Planning My Portfolio (15)

Requirement
4 images of the same scene

Purpose
To show the effects of the seasons on the landscape, including characteristic changes in colour and light

Technical learning

• None

Exercise instructions

• Select a location that shows seasonal changes as effectively as possible
• For this location shoot one image in each season, framed exactly the same way
• Pick light that best illustrates the character of the season

Images and review

Tree in Bushy Park

Winter

Included in first assignment 

Spring

Summer

Autumn

Changing Light: Changing Views (14)

Requirement
5 images of the same landscape, re-framed to suit the changing light conditions throughout the day


Purpose
To appreciate how differences in light caused by the movement of the sun affect the landscape and require changes in composition


Technical learning

• Landscape composition must always attend to light and shade
• These change during the day as the sun moves across the sky
• Anticipating these changes is key to the successful landscape photographers art

Exercise instructions

• Pick an interesting scene with prominent features and a good weather forecast for the day
• Start early morning and shoot an image with a viewpoint, lens and composition that suit the scene
• Take a second shot mid-morning with the same lens. Frame the image differently, if needed, to make the most of the new light and shade conditions
• Take a third photo at midday, re-framing as needed
• Take a fourth mid afternoon
• Take the final one at the end of the day
• Prepare a short commentary on your composition choice

Images and review

Exercise not attempted.

Throughtout the Day (13)

Requirement

Enough!

Purpose         

To show the effect of the moving sun on a landscape

Technical learning

• Light is the most profound force on a landscape
• Within this the moving sun is one of the most powerful
• The sun's path moves from East to West over the day 
• It also changes with the length of day between the winter and summer solstice (in the northern hemisphere, 20/21 December and 20/21 June respectively). In southern England in mid June the length of day is 16 hours and the highest elevation of the sun is 60°. Whereas in mid December the day is only 8 hours long and at midday the sun is only 15° above the horizon.

Exercise instructions

Pick a scene with some prominent relief to create shadow. Choose a sunny or part sunny day. Set up camera with a tripod and cable release. Take a picture at regular intervals of the same scene, if possible every hour throughout the day from sunrise to sunset. Keep a note of the exposure. See how the landscape changes at certain times of the day.

Images and Review - exercise re-performed

 

I redid this exercise for the Art of Photography course - the sun falling on a mountain in Spain

Click to view images on AoP blog
 

 

Images and Review - original version

These images were taken of my garden between 15.30 and 20.30 (sunset) in the second week of May, one every hour until 19.30 and then one every 15 minutes.


The camera faces down the garden South East at at 113°. 


The surrounding trees and shrubs cast a shadow across the lawn, as does the house when the sun moves behind it. 


According to my Golden Hour App, the sun moved from Southwest/ West-Southwest at 15.30 (Azimuth - 237°)  to West at 20.30. 


At 15.30 the sun's elevation was 45° (below its peak of 55° for that time of year). It fell at increasing speed towards 0° at 20.30 (sunset). 


The aperture was f8 in every shot


15.30

Elevation 45°/ Sun position 237°

Shutter speed 1/250

16.30

Elevation 37°/ Sun position 252°

Shutter speed 1/250

17.30

Elevation 27°/ Sun position 265°

Shutter speed 1/180

18.30

Elevation 18°/ Sun position 275°

Shutter speed 1/180

19.30

Elevation 9°/ Sun position 288°

Shutter speed 1/90

19.45

Elevation 7°/ Sun position 290°

Shutter speed 1/90

20.00

Elevation 5°/ Sun position 294°

Shutter speed 1/45

20.15

Elevation 2.5°/ Sun position 296°

Shutter speed 1/30

20.30

Elevation 0°/ Sun position 300°

Shutter speed 1/15

Contrast and Exposure (12)

Requirement

Images in black and white and colour of high contrast scene, together with examples of different techniques to adjust contrast

Purpose        

To show basic technique in judging contrast of scenes and how to tackle exposure to achieve the results required

Technical learning

• 2 ways of measuring light (a) brightness of subject (i.e. amount of light it reflects) and (b) the amount of light falling on the subject (incident reading of light)
• Meters built into cameras only measure reflected light, whilst light meters measure both reflected and incident light
•  All meters use the same principle when measuring reflected light: that is, they measure the average brightness of the scene
• Neither pure black or white are as reliable as a standard as neutral grey (i.e. a surface reflects 18% of the light striking it)
• Meters are set so that an average subject will appear as a mid tone (i.e. neutral grey)
• This is only useful if the average is mid-tone, but otherwise not (e.g. the meter will treat a pure white wall as neutral grey)
• Consequently, you must adjust exposure using TTL camera light meters for scenes that are over dark or over light

Tip for honing skill in judging contrast (Bruce Barnbaum, Art of Photography)

