Expose for everything?

[scottalanphoto]

OK... I would like to say it was a few weeks ago someone posted a photographers link on this site... They were wondering how the photographer got the photograph to look the way it did... Someone said that what the photographer probably did was expose for the subject and then took a shot... Exposed for the background and took a shot, exposed for the shadows and took a shot... etc... etc... etc... And then went into photoshop and combined all of the correctly exposed layers... Does anyone remember that post? Does anyone recommend that? I'm looking to do a series of photographs and I'm debating on doing this or not! Any and all adivce would be greatly appreciated!

[venchka]

GOOGLE knows. Search for exposure blending. There are several good tutorials/explanations of how to make a series of exposures and blend them together with Photoshop. This technique is different than the HDR processing that a lot of folks are Ga-Ga over right now. You could GOOGLE HDR as well.

Personally, I find the photos using blended exposures to be far more realistic than the HDR processed photos.

YMMV

[scottalanphoto]

I'll google that.... Do you know what the difference is?

Thanks!

[erisian pope]

Using exposure blending techniques you effectively cut pieces of the different pictures and put them together. Let's say there's a scene with a mountain and the sky. In shot #1 you expose the mountain but the sky is blown out. In shot #2 you expose the sky and now the mountain is black. You go into photoshop and paste shot #1 as a layer over shot #2 (so they are in the same file now, shot #1 on top). You then go to the top layer (pic #1) and either use a mask or just erase - but you remove the sky so the mountain from pic #1 still shows (and it's exposed properly, remember) and the sky from pic #2 shows since you masked or erased the sky in the top layer. Now you have a single picture where both sky and mountain are exposed properly.

In HDR you do something very different that gives similar results. In HDR you build a single file where there is data (not visible) beyond what the camera can capture, what eye can see and what the computer can display. You do this by shooting different exposures, then merging them. Once the image exists you can do what amounts to a curves adjustment that pulls from all the data even the parts you can't see and is able to bring in all the properly exposed bits if you adjust it well enough.

[scottalanphoto]

wow... thanks for the info!

[tjones0214]

http://www.hdrsoft.com/

Hands down the best right now...especially if you're working in RAW. If found it on the NAPP site, which is dedicated to Photoshop. Even those guys shy away from the PS functionality on HDR right now. Good luck.

[venchka]

Originally Posted by scottalanphoto

I'll google that.... Do you know what the difference is?

Thanks!

Like I said before...

Done well, blending works.

Maybe 1 out of way too many HDR processed photos work for me. Most HDR photos I've seen never look natural. Sky & clouds look especially fake.

On the other hand, your taste may vary.

[scottalanphoto]

I'm going to try some blending this weekend :)

[PhotoChicken]

There are some good blending techniques in matt koslowski's new book Layers its definetly worth picking up if you are new to the blending layers process

[MicWayWal]

Scott,
I do this with almost every session, especially bridal. It seems like in every setting there are hot spots in the background, on the hair, on the clothing or something else that needs work. I shoot what I need for the shot. Then for the last exposure, before I move the camera or angle, I shoot two or three frames under exposed by two, three, or four stops. Then if the client needs this image, I use the extra frames to lay over the areas of concern and everything is within printing range.
NOTE: I shoot everything on a tripod so all files will register perfectly in PS.

If I am shooting candidly without a tripod, I use the bracket feature on my Canon. I set the frames per second on the highest the camera will allow and rip off three frames. One under, one correct and one over exposure. Then use PS to fix the areas that need correction.

[AndrewCCM]

I often do this even without multiple exposures. I'll take a RAW image and process it several times and combine them.

Does it work every time? No.
Does it help with mistakes? YEP.

Sometimes it works wonders.

Good luck.

[luis_relampago]

I do the same I shoot RAW and under and over expose whatever I need and blend after in PP. Most of the time I take care of the problems before taking the snap but it's better to be safe than sorry.