is a matter of attention as photographic technology is advancing rapidly slow cycling literature and teaching is almost stopped in time. Every year new cameras come out and yet the courses are still talking about the same things. Something not that good.
Lots of books on landscape photography is based on problems of the old times in film photography, these books teach us today for solutions to problems that do not have. Resistance to change in the picture is dramatic.
Things have not changed
The composition and light are in my opinion the most important elements in a landscape and this has not changed. Find a composition that works under the most perfect light is a recipe for success regardless of the means we use to photograph. The purpose of this article is to get photographers to take more time to devote to the things that really matter: the composition and light.
Landscapes, this serves only for landscapes!
assume that we are shooting scenes without movement (except clouds, water and other), we have time, tripod, cable and / or remote control and have a relatively modern DSLR. We also assume that recorded in RAW.
Exposure as measured NO
I will go straight to the point:
"Optimal exposure is the maximum possible"
words, to expose just have to expose as long as possible without burning lights high. To find the optimal exposure is an iterative process: start with any random exposure and exposure go up as much as we can until the headlights are burnt, becoming a little step backwards have maximum exposure: the best. Optimal exposure maximizes the signal to noise rate.
Example:
start with 1 / 320 because 320 is a number we like. We see no bright lights burning. We increased one step.
1 / 200 no headlights burned ...
1 / 100 no headlights burned ...
1 / 80 no no headlights burned ...
1 / 50 burn some things
Optimal exposure = 1 / 80
Looking at the histogram and with practice we can save several steps and do this very quickly.
is remarkable how many things we do not need. To begin with we do not need a light meter, even the camera, much less a manual. We do not need metering or strange recipes where measured. We do not need formulas or strange medieval rhymes. We do not need Peterson's book nor that of Adams, much less the zoning system.
Nothing needed this. The exhibition today is an automatic process. There is only one optimal exposure! Then
home in the quiet of our home, we can vary the exposure down freely and find one that you like best.
But ...
Yes, there are special scenes as backlights where the exposure is different, but the process is equally iteration, we simply changing to get the results. No need to measure anything, at any time and any place. Why bring cameras light meter?
high contrast scenes and Non-graduated filters need
All this serves to scenes where the camera's dynamic range is adequate. In scenes of high contrast is a single exposure may not be enough. We find that to keep under control the headlights need to underexpose a lot of the rest of the scene makes us lose detail and loss of detail is bad. If you lose improves picture detail should review the composition ...
The solution is very simple, if a single exposure is not enough then it takes several.
The method is also iterative maximum exposure from burning high beams do not go up to 2EV exposure until we have one in which there is sufficient detail in the shadows. We took all the exhibitions home and have a number of options, we can make a HDR, you can manually merge 2 or more exposures using layers and masks, we can use other fusion programs of exhibitions and many more options.
The advantages over the use of graduated filters are many. No need to bring filters and holders, there is no corner vignetting effect, not be put a filter may be dirty or change the colors between the lens and the scene, no need to filter or find the perfect location, no time for that at home and we can deal with situations in which a graduated filter would not be a solution for example when an object takes place both in the dark and the bright areas of our composition. Do
graduated filters in the trash?
Not so fast. Long exposure to water or moving objects or clouds and under special conditions a graduated filter might become necessary because if you take two or more photos would be highly possible that they can not properly joined because the movement of clouds and water is random. Not all long exposures to water and / or clouds this happens so if you threw the filters do not despair.
Focus and Depth of Field
Another issue that is fixed now very simple. First we need to activate the live-view, zoom to the maximum in the area where we want to focus more crisp and manual focus. Magically our critical region happens to have focus "perfect." Now using the DOF preview button you can review the rest of the scene, always in live view and see if the focus is appropriate, if change does not reach the opening and repeat the process.
There are many things that are not needed, no need for a thousand points of approach and focus modes and not even need to have autofocus. You do not need hyperfocal distance tables, calculators nor strange rituals such as measuring to 1 / 3 of the distance between the camera and who knows what. Diffraction
around the corner
Following the above process must take into account the diffraction limit, in APS-C is not good to use openings beyond F11 and F16 FF something like, to F22 times. Instead it is better to take 2 or more pictures with the focus in a different place and then combine them with software at home quietly, either manually or automatically. Conclusions
some years ago involving a landscape photograph uppercase technically challenging, it was necessary to make precise measurements at different locations, perform some complex calculations and query tables, was necessary to bring an array of filters and accessories and basically know what is being done. Today it is possible to obtain excellent results almost completely ignored the technical and focused on composition and light. Learn the theory on measuring, hyperfocal and other matters is extremely useful and I recommend to anyone but that does not mean that when we practice to continue using methods of 1950.
If we accept that even the great masters of the past to stress upon the composition and the light then why that we are wasting time in strange rituals that are no longer needed?
