Digital Photographic Practice Ex 1. Own Workflow 1.

Exercise 1. Own Workflow 1.






                                   First Selection
                                                     (from 48 images)

Discuss shoot with model - site. time to suit (model prefers own flat). This means limited equipment
Anticipate model more relaxed sitting in usual chair with bits around.

Precheck use of lenses and lighting using mannequin head. (Use 40-150mm for head and torso shots, change to 9-18mm for full length. (Insufficient space to move camera away from subject).

Set up equipment quickly, chatting to model.

Take 2 shots to check lighting.

Take remainder of shots suggesting to model he acts normally - read paper, do puzzles, drink tea etc..

Transfer all images - 60, to specific file in Bridge named 'DPP Stock'.

Produce contact prints

First Selection - 8 image, transfer to new file 'DPPEx1First'

Final Selection - 2 images, transfer to new file 'DPPEx1Final'.

Print all selections on contact sheets.

Assessment.

Less haste required, framing poor in places. Models attitude perhaps a little too casual, more direction required from photographer. Photographer more anxious than model.

                                  











                                     Final Selection

Digital Photographic Practice Ex 2 Own Workflow

Own Workflow 2. The Eye.

                                                       Initial Selection 1



 Plan and Comments.

Plan:-

Visit site -assess interesting features    
General views.

Detail views.

Lighting - direction.

Suitable weather - weather forecast                          

Best time of day.                                                     Initial Selection 2

How long need to be on site
 - possibly more than one visit.

Which lenses to take.

                                                                        

                                                  Initial Selection 3   

                                               

                                                  

                                                                           Final Selection 1

                                                                          Final Selection 2

Comments:-

Difficult to obtain some shots
- people obstructing.

Longer lens would have been useful.

Weather mixed.

                                                                         Final selection 3

Conclusions:-

Something will go wrong, lighting,
 equipment, access to subject.

Must be ready to adapt.

Digital Photographic Practice. Ex. 3. Histograms.

                      Low Contrast






















                      Average Contrast























                       High Contrast

Digital Photographic Practice. Ex. 4. Editing.

                                                              After 1st Step

                                                           

                                                             Step 2.

                                                            Step 3 and 4

 

                                                            Step 5. Final Triage.







Assignment 1.  Reading/viewing.

Ingrid Pollard's Pastoral  Interludes. 
                        A migrant from Guyana's feelings in the Lake district.
                         'A black face in a sea of white'

Digital Photographic Practice. Ex 5. Sensor Linear Capture.

                                   Original Image

Simulated Raw Image with Curve.

Camera Simulated Operation.

Digital Photographic Practice. Ex. 6. Highlight Clipping.

Initial Image - Highlight Just Clipping.                                    The image has some interesting features. It shows a road works operation with individuals and unfortunately equipment changing position. This latter situation is out of my control and in any case is not relevent to the exercise. What is relevent is that the image contains various areas of potential highlight clipping. The sky, which contains a variety of tones; the white and silver of the various vehicles and possibly the bright yellow trailer in the foreground.            The Just Clipping image was generated by spot metering a bright area of the sky, changing the camera setting to 'Manual' and while retaining the aperture setting of f8 as a constant,  decreasing the shutter speed by half a stop until highlight clipping was indicated on the camera screen. The final image was obtained by adjusting the speed up and down until the final compromise was found. The final setting was 1/100 @ f8. ISO 200.        During this exercise over exposure showed, as expected, clipping initially in the sky then as the exposure increased, on the van and car bodies and eventually on the yellow trailer.     Histograms of this image showed a spread over the whole range of tones with a very small amount clipped on the right hand side of all channels.                                                                                                                          

Plus One Image.    

There has been some movement of vehicles and bodies. Clipped areas have enlarged considerably in the sky particularly around the original clipped area but also along the horizon. Loss of a small amount of clipping is evident on the top corner of the van. Clipping  with this exposure has not reached the other highlight areas. Camera setting – 1/50 @ f8. ISO 200.

The enlarged view around the original clipped area shows a pink colour fringing. Does this indicate that the other two complementary channels, Blue and Green, are clipped more leaving a version of the Red? Some research has not enlightened me!

Examination of the enlarged clipped area shows entire loss of detail in the centre of the patch surrounded by and including the pink fringe. No detail exists until outside of the pink area. There is no sharply defined edge of the clipped area. Even within the clipped patch there is still a faint pink tinge.

The use of the Recovery slide up to 25% almost eliminates the clipping in the sky leaving an unobtrusive small amount. Any further increase while showing more detail  darkens all light areas so reducing contrast in the image.

                                                                                                                                                                                           

                                                                                               Minus One Image

To change Minus One, Minus Two                                                                      Minus Two Image

and Minus Three images so as to 

equate to the Just Clipping original, one 

would think that using the Exposure slide

in Raw set to +1, +2and +3 would solve the issue.                                                                         

 The Exposure slide required 1/2 stop than the

under exposed value plus a slight adjustment

of the Recovery slide. This did not lift the

shadow clipping. Use of the Black slide

was required for this and finally a

discrete use of the Brightness adjustment

to raise it to the original.

                                                                             Minus Three Image

Digital Photographic Practice. Ex 7. Tolerance for Noise.

Noise, if present in an image at least at a low level, will not necessary be obvious to the observer unless he or she is familiar with the objects in the image.


