combining them with tools in post processing. for this image, taken directly into the sun, I'd probably shoot 9 images from +5 EV to -5 EV. Then I'd use a tool like autopan pro to combine them. It does require that the subject not move while captuing in the images and usually works better with the camera on a tripod so that it doesn't move either.

--
Tony

http://www.pbase.com/a5m/ http://AnthonyMedici.naturescapes.net/
 
The camera was on a tripod, and I was thinking of taking longer exposure shots with the jets running to give fluffy look to the water, or with them off completely for more of a smooth shine.

When I used my off camera SB-800 bounced off the porch ceiling it seemed to light things up too much including the trees in the foreground. I probably needed to experiment a bit more with that before giving up on it.

The irony is my wife usually appreciates the pictures I take later, but at the time I am taking them she is fairly impatient, which forces me to try to figure things out quickly. We were at a masquerade wedding on Saturday and I had everything set up before we left and we only spent 2 minutes taking pictures. The settings, background, strobe etc... were all perfect, but her expression was the same in each picture. She had just fought for a while with her costume and we were walking out the door in a minute. Afterwards she mentioned that the pictures would have been great if she could have had a "smile in her eyes".

I think she is starting to realize that a few minutes here and there to capture a special event can be worth it.
 
There are things you can do with the jpg.

One simple one is to copy the background layer. Change the blend mode to screen then change the layer blending properties "blend if" sliders to let the background mode sky show through. It's not dramatically different than your image but it helps the colors of the trees that the sun is hitting and helps the foreground a bit.

The nice thing is that it doesn't require double processing or complicated selections.



Diaolog for changing the layer blending properties.



--
Ed C.
 
waterskier said:
The camera was on a tripod, and I was thinking of taking longer
exposure shots with the jets running to give fluffy look to the
water, or with them off completely for more of a smooth shine.

When I used my off camera SB-800 bounced off the porch ceiling it
seemed to light things up too much including the trees in the
foreground. I probably needed to experiment a bit more with that
before giving up on it.
Click to expand...
You wouldn't need the flash if you run a range of images and combine them in post processing. You can run through the range of exposures from -5 EV to +5 EV by setting the camera bracketing to 9F with the EV interval set to 1 EV. It simply requires taking the nine frames continuously which can be done in Continuous - High if you want to cut down on time.

Just make sure the histogram on the longest exposure is off the left side and that the only thing blown in the brightest exposure is the sun.

It could be done with a ND filter also to increase the shutter times of each but then the subject needs to sit there for longer. Just remind her that an image is really nine clicks of the camera, not one!

--
Tony

http://www.pbase.com/a5m/ http://AnthonyMedici.naturescapes.net/
 
That is a very useful post. Thank you.
Ed_C said:
There are things you can do with the jpg.

One simple one is to copy the background layer. Change the blend
mode to screen then change the layer blending properties "blend if"
sliders to let the background mode sky show through. It's not
dramatically different than your image but it helps the colors of
the trees that the sun is hitting and helps the foreground a bit.

The nice thing is that it doesn't require double processing or
complicated selections.



Diaolog for changing the layer blending properties.



--
Ed C.
Click to expand...
--
http://www.pbase.com/bertramm
pbase & dpreview supporter
 
Anthony Medici said:
Just remind her that an image is really nine clicks of the camera,
not one!
Click to expand...
I think that will go over like a lead balloon, but thank you for the suggestions. I really haven't spent much time playing with bracketing like that. I think it will work a lot better for landscapes. They don't complain about staying still :)
 
waterskier said:
Anthony Medici said:
Just remind her that an image is really nine clicks of the camera,
not one!
Click to expand...
I think that will go over like a lead balloon, but thank you for
the suggestions. I really haven't spent much time playing with
bracketing like that. I think it will work a lot better for
landscapes. They don't complain about staying still :)
Click to expand...
It seems to me at the beginning of the 20th century, people needed to stand still to have their picture taken. This only puts us back 100 years or so and only in situations were you're trying to be artistic with the image. Really it's not too long as the D2X at 5 fps can get this done in under 2 seconds. I even have a 5 frame bracketed shot with two people in the frame from a recent trip to Denali National Park that was taken hand held while they were both busy setting up their own image.

But I admit, I shoot wildlife and landscape mostly since they never complain about how they looked in the image or the time it takes to take one. :)

--
Tony

http://www.pbase.com/a5m/ http://AnthonyMedici.naturescapes.net/
 
I think the photo would be much improved if the lady in the water was facing the other way...
 
I absolutely agree - photomatix all the way!
 
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