Photoshop, lighting, HDR, Filters, what else?

[USER876]

I just wanted to start a discussion on basically what goes into most of the "best" pictures that I have been seeing lately. Coming from a point and shoot, I was very excited to get my first DSLR and begin learning more about photography. Then I learned that having a nice camera, a good lens, and being a good photographer (in setting the composition and exposure) were only the half of it............

For portraits, now you have studio set-ups with very complex and $ lighting. You also have post processing, I see some of the steps people take and wonder how long these actually take to work with 5-7 layers in photoshop to smooth skin, sharpen eyes, etc,etc.

Then comes landscapes.......for some reason in our high tech age, these cameras can't match the dynamic range required so we need to exposure bracket, and blend the images into an HDR picture, or use GND filters to help the camera gain dynamic range.

All of this results in expense, complexity, and time, yet everyone is content with these methods in order to obtain the BEST pictures.

So what was done in the film days on the order of post processing? I'm just wondering when the DSLR will come on the market that will actually shoot what it see's with no limitations? Are you content with the work flow required to obtain the best pictures you can?

Discuss.....

[hawkeye60]

There are and likely always will be limitations in dynamic range with film and digital. Before digital the darkroom was used for dodging, burning, contrast changes, air brushing, filters, etc. GND filters are not new, they were used in the film days too.

For nice portraits you don't need to spend thousands for equipment. Check out strobist.com.

As for me, I wouldn't want a camera that makes all the decisions. It would be like having a car that decides where I should go.

[JeffreyG]

I just wanted to start a discussion on basically what goes into most of the "best" pictures that I have been seeing lately. Coming from a point and shoot, I was very excited to get my first DSLR and begin learning more about photography. Then I learned that having a nice camera, a good lens, and being a good photographer (in setting the composition and exposure) were only the half of it............

For portraits, now you have studio set-ups with very complex and $ lighting. You also have post processing, I see some of the steps people take and wonder how long these actually take to work with 5-7 layers in photoshop to smooth skin, sharpen eyes, etc,etc.

One thing worth pointing out is that you are lumping together standard photography techniques (like seeking out or creating great light) that applies to everything be it film or digital with other things (skin smoothing, HDR) that are part of the digital workflow.

Then comes landscapes.......for some reason in our high tech age, these cameras can't match the dynamic range required so we need to exposure bracket, and blend the images into an HDR picture, or use GND filters to help the camera gain dynamic range.

Digital camera dynamic range isn't really much different from color slide film. People used some of the tricks you mentioned (like GND) with color slide film for the same reason they are using them (or HDR) today.

If you really need a broad range, you can shoot color negative film of you can bracket and do HDR.

All of this results in expense, complexity, and time, yet everyone is content with these methods in order to obtain the BEST pictures.

The best pictures took just as much knowledge and effort with film. In a lot of respects digital is simpler, as one can do things like skin smoothing locally and quickly. Film alternatives were to apply a soft focus filter (which affects the whole shot) or laborious work in the darkroom.

So what was done in the film days on the order of post processing?

A lot, or a little. Just like with digital. I personally do very little photo processing and what I do tends to be global (curves, color, saturation etc) and not much of pixel editing.

Some people do a ton of processing, and they are probably a lot more skilled than me.

I'm just wondering when the DSLR will come on the market that will actually shoot what it see's with no limitations?

There has never been such a camera, and people who thought film did this just had a better lab than they realized.

You also skipped two of the greatest things about digital that make it better than film:
1) Infinite color correction in post process, no need to carry a million color altering filters and to change film for color temperature.
2) Low noise at high ISO. There was never a film on the market that could come close to what ISO1600 and ISO3200 can do on the latest digital cameras.