metering question?

[THE TROOPER]

Sorry for being pathetic but my question is:

If there is a bright sky and dark landscape, how do i get the best result without a filter to get the right exposure?

I am a novice so go easy on me. It seems i have dark sky, light land or other way around.

I think what i may be saying is how do i meter properly? would i aim and half press shutter on lanscape then point and shoot the sky.


Thanks for your help.

Ian

[snails]

I understand it is common practice to take two pictures. The first properly exposes the sky, the second properly exposes the land. Then you combine the images in post.

Otherwise you get one of those funny gradient filters.

[MG30D]

^ In this day, with digital, you can do this.

However, I recomend a GND Filter. I don't have one (its on my wish-list), but I wouldn't say thier "funny". Check out some examples of shots taken with GND filters here: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=224448&highlight=GND+Filter

[THE TROOPER]

Cool, thanks a lot. Its just as a novice photographer it also makes me CRAP at PPing :) lol.

GND it is then lol.

All the best

Ian

[DJS]

As Snails stated, you can take multiple exposures and combine them in post. Typically you would turn on Exposure bracketting take 3 shots and then run them through an HDR (High Dynamic Range) application and it will blend them for you. HDR photography is becoming more and more popular lately.

[Jannie]

Art Wolfe continually uses the graduated neutral density filters wonderfully on his scenic shots. I've been to his gallery and studied his rather large prints in the 30" range and whatever he is doing, the image quality and ending effect is outstanding. In his videos put out by Canon and public television (I bought the set) Travels to the Edge he uses the filters by not even putting them in any kind of holder but instead lays them by hand (using the longer rectangle ones so he can move them up and down to fit the image) in front of the lens and shoots, it works for him and he has a very sturdy tripod setup so he must not be getting any vibration (years of experience probably helps).

Another interesting note is that in the videos he seldom uses a lens shade on the shorter lenses 70-200 2.8 and down. But he always uses a tripod, seemingly for everything so I suppose he's going to block any reflection into the front element if it's a problem, a hat or hand held in the right place can do the same thing.

But the filter placement puzzles me, I've had filters not fit a holder just perfect on video cameras and something looks wrong, believing they might not be parallel to the front element I've replaced them or reset them to be correct and improved the image.

[timmyeatchips]

Metering in manual mode, or in Av an varying the exposure compensation to change the shutter speed, will help.

Set your metering to partial, or spot, and take a metering from the sky, see where the little arrow goes on the meter in the viewfinder:
(looks something like this, the arrow is centred when the camera thinks the exposure is correct, you want the sky to be lighter so it will be somewhere towards the right)

-____V_+

Then take a metering from the ground.

Have a play around with your shutter speed until the sky and ground meterings straddle the centre (this will take some playing with, as you're trying to average out the two meterings but also compensate for how light or dark you want them to look), take a shot, and have a look at the playback and the histogram to check you're getting it right.

Of course the HDR technique or a GND filter will help you a lot as the differences between light and dark can be a lot more than a camera's sensor can cope with.

[AperturePriority]

Two methods that I use:

1) Use a graduated ND filter, or

2) Shoot in RAW and then create two exposures in CS3. You can either layer blend them (I recommend using the Smart Objects feature) or HDR merge & tone map them (highly recommended).

.

[wallybud]

Art wolfe is acting as a photographer in a SHOW haha, the images he ends up with are NOT the images he shoots in front of the camera, maybe some of the animal shots with a GND filter but that would be a a high enough shutter speed anyway, the landscape shots are surly composed and set up off camera, especially his high end work. i have no proof for this its just what i think is obviouslly happening, there are many puzzeling things that go on in that shot photo wise, hes just giving advice, not step by step professional knowhow

[THE TROOPER]

cheers for your replys, its helped a lot. Timmyeatchips, that's the kind of reply i was looking for. Something easy to understand without PPing.

Thanks

Ian