The wall used here as a background has the relatively smooth finish of the roller applied emulsion. Observed casually it appears to be smooth. Closer inspection however will show small irregularities caused by painting process as appear in the ISO100 image. Another observer looking at the wall even at ISO400 and unfamiliar with the objects being viewed, would not necessary realise that noise was present and the 'texture' seen was not the actual surface finish.











I find it difficult to see a great
difference in these 7 images at
 normal viewing size

apart from a slight deterioration
in the definition and colour.
(see the 100% enlargements

below)                                                              ISO 100

 

                                                                        ISO 200.

                                                                        ISO 400.

                                                                       ISO 800.

                                                                      ISO 1600.

                                                                     ISO 2500

                                                                     ISO 3200.

Noise @ 100%

 ISO 100.  Slight texture of  background is well defined.

                   Colour of leaves and petals are well

                   represented.

ISO 800. The background is developing a different

                texture. Colour of leaves is becoming diffused.

ISO 3200.   Background, particularly in the shadow

                    areas has changed colour. Leaf colour

                    has significantly changed. Edges have

                    become blurred.

Conclusion:

Would expect considerable loss of image quality beyond ISO 800.

                                                                       

Digital Photographic Practice. Ex.8. Camera Dynamic range.

Exercise 8.
        Camera Dynamic Range.

                                                       Graph








The weather and the ideal image wasn't
available so I decided to set up a grey card
uniformly lit with a 250w lamp through a
diffuser box. I shot this 25 times in half stop
increments. Opened each image in Raw,
 measured the density and generated the
adjacent graph. From this I gather that my
camera has a Dynamic Range of 8 stops.







                                                         Images

The images beyond those shown indicated no change
in density.

Digital Photographic Practice. Ex.9. Scene Dynamic Range.

169 Orf:  Tone range is 12 - 250 if clipping of sky

is excluded. It would have required 4 stops less

to avoid clipping and led to considerable loss of

detail in the shadows.

219Orf :   Tone range is 20 - 210. The high

reading is on the lightest part of the sky and

the low reading on parts of the shore line and

the boat hull. No clipping occurred.

757Orf :  A flatter image. The only highlight

here is the offwhite bandage. The tone range

is 30 - 150.

774 Orf :   Tone range 15 - 240. No clipping

occurred. Shadow reading taken far left and highlight

on the girls right foot.

Nepal :   Similar range to the above - 15 - 220. At

first glance the Nepal image appears a lot flatter than

774 Orf  but tone highs such as the white shoe add

considerably to the range.

 

Moon :   Tone range is 4 - 250. Even the areas

that appear totally black have some detail. The

moon highlight is considerably clipped. This

can be tolerated in this image. All the cloud

detail around the moon would be lost if the

exposure had been set to maintain detail in

moon.

Digital Photographic Practice. Ex.10. Colour Cast and White Balance.

Exercise A.
         Goal Keeper:

WB = Auto. (5150k)


The Astroturf looks over rich whereas the
background green is desaturated.

WB = Daylight (5500k)

WB = Cloudy (6500k).

WB = Shade (7500k)








There is not a marked difference in these four images. A close inspection will reveal a slight difference in
the Astroturf colour, and what is even less obvious, slight variations in the orange and magenta.
The backgrounds in the Cloudy and Shade versions are too warm. I prefer the Daylight version as being the best interpretation of the background.

               Shop Front:




WB = Auto.

WB = Daylight.

WB = Cloudy.

WB = Shade.







   


Of these four image the I prefer the Auto version. The 'background' colour provides a greater contast with the clothing colours.

            Cocktails for Three:



WB = Auto.

WB = Daylight.

WB = Cloudy.

WB = Shade.








This shot was taken early evening. It would be difficult for the casual observer to decide which is the most acceptable. Skin tones would be misleading - these bods have out walking in the sun and wind all day.
I would prefer Auto or Daylight, there is little difference between the two of them.

       

 Alpach Church:

WB = Auto:

WB = Daylight.

WB = Cloudy.

WB = Shade.










Of these, the decision is between the Auto and the Daylight versions. The Auto version wins - the whites are crisper and the colours of the conifers and tarmac are more accurate.

Exercise B.

           Office Block and Embankment.

WB = Auto (7450k)

WB = Daylight (5500k).

WB = Tungsten (2850k).










Slight differences in the sky and artificial lighting can be noted between the Auto and Daylight settings.
The most dramatic difference is between the Tungsten and the other two. The use of Tungsten WB has produced an accurate translation of the artificial lighting but a cold distortion of the sky and external colour.


General Comments:
                             The images that are most likely to cause controversy when the White Balance is changed,at least in the range used in Excercise A, are those of a natural variety. These are which the observer has a preconceived idea of what is the 'correct' colour. Those such as the 'Shop Front' which are artificial will be given a greater range of acceptability by the observer.
Where both types of lighting exist in the same image as in Exercise B,should not a happy compromise be found, it would be preferable to change the artificial light rather than the natural.



                                                               Suggested viewing.
                                                               (Assignment 2.)








                    

      Cartier Bresson.










World renowned photographer. Pioneered the art of street photography. Always ready to capture the briefest opportunity of an image. Subjects range from Paris street life to Muslim women praying in Srinagar. Founder member of Magnum.