I'm just an amatuer who want to improve my skill. For taking Seascape pics, that is, those with a rock/sea waves in the FG and sunrise/sunset in the background. What exposure compensation should I use in order to prevent the FG to be too dark? I think I should use +, am I correct?
well, yes, + would make your foreground brighter, but it may also make your background too bright. try searching this forum on "graduated neutral density filters" or GND filters.
each situation will be different and you'll need to understand basic exposure, film/sensor latitude, and tonalities to make an informed exposure decision. There are lots of books out there to guide you, including those by John Shaw, Bryan Petersen, etc.
Plus, there are many threads on this forum and articles in the archives that will probably address this as well.
Oliver,
I think Rod gave you great advice and I'm sure he has more experience than I do, but I'll put my 2 cents in anyway.
I always shoot on the minus side. White, blown out waves or seafoam are almost impossible to fix in Photoshop. Better to shoot a little dark and be able to adjust with PS.
On planned shoots, I use GND filters, but I'm at the beach once or twice a week and don't always have them with me. They can be a bit of a bother for hand-held spontaneous shots.
Hope this helps.
Oliver - You can also try the technique of making two shots, and combining them on the computer - one shot for a correctly exposed sky, and one for a correctly exposed foreground. The real problem is that the light levels are more than your camera can handle, so using + risks overexposing the sky, and - risks underexposing the foreground. With a single shot, you'd have to make a decision as to what's important - as Johnnie mentioned.
When I was in Maui and religiously out there to photograph the sunset over the water, I made ample use of my 3-stop hard (Hitech brand) GND filter. It was a very valuable tool for me in preventing the FG from getting too dark. With the GND filter, I don't believe I used any exposure compensation.
My favorite GND for seascapes is 0.9 hard edge (3 stops). It really makes a big difference. It can turn a ho hum picture into something dramatic. Worth every penny.
Without trying to be "pedantic", I wanted to add to David's comment. Since going to digital, I haven't used a GND. I have been happy with my results by combining two different exposures, and it saves having to carry and "fiddle" the equipment (I always was dissatisfied with the edges, whether I used hard or soft). But it is critical to use a tripod on this technique, for most photos. You have to take an exact duplicate. One area where this could be a problem is with waves. If you are shooting RAW, you may be able to use the technique with two "versions" from the same RAW exposure.
Discussion
7 repliesI'm just an amatuer who want to improve my skill. For taking Seascape pics, that is, those with a rock/sea waves in the FG and sunrise/sunset in the background. What exposure compensation should I use in order to prevent the FG to be too dark? I think I should use +, am I correct?
Thanks so much.
Regards,
Oliver.
each situation will be different and you'll need to understand basic exposure, film/sensor latitude, and tonalities to make an informed exposure decision. There are lots of books out there to guide you, including those by John Shaw, Bryan Petersen, etc.
Plus, there are many threads on this forum and articles in the archives that will probably address this as well.
I think Rod gave you great advice and I'm sure he has more experience than I do, but I'll put my 2 cents in anyway.
I always shoot on the minus side. White, blown out waves or seafoam are almost impossible to fix in Photoshop. Better to shoot a little dark and be able to adjust with PS.
On planned shoots, I use GND filters, but I'm at the beach once or twice a week and don't always have them with me. They can be a bit of a bother for hand-held spontaneous shots.
Hope this helps.
Johnnie