Dark Foreground with Bright Background Without Using Flash

I've been trying to look all over Photo.net, but I could not find an

answer. I am trying to shoot an interesting foreground (ie. a dark

alley), but it is TOO big of an area to use a FLASH fill. Thus, if I

meter for the dark alley, I end up overexposing the brilliant sky

(1/90, f6.7, ISO 400).

 

At the same time, the background (brilliant sky) is something I'd

love to capture in my photograph. So if I meter for the sky, I end up

having a completely black foreground (1/90, f16, ISO 400)...

 

Is there some way to get a compromise...to still keep the foreground

darkish...but with visible detail instead of pitch black, yet capture

the bright background?

 

I know for black and white, you could underexpose the picture and

then dodge/burn in the darkroom. The only problem is that ever since

I've gone digital (Canon 10d), I have not been able to figure this

problem out.

 

Any help is much appreciated.<div></div>

1) Put your camera on a tripod and take two exposures...one for the sky and one for the foreground...then mix them together using a layer mask in photoshop

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2) Shoot one exposure on an overcast or cloudy when the sky is not so bright and creates a diffuse light that will fill into the foreground.

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3) Shoot at a different time of day when the angle of the suns light will come into the foreground without having the sun in the sky portion of your view...

Sometimes a polarizer may help.

 

With a digital, it is better to underexposure the dark foreground and Photoshop.

Id suggest a basic book on photography,as this "contrast" question is pretty basic.You might also do a search on graduated ND filters.

Shoot it at a different time of day, when the sun is at a more desirable angle to shed some light on your foreground. Cloudy days would diffuse the light as well. Or you might be able to get a tiny bit more light if you wet the cement and/or put down some white cloth on the ground to bounce up onto the walls.

 

Josh

Thanks for the info everyone, but is there a way to get the right balance without using Photoshop?

 

Steve, how would you go about shooting a situation like this without overexposing the background but getting the foreground just right?

 

The only problem is that you guys are talking about the most ideal situations where you can "set-up shop" with a tripod, fix the lighting, or wait for a cloudy day (which would eliminate the brilliant sky).

 

The problem is that most of my pictures come when I'm on a tour (ie. no chance of going back for a reshoot, unideal lighting situations, pressed for time, and lost halfway around the world if you lose your group)...plus, some places aren't exactly the safest places to setup shop...its more of a handheld snap-and-run. For example, the above picture was taken in the medina in Tangier, Morocco.

Use of a polarizer will help darken the sky. Thats probably your best bet.

 

If you get a powerful accessory flash, there might be enough light to fill the alley better. You should take some light meter readings to see just how much difference there is between the sky and the alley. Find out what f-stop you need with the shutter speed your camera uses for flash synch. Then find out the distance of the alley walls that you want to illuminate. Do the math and find out the guide number neccesary for the f-stop you will be using.

 

Let me know if this works, I've havent tried it.

Cokin filters make graduated filters which can help to tone down an overly bright sky. I am not sure if they have any filters with gray spots which would tone down an area as shown in your photo.

It's your slow sync speed that's causing you trouble. Try using a medium format camera with a leaf shutter that will let you sync at 1/500th or faster. Then you can use wider apertures that don't exceed your wimpy flash's maximum output, and let the faster shutter speed make the daylight darker. <p>The 2nd exposure example you gave could be re-configured to F5.6 1/2 (or F6.7 to you) at 1/500th. Your flash could probably manage F6.7 at iso 400 within 10 ft or so, yes?... t

The bottom line from an exposure perspective is that the shoot is not possible with more than 3 stops difference between the fore and background. Use two separate shoots and Photoshop or recompose; anything else are good wishes.

it can be done with a faster sync speed and an average shoe mount flash... it might not look great, but it can be done. Only the near foreground and the sky will be correctly exposed, the higher sides of the buildings will be exposed as they are in the blue sky example you have posted, since the on camera flash is subject to the inverse square law... t