Exposure differences

Chevylover54 · Aug 20, 2004

Well I'm new to photography but I really love. My sister and I are doing collages. Where we take pictures of small sections of some thing and then but them together into one big picture. I know that I could just take one picture and have it blown up but this is more fun. My question is that when I take different sections I get different "shades". The last one we did was of a girl in a wedding dress. When I would take pictures where it was half the wedding dress and half the background, the dress is bright white. When I take a picture where the only thing in the shot is part of the dress, the dress isn't as bright. I realize that the camera is evening out the brightness. What do I have to do to get it so the brightness of the dress is always the same?

e_ · Aug 20, 2004

Hello Chevy

...welcome to both this Forum and the wonderful world of photography

If your camera has manual settings the following method will work:

* Take an average reading of the scene to be included in your collage -- or, alternatively, of that area in the scene which is most important (being the wedding dress in your example)

* Set your camera

* Start shooting

You might find your results are better on overcast days when the light is more even

Have fun!

e_

ksmattfish · Aug 20, 2004

Chevylover54 said:
When I take a picture where the only thing in the shot is part of the dress, the dress isn't as bright.

The meter measures middle gray only. When metering from something all white overexpose 1.5 to 2 stops. When metering from something all black underexpose 1.5 to 2 stops.

Chevylover54 · Aug 20, 2004

e_

Thanks for the reply but I guess I'm still confused. Take a look at this pic at this site. http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/chevylover54/detail?.dir=/6665&.dnm=d076.jpg

The pic on the left is more than just sampled on the dress, the only thing in the picture is the dress. Notice how dark it is. On the right is a picture where the dress is in only half the pic. Wouldn't it work better to sample a darker part of the pic and set my camera to those settings then take all the pictures?

ksmattfish · Aug 20, 2004

Chevylover54 said:
Wouldn't it work better to sample a darker part of the pic and set my camera to those settings then take all the pictures?

What color pants do you wear when shooting weddings? Black? Meter off a black pant leg or jacket in the same lighting as your subject, and then under expose 2 stops from that reading.

The meter is telling you how to make whatever (white, black, or gray) you are pointing it at middle gray. You have to adjust the exposure; more exposure to get it to turn white, less exposure to get it to turn black. 2 stops in either direction from middle gray is the most you can go and still count on getting 100% detail. As you go beyond 2 stops from middle gray you will begin to lose detail (which may be fine if that's what you want). Roughly 5 stops beyond middle gray in either direction you will get solid black or solid white.

Chevylover54 · Aug 20, 2004

ksmattfish,

Thanks I think I got it. I could either meter complete white and over expose by 2 or meter complete black and then under expose by 2 right?

ksmattfish · Aug 20, 2004

Chevylover54 said:
ksmattfish,

Thanks I think I got it. I could either meter complete white and over expose by 2 or meter complete black and then under expose by 2 right?

Exactly. If you are using negative film it's safer to meter off black, because then you won't accidentally underexpose the shadows if the lighting contrast is high. I don't know if it matters which one you check for digital?

StvShoop · Aug 21, 2004

Chevylover54 said:
When I would take pictures where it was half the wedding dress and half the background, the dress is bright white. When I take a picture where the only thing in the shot is part of the dress, the dress isn't as bright. I realize that the camera is evening out the brightness. What do I have to do to get it so the brightness of the dress is always the same?

if the shifts in brightness aren't too extreme, that could look pretty cool

it would have a real sense of "patchworking"