Jo Cose's 3 Golden Rules of Photography

[craig]

Personally I never photograph in terms of rules. I like to think of them as guidelines. We learn what is universally pleasing to the eye. We learn photography as a tool to create art. The only rule is to understand the process of photography. Once you have a firm grasp of the technical details then auto and on board flash become helpers.

 

[JamesD]

under expose digital
over expose film sorry thats my rule

I read once that overexposure (with film) is better than underexposure. The reasoning was geared toward bringing out shadow detail. If you underexpose, the silver won't change in the shadow areas (the negative will be "clear") and you get no detail, or thin detail, in shadows.

On the other hand, if you overexpose to bring out these shadow details, the highlights will be blown out. However (as long as it's not overdone), more light causes more change of silver, making the negative denser but still actually retaining detail. I think you wind up having to do some enlarger magic, though.

Oh, and for transparency film, I belive it's the reverse, although I'm not sure it's for the same reasons.... A little bit of underexposure increases color saturation in slides.

Anybody who knows more than me (and that ain't sayin' much!) have anything to say about this?

 

[ThomThomsk]

I read once that overexposure (with film) is better than underexposure. The reasoning was geared toward bringing out shadow detail. If you underexpose, the silver won't change in the shadow areas (the negative will be "clear") and you get no detail, or thin detail, in shadows.

On the other hand, if you overexpose to bring out these shadow details, the highlights will be blown out. However (as long as it's not overdone), more light causes more change of silver, making the negative denser but still actually retaining detail. I think you wind up having to do some enlarger magic, though.

Expose for the shadows, develop for the highlights. If you don't have any detail in your shadows because you underexposed them, there is nothing you can do about it in the darkroom. However, longer or shorter development times have more effect on the highlights than they do on the shadows, so you can control the amount of contrast by adjusting your development, without messing up the shadow detail. Modern b&w films may have a range of 10 stops or more, but photographic paper doesn't, so if you match your exposure and your development time to the contrast range in your scene then you will get a printable negative where otherwise you might not.

Oh, and for transparency film, I belive it's the reverse, although I'm not sure it's for the same reasons.... A little bit of underexposure increases color saturation in slides.

Anybody who knows more than me (and that ain't sayin' much!) have anything to say about this?

Transparencies are quite like digital - much more limited range than negative film from the darkest shadow to brightest highlight where both retain some detail, and most people think blown highlights look worse than blocked shadows. So you expose to make sure you don't blow your highlights, and therefore err towards underexposure, which, as you say, gives you that saturation boost.

Thomsk

 

[Hertz van Rental]

The Three Real Rules:

1) Never photograph into the wind.
2) Never wear socks with sandals.
3) Make sure your underwear is clean.

 

['Daniel']

The Three Real Rules:

1) Never photograph into the wind.
2) Never wear sandals.
3) Make sure you underwear is clean.

 

[Jeff Canes]

one more:
remeber to take off the cap from the lens...

oh and one more: remember to turn on a camera if it's digital
or... if it's film.. remember to load it

i have done #s 1 & 3

 

[Oldfireguy]

Don't forget your flashcards at home.

 

[JamesD]

Thom, thanks for clearing that up. I remember now that it was a discussion about the zone system where I originally read that. It makes more sense with that in mind LOL.

I thought that digital had a wider range than film, though? I wouldn't really know, because I wouldn't pay attention except in passing, as I shoot exculsively film.

 

[JamesD]

Don't forget your flashcards at home.

Flashcards? I already know the multiplication table!

 

[panzershreck]

my only rule is: take photos on a full stomach

 

[ThomThomsk]

I thought that digital had a wider range than film, though? I wouldn't really know, because I wouldn't pay attention except in passing, as I shoot exculsively film.

No, it's more like slide film at 6 stops or so, compared with, oh, lots more than that for negative film. This was just one of the many reasons I sold my 10D and went back to MMFCs (metal, manual film cameras...).

Thom