8.10.13

Measuring exposure – Part two


The second part of this exercise is to take multiple exposures of the same subject, one at the measured correct exposure and the others half a stop and a full stop above and below. As I concentrated on people for part one, I have focussed on landscapes and natural images for this part.
This image of a barbed wire fence is quite an acceptable shot and mid exposure but not that interesting. As the exposure increases, the colours wash out and the shadows fade creating quite an insignificant image. However, as the exposure is reduced, the greens intensify and the shadows and highlights are much more distinguishable, creating a much more interesting image.




 
I photographed this cow early one morning on holiday and was really impressed with the light quality.  I love the way this image looks so different at different exposures and how they all bring out a different quality. At mid-exposure, the main focus for me is on the colours; yellows to the front merging into a violet sky. As the image gets darker, the image appears more contrasty, enhancing the light on the hills. The de-saturation induced by over exposure creates a very different result. The light is flatter but with a yellow glow and a lot of the background detail is almost lost, giving a misty feel. This version of the image for me is the best as it evokes more feeling for me; I can almost hear the animals in the fields and smell the early morning dew.




 
My favourite version of this flower is the one taken at -1/2 stop as I like the intensity of the reds. Those at higher exposures are not so pleasing to me as the colour is more washed out and I find the highlights too bright and distracting. The background at -1/2 is darker than I would like and I feel that the +1/2 background would make the flower stand out more. For this reason, I would either merge the two images or use the -1/2 and lighten the background slightly.




 
The Green Man Rising stage being white is just on the verge of being burnt out at mid exposure, however the inside of the stage and the crowd to the left are very dark. I think the exposure is spot on as the detail is just retained at both extremes. If the crowd were the intended subject, I think +1/2 stop would be just acceptable as they are more easily seen although detail is lost in the stage. I like the effect of deceasing the exposure in this image as although certain areas are rather dark, attention is drawn to the reflections of the people in the water.




 
I am happy with all versions of the festival campsite shot, and even went so far as 1 ½ stops above and below average exposure. At the darker end, focus is on the moody sky with low clouds, moving towards lighter images, the tents become more apparent and as the image moves towards over exposure, the bright highlights in the windows draws attention to the camper van. Scrolling through the images gives the feeling of sitting in the field, watching the day begin.
 





 
The fallen down tree, as with other shots appears to have much more contrast at lower exposures, leading to washed out colours and flatter lighting as exposure increases. My favourite version of this image is -1/2 as there is just enough contrast to create an image with interesting lighting yet still remains soft. The last image at +1 is technically over exposed and has lost most of the background detail, however this gives the same ethereal feel to it as described in the images of people in part one. It is only at this exposure that I start to imagine fairies skipping about in the field.




 
As with the people shots in part one, the main effect of decreasing exposure has been to draw attention to interesting lighting and intensify colours. In these images the idea of inducing ideas of ethereality and innocence, such as the birth of a new day in the cow image still fit. Decreasing exposure creates a more contrasty image which can work very well for certain landscapes and particularly moody skies.