Watching

Mother and baby relaxing.

Very Nice image! Good composition and exposure.

Cool, er cold!

 

I,C,U or Ice Eau!

 

Nice capture Kim!

 

I take it you got some snow out your way?

They just seem to enjoy your company. Good shots. Al

Excellent shot.

Thanks everyone! Yes, we're getting some snow, but nothing like Colorado's getting hammered with.

Good job. Mother and baby relaxing or freezing? I'd be freezing. I'd rather be a cougar, at least I'd have a cave. Any problems with the camera in the cold temperatures? Stay warm and keep the snowshoes handy. ~Sky

How nice! A blessed new year to you and your family Kim!

Thanks Sky and Ellen! Sky, I don't think it's even been below 0 yet! These two are plenty fuzzy for the weather. Happy New Year to you guys!

It makes me cold to look at them, but I suspect they are well padded. I love the composition of this image.

These are just darling (both shots). I think this is my favorite. It's also a tough exposre to make, and you got detail in both the dark and light areas - no small feat. I like the way you composed this frame.

 

-s

Thank you Shawn and Steve! Steve, the original was a lot darker. I had to do a lot of work to get it to this stage. I still struggle with getting the exposure right in camera. I'm thankful for editing.

Just remember the basics. When metering (with an averaging meter) just remember: dark subject on light background (overall preponderance of light tones) means add exposure (+); light subject on dark background (overall preponderance of dark tones) means reduce exposure (-); All meters read for middle grey. I used to use all manual cameras, so 'exposure compensation' meant to adjust aperture or shutter speed so the meter read high or low (sometimes it meant adjusting the ISO to achieve the same thing - doesn't apply to digital). It took me a little while to get used to doing the same thing using exposure compensation in program or auto modes (and it is doing exactly the same thing). I tell people, 'remember, there are three basic controls on any camera: aperture, shutter speed, and focus. All the fancy 'modes' are just other ways of controlling those three things.' Of course, with digitals, there are other things of concern like white balance, etc., but that basic philosophy needs to be ingrained in us I believe. Hope this isn't too simplistic (no intent to offend your intelligence). Shooting digital has helped me to better know each of the cameras I use because of the immediate feedback. Someplace in this site I saw a post called "A Zone System for Digital Cameras," but I can't find it right now. It's a method of using histograms to achieve a complete tonal range using digital cameras, and it sounds like a good shooting philosophy (I'll look for it).

 

-Steve

 

Here is one article on exposure (I have to read through it myself, but it looks good and shows how to read histograms). I'll post the other one I referenced if I can find it. I think I have the text saved somewhere for reference.

Found it. The quote is from James Dainis, who, in turn was quoting someone else:

 

"A while back I picked up this information from somewhere on this site. I long since have papraphrased it and forget who to attribute it to.

 

"The more advanced digital shooters know how to use their gear and what to do for best results. The histogram is to digital as the Zone system was to film. With digital you want to capture as much data as possible. The objective is to move the histogram as far as you can to the right, with a minimum of clipping. When you open your RAW image in you RAW converter, the histogram should be biased to the right. Your task at that point is to pull the data back to a normally distributed histogram. From there you use your "Exposure" slider to work the right side of the histogram and your "Shadow" slider to reconstruct the left side of the histogram. In the end, you will have a superior image than if you had exposed in the same manner as you did when you were shooting film. This is especially true in the quarter tones and shadows which will be more opened up and less noisy.

 

"Digital photosites are not grains of silver. They don't behave the same, and they should not be exposed the same. A photosite will transfer one of two things over to the RAW converter - either data or noise. Consider this as well - a photosite shot at f/11 receives only half as much information as a pixel shot at f/8. So, in a shot that has 4 stops of dynamic range, the shadows will receive something like 1/16 the data that the highlight receive. We're talking DATA, not LIGHT. So, if you move the histogram to the right as much as possible when you expose the image, you are providing the photosites in the shadows with much more information than if you left the histogram centered. In the RAW converter, you go in and "tell" the quarter tones that they are actually shadows - shadows with a lot less noise.

 

"That is the Zone system for digital, expose for the highlights and convert for the shadows."

 

The entire thread was actually entitled Noise -How to Avoid it".

 

Sorry to be so long winded.

Good information Steve and very helpful. Your help for Kim has assisted me as well. Thanks.

 

Kim, I need some of that long fur. My extended days in the deer woods, in wet snow and drizzle, don't seem possible anymore. (Time for a better union suit and some warmer boots I guess.) Congrats on braving the elements for this one.

 

~Sky

Steve, thank you!! Definitely not boring! And please, feel free to keep things as simple as possible for me! That article was super, and not only did it help immensely in understanding exposure, I also learned that I haven't been understanding the histogram correctly, and I learned what makes RAW superior...something I've wondered for a while. I bookmarked that article, and will definitely go back to it. I've never heard the "clipping" term used this way, just "blown out highlights". Now it makes a lot more sense. I've been tending to take images too dark to avoid blowing out highlights, but I think with this new information I'll be able to get the exposure a lot closer the first time. Thank you!!!

..that the above might be of some use. Sky, you're not eavesdropping. It's a public forum & we all benefit from constructive discussion - I'd love to hear any comments you could offer on my photos anytime. Couldn't be any worse than Thomas Turk's review of one of my shots from a long time ago, he said,"Such rubbish doesn't deserve a comment," to which I replied, "Then why did you??" :)

 

-Steve

 

P.S. - I need to study those articles more myself and try to extract what I can apply from them. When I learned film, we used a modified zone system, metering tonal ranges in a scene and then adjusting exposure and development to achieve a complete tonal range in our final results (or in some cases not). My main instructor was Jack Radcliffe, associate professor of photography and director of the program at one of the two schools I attended. He used a Pentax 6x7 and made 16x20 prints on fiber based papers, often using Selenium toner (which can be dangerous if not handled carefully). He is a person I respect immensely and who has impeccable credentials. I hope I learned from him, because he has the knowledge. Check out his website and resume.

 

-s

Steve, I sure will check out his site, thanks! I certainly benefit from your extensive knowledge and kind willingness to share it and teach!

 

Sky, as to braving the elements for this shot...will I ruin it for you if I tell you all I did was lean out the front door of the cabin? :~)

Fuzzy wuzzy was so cuuuuute!!!!

They are cute and look vulnerable. Fantastic, that You can approach them. ! cheers Jana

Beautiful natural scene of these cuties. Love the composition here kim.

Kind Regards Andrea

Thank you Leann, Jana, and Andrea!

This is fantastic! Congrats. Halina

Thanks Halina!