Brown bear with salmon

[Charles Glatzer]

This image is copyrighted material as indicated, and is watermarked! Unauthorized use or reproduction for any reason is prohibited

STL Ultimate Brown bears, Brooks Fall's, AK '09

1Ds Mark III, 300mm
Manual, spot plus 2 EV off white water, 1/1250 @ f/8, ISO 400
Post-production-LR3, CS4

See you where there is light, or at the computer

Chas

[Harshad Barve]

Terific shot ,
TFS

[ChasMcRae]

Nice shot of bear gazing upward with bright blood from Salmon.
This is probably a dumb question, but why did you meter the white water(obviously it worked) instead of a more neutral area such as the bear ? Too much variation in bear fur ? I know you are good at metering and had a reason .

[Charles Glatzer]

Nice shot of bear gazing upward with bright blood from Salmon.
This is probably a dumb question, but why did you meter the white water(obviously it worked) instead of a more neutral area such as the bear ? Too much variation in bear fur ? I know you are good at metering and had a reason .


I could have used incident w/ no comp, sunny f/16 minus a bit for wispy cloud cover, verifying exposure highlights via histogram before the decisive moment, etc with all being a different means to the same end. I simply picked the white water highlight at the base of the falls as I was in spot pattern and it was consistent and a known entity.

The more "crayons in your box" the better you can pick the appropriate color for the job at hand. Of course some may prefer red to blue ;)

Countless aspiring photographers will purchase the best equipment available, but many will continue to struggle with Metering and Flash never making the most of the equipment purchased.

Metering is not difficult if you understand exposure fundamentals and how Metering Patterns work. I have been at this now for some 27 years, and time and again I have seen others teaching techniques that I believe introduce far to many variables into the equation. Every time I hear someone say, wow great job handling a very difficult exposure when viewing white on white I know they do not have a firm grasp of metering.

Hoping all your exposures are correct and Happy Holidays,

Chas

[Jay Gould]

Chas, to take this exposure discussion a step further, when you metered the white water your meter actually read a combination (between the Av and the Tv) of 2 stops less than the exposure you have provided above. You then, based upon the circumstances, changed the Av and/or Tv variables to add 2 stops of light so that the white water is white and the other tones are correctly exposed. Correct?

Do you generally keep you camera in Manual spot mode so that you can get a reading from a narrow known quantity and then adjust accordingly?

Thanks,

[DanWalters]

Very dramatic image. I especially like all the foaming water surrounding the bear.

[Charles Glatzer]

Chas, to take this exposure discussion a step further, when you metered the white water your meter actually read a combination (between the Av and the Tv) of 2 stops less than the exposure you have provided above. You then, based upon the circumstances, changed the Av and/or Tv variables to add 2 stops of light so that the white water is white and the other tones are correctly exposed. Correct?

Do you generally keep you camera in Manual spot mode so that you can get a reading from a narrow known quantity and then adjust accordingly?

Thanks,


Jay,

In a word, yes.

I added 2 EV to render the white water bright with detail. Adding approx 3EV will depend on your cameras dynamic range, contrast, etc typically place the white value close to or at the edge of detail loss (clipping).

Note-
A Spot pattern renders whatever is in the pattern a mid-tone; it does not tell you if the element being metered is a mid-tone. This is in effect one of the detriments, and it is why at times you substitute meter something of known value.... white, black, or any element you have already referenced and data based in your mind. Your primary goal is to ascertain and apply the correct amount of exposure to render the subjects tonality properly on the histogram or as desired . An incident meter measures the quantity of light illuminating the meter, negating tonal influence. It is a very useful tool for understanding and obtaining Reference Values. These Reference Values are key. The incident meter provides an accurate and consistent method of determining the mid-tone value. You need only transpose the exposure settings provided by the meter into your camera in manual mode, choose and set a meter pattern in your camera, look at various elements and note the deviation in exposure. The DIFFERENCE will be the correct amount of exposure variance you will need to apply in order to render the scene as viewed. The Spot Meter Pattern eliminates the variables typically associated with the Evaluative/Matrix pattern. Sunny f/16 and more are simple reference values, a bit of wispy cloud cover open up a 1/3, slightly more overcast open up 2/3. After a while it becomes second nature.
.

FYI- an STL Tech Series will take years off your learning curve.

Best and I look forward to seeing you next year ;)

Chas

[ChasMcRae]

Thanks for the explanation of why and how you did what you did.

[Mike Tracy]

Jay,


Note-
A Spot pattern renders whatever is in the pattern a mid-tone; it does not tell you if the element being metered is a mid-tone. This is in effect one of the detriments, and it is why at times you substitute meter something of known value.... white, black, or any element you have already referenced and data based in your mind. Your primary goal is to ascertain and apply the correct amount of exposure to render the subjects tonality properly on the histogram or as desired . An incident meter measures the quantity of light illuminating the meter, negating tonal influence. It is a very useful tool for understanding and obtaining Reference Values. These Reference Values are key. The incident meter provides an accurate and consistent method of determining the mid-tone value. You need only transpose the exposure settings provided by the meter into your camera in manual mode, choose and set a meter pattern in your camera, look at various elements and note the deviation in exposure. The DIFFERENCE will be the correct amount of exposure variance you will need to apply in order to render the scene as viewed. The Spot Meter Pattern eliminates the variables typically associated with the Evaluative/Matrix pattern. Sunny f/16 and more are simple reference values, a bit of wispy cloud cover open up a 1/3, slightly more overcast open up 2/3. After a while it becomes second nature.
.


If I understand correctly you are using a incident meter to establish the values as opposed to the cameras system ? If so in what situations do you rely on using one ? If I read your explanation incorrectly just slap me upside the head. Thanks.

[Charles Glatzer]

Mike,

I suggested using an incident meter as it is an easy method to establish a reference control, that being a precise mid-tone. You can also use sunny f/16 as a reference control, provided the sun is at apex and sky is clear and cloudless. Give or take a bit for altitude and proximity to the equator.

I use in-camera metering much of the time, as I have already established how much I need to vary my exposure to render the tonal value within the spot meter pattern correctly as above.

I try when shooting to eliminate as many variables as possible. Keeping it simple allows me to quickly ascertain the correct exposure so that I can concentrate on image aesthetics and pulling the trigger at the decisive moment.

Ultimately, I will use whatever tools and techniques I find easier to render the image as desired.

Best,

Chas