DPP - Exercise - Scene Dynamic Range

DPP - Exercise - Scene Dynamic Range

Take 5 differently lit scenes, find and measure the brightest and darkest areas in each.

Well as it has been so wet and horrible today, I have had to do indoor work - so the 5 scenes that have been captured are from in and around my home.

Hair rollers

 

Image one: taken at 1/4 f6.3 ISO 3200

 

 

Darkest area measured at 0"6 and lightest measured at 1/4

 

Keyboard

 

 

Image 2: 1/15 f10 ISO 800

 

 

Darkest area measured at 1/13 and lightest area 1/125

 

Toys

 

 

Image 3: 1/80 f6.3 ISO 800

 

 

Darkest area measured at 1/50 lightest area measured at 1/160

 

Water cooler

 

 

Image 4: 1/10 f5.6 ISO 1600

 

 

 Darkest area measured at 0"8 and lightest area measured at 1/25

 

Fire

 

 

Image 5: 1/20 f5.6 ISO 1600

 

 

Darkest areas measured at 1/6 and lightest areas measured at 1/25

 

Five very different scenes, mostly taken on a dull wet day due to the weather they were all taken indoors.  I tried to vary the images using only natural daylight and the angle of light on the objects.  It was an interesting lesson that I enjoyed doing and reading about.

 

 

 

Some research...

 

Dynamic Range describes measurable light on a ratio from minimum to maximum ie: lightest white to darkest dark and (black and white respectively).

 

Scenes with varying surfaces of reflectivity ie: black objects and strong reflections might actually have more dynamic range than that of a scene of large incidental light.

 

Ansel Adams a famous Amercian Photographer, better known for his black and white photography.  Adams and Fred Archer developed in the 1930's the Zone system (the way to determine proper exposure, with the guess work).

 

All photographers are different in the way that they work and therefore will see things differently, and that might not be the same as you and me see the same image.

 

 

 

 

11 symbolic zones

 

A difinitive description of the zones for black and white photography

 

Zone	Description
0	Pure black
I	Near black, with slight tonality but no texture
II	Textured black; the darkest part of the image in which slight detail is recorded
III	Average dark materials and low values showing adequate texture
IV	Average dark foliage, dark stone, or landscape shadows
V	Middle gray: clear north sky; dark skin, average weathered wood
VI	Average Caucasian skin; light stone; shadows on snow in sunlit landscapes
VII	Very light skin; shadows in snow with acute side lighting
VIII	Lightest tone with texture: textured snow
IX	Slight tone without texture; glaring snow
X	Pure white: light sources and specular reflections

 



[online image] available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone_System#Exposure_zones [accessed 24 September 2012]

 

Books referred to: Michael Free - Mastering Digital Photography