Getting the correct exposure for wedding dresses

<p>I shot a fashion show recently and most of my pictures came out fine. However I was losing the detail in some of the dresses and I've attached two of them below.</p>

<p>For the yellow dress I was using center weighted and -1/3 EV. Should I have upped EV back to 0?</p>

<p>For the bridal gown portion of the show I placed EV back to 0 (still using center weighted), should I have bumped it up another 2/3 stop?</p>

<p>Regarding wedding dresses (at weddings) in general, I should spot meter and lock exposure off dress, lock focus on face, use a large enough DOF, and use +1/3 to +1 EV. Is that correct?</p><div></div>

<p>Attaching the bridal gown.</p><div></div>

<p>Attaching a photo from my friend of the same subject.</p><div></div>

<p>If you are shooting when the model is in one or two spots on the ramp, I would use manual exposure and not rely on AV or TV or whatever. If you are shooting at too many points on the ramp to keep track of, I'd rely on my previous testing of my specific camera and automated exposure response and not on someone else's camera (particularly if a different brand altogether) for guidance as to comp.</p>

<p>In the first image, obviously the model's leg is in a spotlight while the rest of her isn't. I would avoid that.</p>

<p>You also generally have comp backwards. If the dress is overexposed, you minus comp, not plus comp.</p>

<p>Your camera's metering is aiming for 18% grey (or thereabouts). So if you spotmeter a white dress, and use it's guidance, you'll get an 18% grey dress. How about:</p>

<p>Put some white fabric and an 18% grey card in a scene, with decent lighting. Spotmeter the grey card, then spotmeter the white fabric. Note the difference. Then, take a shot based on the grey card exposure. Did the fabric blow out? If not, you've established the exposure compensation factor, either when spotmetering with auto exposure or for manual setting. If the fabric did blow out significantly, you've got to compromise a bit.</p>

<p>Going through the exercise, I get three stops difference, ie:</p>

<p>Grey card exposure: 1/30 at f2.8<br>

White card exposure: 1/125 at f2.8</p>

<p>i found your pics OK, just shoot in raw, those trifles are easily recovered.</p>

<p>Thanks to everyone who responded.</p>

<p>@Nadine: I was using manual exposure, but because there were spotlights on the ramp it was difficult. I didn't notice this initially, but in the first photo only the model's left leg is within the spotlight.</p>

<p>Regarding exposure control, I generally hear two different viewpoints from many photographers regarding this issue.</p>

<ol>

<li>If the highlights are clipped, decrease exposure to match.</li>

<li>If the scene is mostly white (e.g. snow) and using evaluative metering, <strong>increase</strong> exposure 1 stop. This is because the camera expects 18% gray (in reality it varies from 10-18%) and you are telling it to meter closer to white.</li>

</ol>

<p>After a little more research, I am leaning towards the #2 explanation. In retrospect, to get the proper exposure I should have spot metered off the dress at +1 EV.</p>

<p>The catch is that it is usually easier to recover detail from an underexposed image than it is to recover clipped highlights.</p>

<p>I think I need to test a bit more to verify my line of reasoning.</p>

<p>@Rusla: I was shooting in RAW, but I was unable to recover any more detail from the dress (or maybe I'm missing something in my LightRoom editting).</p>

<p>Ignoring my roommate's underexposed shot, I took a look at the histogram and the bridal dress does look in fact exposed correctly. Maybe the problem is I need to recognize clipping better.</p>

<p>OK, when one speaks of comp, it isn't generally in relation to manual exposure, but to automated exposure modes, such as AV or TV, or P, so I assumed you were using one of those.</p>

<p>Of your two viewpoints, both are correct and don't necessarily conflict. They are talking about two different methods of exposure. You could have used method 2 but you would have to ensure that the light on the dress remains the same--a situation which you cannot control since the models are walking in and out of spotlights.</p>

<p>As for recovering detail from an underexposed image, that is true, but you also increase noise. I personally rather shoot RAW and overexpose slightly, and recover highlights in post. Less noise that way.</p>

<p>As for the histogram, they are good guidelines for evaluating exposure, but in the end you have to look at the image on (hopefully) calibrated monitors. From what I see--I do see some burned spots on your image. Your friend's image is underexposed, though.</p>

<p>Firstly, I think this is digital camera complex...no burnt out hightlights, and tons of shadow detail LOL!<br>

No, seriously, there is no right and wrong way of shooting, just get the results you need.<br>

White with detail is zone 7, so no more than +2 stops compensation. Nadine makes a great point of the fact that these models are moving, and the light is not constant, so spot metering is going to be awkward here. Evaluative metering is better, but still not 100% guarenteed. Spot lights on a white dress is going to be well hot, and could result in your midtones and under being too dark. No wonder i see lots of flash at fashion shows!<br>

Did you not take some test shots before the show started just to get an idea. You could of then set your camera in manual setting and adjusted accordingly if you had to?<br>

The bug bear of digital is that you have to expose to the right. Not sure what camera you were using, but noise is an issue on lower spec DSLRs. Again, not sure of your aperture/iso and shutter speed of these shots, but you would of wanted at least 1/125th sec to freeze motion. If using a telephoto, like say a 70-200 then at least 1/250th.<br>

On a 5Dmk2, exposing to the right isnt too much of a worry as long as you're not more than a stop under or you will see serious noise and degredation to your image shooting at iso 1000 and above. Personally with digital i never -EV.. only +EV.</p>

<p>Firstly, I think this is digital camera complex...no burnt out hightlights, and tons of shadow detail LOL!<br>

No, seriously, there is no right and wrong way of shooting, just get the results you need.<br>

White with detail is zone 7, so no more than +2 stops compensation. Nadine makes a great point of the fact that these models are moving, and the light is not constant, so spot metering is going to be awkward here. Evaluative metering is better, but still not 100% guarenteed. Spot lights on a white dress is going to be well hot, and could result in your midtones and under being too dark. No wonder i see lots of flash at fashion shows!<br>

Did you not take some test shots before the show started just to get an idea. You could of then set your camera in manual setting and adjusted accordingly if you had to?<br>

The bug bear of digital is that you have to expose to the right. Not sure what camera you were using, but noise is an issue on lower spec DSLRs. Again, not sure of your aperture/iso and shutter speed of these shots, but you would of wanted at least 1/125th sec to freeze motion. If using a telephoto, like say a 70-200 then at least 1/250th.<br>

On a 5Dmk2, exposing to the right isnt too much of a worry as long as you're not more than a stop under or you will see serious noise and degredation to your image shooting at iso 1000 and above. Personally with digital i never -EV.. only +EV.<br>

As far as your comments for weddings... your dof and focusing can be anything you want it to be!! There is no manual to say you have to shoot af f4, f8 or f11, or f16! What are you trying to capture? Whats the mood or pathos of the shot? You may want it soft, so go very wide, you may want great detail, with front to back sharpness, so stop down to say f16? Again there is no set rules. You may want to use selective focus to make the viewers eyes fall on something specific? You may want sharp eyes and very soft everything else? You would only focus on the face if thats what you want in focus?!!!!<br>

Maybe you could be more specific in the shots you want to take, and therefore people may want to give their own preferences in how they would take it?<br>

Photography is very subjective. There is no right and wrong way. </p>