Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/09/02
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]><Snip> > > Mark > How do you handle high contrast? Do you sacrifice the highlights or the > shadows, or seek an average and accept poor highlights and poor shadows. > > Is there a filter that can lower contrast, like a foggy piece of glass for > instance. It is why I thought of a neutral density filter although I > suspect it has no value in reducing contrast. What do you think? > > TIA > Alan Depeding on the shot i will usually sacrfice the shadows. In not all but most shots the highlights and next lighter areas are what the shot is all about. Your eye goes there first, seeks out the shadows later. For the highlights to be blocked up or lacking separating is usually much worse than insignificant shadow detail. In less the whole shot is definitely all about whats happening in the shadows and those shots are remarkably rare. So i'll carefully place my light areas where they can be a bright as they can be. In black and white its Two or three stops over the reading. Or Zones VII and VIII if you were into zones. after shetting that reading i check the meter to see how dar the shaddaws are going to be. If the shot is all about what's happening in the shadows I'll try to take the very bright stuff out of the composition. If i cant do that I'll carefully meter the dark shadows to be as dark as they can be with out dropping out. That's two under the reading for black and white. One under for slides. A stop and a half maybe for color neg. Then i bracket like a sun of a gun. If your highlights are green you can darken them with a red filter!! Often the light areas are the sky. Then just about any filter you use besides a blue filter with darken the blue or hazy sky bringing it into the shot tonally and bringing out any clouds or textures that might be lurking up there. But that is a big discussion and can easily be found elsewhere or in the archives. Mark Rabiner Portland, Oregon USA http://www.rabiner.cncoffice.com/