• In everyday life (e.g. in a traffic jam) frame a scene in front of you
• Identify the brightest and darkest spots within the frame
• Review those elements of the scene that are highlights, mid tones and shadows
• Consider the dynamic range of the scene and whether this lies within the camera’s capabilities
• You will realise over time that you are training your eye to see scenes more intensely
• Next speculate how the scene would change under different light (e.g. from afternoon to golden hour light or overcast to bright sunlight)
• Decide what light might best suit the scene for the effect which you want

Exercise instructions

• Find a scene with high contrast (i.e one that is likely to lie outside the dynamic range of your camera)
• Use the search for this scene as practice in judging contrast (also see Tip above)
• Look at the brightest part: what detail can you see?
• Look at the darkest part: can you see detail there?
• Measure the light in the brightest and darkest areas of the scene using the spot meter of your camera (else use a telephoto framed wholly on these areas)
• How many stops difference are there between the brightest and darkest parts of the scene
• Shoot the image at the average between the two exposure readings (both manual or matrix auto)
• Create a colour as well as black and white version of the image
• Explore ways in which to get a less lower contrast image

Images and Review

Micheldever Wood, Bluebells, May 2012

Exposure set for the darkest part of the scene
- the trunk of tree in the foreground
f16 @ 1/32, ISO 200

Exposure set for the brightest part of the scene
- sunlight in the background
f8 @ 1/16, ISO 200

The range is 4 stops between highlights and shadows in this scene

Matrix metered exposure
f8 @ 1/20, ISO 200

Too dark for desired result, 1.25 stop brighter than exposure for the darkest tones so 2.75 stops darker than exosure for the highlight

Blended version from matrix metered average
(2 versions created from adjustments in RAW)
and exposure for shadows

Another blended version using darkest, brightest
and average metered files and HDR Efex Pro

Properties of light (11)

Requirement

None specifically

Purpose         

To consider some basic concepts of light important to landscape photography

Technical learning

The crucial element

• Light has the single greatest impact on a landscape image
• In considering light in the landscape, see it as a large outdoor set, with lights (the sun), reflectors (blue sky and clouds) and diffusers (clouds and, depending how reflective it is, the land, e.g. sand, snow vs grass fields)

Light and weather

• Weather controls light and also determines the appearance of the sky. (Being able to predict weather conditions is a key skill for the landscape photographer.)
•  Light changes constantly. The angle of the sun changes, so do the clouds and shadows and so on
•  The landscape photographer must work with and use changing light. Patience is a virtue. Sometimes the most important decision is when to shoot (and when not to avoid becoming snap happy and losing focus)

5 types of light in 2D image (see also separate page)

• Specular highlight - gives a mirror like reflection of the light source based on the positioning of the eye
• Diffused light - shows the true texture and colour of a subject
• Shaded side -  shows part of object sheltered from direct light
• Reflected light – light reflected from the surface of another object
• Shadow – absence of direct light surrounding object
• First 4 types of light give information in the 2D of an image about the colour, texture and shape of an object. 
• The fifth value (shadow) shows where an object lies in its surroundings as well as the shape and texture of these surroundings

Natural light in landscapes

• Important to make mental separation between the physical elements and light
• Natrual light has 4 variables: (a) sun’s position, (b) atmosphere, (c) weather and (d) surroundings    
• Sun’s position in sky – depends on the time of day, season and latitude 
• Atmosphere – softens light, especially when sun is low (i.e. light has to pass through more atmosphere), and scatters it (blue the most, hence the usual colour of a clear sky)
•  Weather -  filters and reflects light in numerous ways (clouds, haze, fog, mist, dust, rain, snow, pollution)
• Surroundings  - block light as well as reflect it

Colour of daylight (see Images below)

• Human eye, unlike digital sensor, adjusts for colour differences in light with a bias towards ‘white’ daylight (chromatic adaptation)
• Colour temperature, using the Kelvin scale,  describes the main colour differences of light, following what occurs when metal is heated
• It is used (a) to identify filters to adjust colour or tones and/or (b) to adjust the white balance of a digital camera, say, to remove the orange colour of tungsten light.

Images and Review

Experiment in using Camera Raw Colour Temperature adjustment

• Temperature control sets the image white balance to a custom colour temperature
• Decrease the temperature (i.e. increase blue, reduce yellow) to correct a photo taken with a lower yellow biased colour of light, such as candelight (1930k) or domestic tungsten (2500K)
• Conversely, increase temperature (i.e. increase yellow, reduce blue) to correct a photo taken with a higher bluer colour temperature of light, such as blue sky (10,000K),  shade under blue sky (7,500k), daylight deep shade (6500K) or overcast sky (6000K)

As shot in camera with digital
camera set to Auto White Balance
for a midday summer scene
with shadow in foreground and
sunlit middle and background

As adjusted in Camera Raw using
the highlight of metal rail in the foreground
to set the image's neutral grey. Reduces colour
temperature (increases yellow) by 650K

As adjusted in Camera Raw making
the maximum reduction in colour temperature.
Gives the image a yellow colour cast

As adjusted in Camera Raw making
the maximum increase in colour
temperature.
Gives the image a strong blue cast