Shadows

[michael_miller30]

<p>What are some techniques that can be used to capture a quality shadow in a really dark environment that shows the same contrast as a shadow in a well lit environment?</p>

[Wouter Willemse]

<p>The contrast is defined by the difference between shadow and highlight for a large part. In a dark environment, that difference is a lot less - so apart from heavy post processing (adding a lot of contrast, or a rather extreme curve) I can think of nothing. Adding light is the best option, but then your really dark environment obviously isn't very dark anymore.</p>

[James G. Dainis]

If you used a spot meter on a scene, in a well lit scene you may see the highlights, lighter elements, as having about a nine stops difference than the shadow, darker elements. In a dimly lit scene the difference may only be two or three stops - a black piece of paper will look black, a white piece of paper will look dark gray. Either add light or try to adjust the contrast in image editing.

[frode]

<p>Hi<br>

It is difficult to understand your question.<br>

The contrast in a scene is in general only dependent on how much light the various parts of the scene reflects relative to other parts of the scene. For example, if you have only one light in a room you cannot change the contrast in the scene just by changing the brightness of that light. If you take one picture, then turns the light down to say 1/8th of what it was you will have to increase the exposure by a factor 8 (three stops). When you now take a new picture with this new light and exposure you will end up with exactly the same contrast in the two images.</p>

<p>Cheers,</p>

[glen_h]

<p>Sometimes you decide what it most important and meter for that. If it is people in the shade, with sun in the background, meter for the people. (Assuming they won't move to a sunnier spot.)</p>

<p>Well, sometimes you can use a gradient filter to even out the lighting.</p>

<p>Color negative films might do 14 or so zones. Then you have to figure out how to print them. Probably best to scan, then edit the scanned image until it prints right.</p>

[raczoliver]

<p>Probably the most important thing to conserve shadow detail is to not underexpose.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>In a dark environment, that difference is a lot less</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>Not necessarily in my experience. Artificially lit low light scenes can often have lots and lots of contrast.</p>

[glen_h]

<p>The important thing is not the actual contrast, but the contrast you care about.</p>

<p>There might be some very bright parts, you might even have the sun in the frame. Indoors, you might have light bulbs. </p>

<p>You have to decide how important the brighter parts are, and how important the shadows are.</p>

<p>If you take a picture of a group of people, you want all in the shade or all in the sun, not some of each. Even if the film can record it, the print probably can't, and it won't look right anyway.</p>

<p>But with subject people in the shade, and sunny background, expose for the people. (If they aren't the subject, but just get in the way, expose for what you want in the picture.)</p>

<p>Sometimes you can use flash to light up the foreground, to match a bright background. </p>

<p>But best is to get all in the shade or all in the sun.</p>