[Leica] IMG: Another Monochrome Lighthouse

[Tina Manley]

But the Zone system is exactly what I use and always have!  With film, I
looked for Zone 5 and metered off of something like the ground or grass and
then recomposed.  With the Monochrome and the danger of overexposing the
highlights, I try to find Zone 6 or 7 to meter off of.  I usually use the
center-weighted metering but sometimes, in tricky lighting, I use the spot
meter.  I'll admit that my normal style is documentary, not art, so I'm
shooting very fast, handheld, and moving on.  The K2 yellow filter that I
used this trip should just increase the contrast slightly, especially the
sky.  I don't normally use filters at all but the Monochrome files look
very flat just imported into LR.  I'll try running them through Silver FX.
Suggested settings?

Tina

On Tue, Oct 21, 2014 at 3:05 PM, George Lottermoser <
george.imagist at icloud.com> wrote:

>
> On Oct 21, 2014, at 1:37 PM, John McMaster wrote:
>
> > This is guesswork as I was not there and have not seen your DNG file...
> >
> > It looks like a converted colour shot with no mid-tones. Your -2/3 stop
> and yellow filter will have similar effects, the underexposure (and
> lightening in PP) will increase the contrast a little and the yellow filter
> will increase some contrast further. I know Jay uses this technique but
> personally I give the 'correct' exposure and do not use coloured filters
> most of the time, bumping up contrast etc in PP.
>
> You bring up a couple of the reasons that I love the Monochrom John.
>
> The camera demands photographic craft to get the most out of it.
> (of course this is true of every camera - though some seem more forgiving
> than others)
>
> 1) Correct exposure: means actually paying attention to highlights in the
> subject and how one wants them rendered.
>         We're really talking about metering the scene to pre visualize and
> determine rendering.
>         Taking the mind back to one or another variant of something akin
> to Zone System thinking.
>
> 2) Use of value adjustment filters AS APPROPRIATE.
>         Again - pre visualize - think - why use a filter - what values do
> I want affect or adjust by adding one or another filter.
>
> These are some of the things that I've missed since adopting a digital
> work flow which allowed so much manipulation in PP.
>
> The Monochrom takes us back to a work flow where we must think
> photographically
> - about the light
> - about the highlight exposure
> - about the dynamic range of both the subject and the sensor
> - about the value effect of color filters on the b&w sensor
>
> at the time of exposure;
> in preparation for our PP plan and work flow.
>
> And this actually requires testing very similar to the way that we used to
> test our films
> in order to discover their qualities, dynamic range with various
> development possibilities;
> effects of filters - just how panchromatic, orthochromatic, IR, UV, etc.
> is the MM sensor?
> One can only know by testing various subjects, light sources, and
> filtration.
>
> Regards,
> George Lottermoser
>
> http://www.imagist.com
> http://www.imagist.com/blog
> http://www.linkedin.com/in/imagist
>
>
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>



-- 
Tina Manley
www.tinamanley.com
tina-manley.artistwebsites.com