jaapv Posted June 9, 2009 Share #21 Posted June 9, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Interesting - his conclusion is identical to Lars' post. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 9, 2009 Posted June 9, 2009 Hi jaapv, Take a look here How to use Graduated Filter on M8?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
vanhulsenbeek Posted June 9, 2009 Share #22 Posted June 9, 2009 You may want to check out this blog -- The Art of Adventure Photography Thanks for this post! What a great Forum this is! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisC Posted June 9, 2009 Share #23 Posted June 9, 2009 The link is to Bruce Percy, he chooses to shoot transparency film with [mostly] Mamiya7 rangefinder cameras. His pictures often have the look of images made with ND grads, and it is not a good look. If I still had my Mamiya7 cameras and had to make transparency landscape images in the light to which Bruce Percy gravitates, I too would be obliged to use ND filters [or alternatively tripod-shoot different exposures for PP sandwiches]. Transparency film is a compromised medium because of it's high contrast, hence the need for 'bodger work-arounds' like ND filters. When shooting transparency film the art is in taming colour temperature shifts and contrast in-camera to get an image which looks ready for repro on a light box. Transparency film is hardly a post-production artist's medium of choice, but digital is and the M8 lends itself to PP image finishing and fine tuning. Digital gives subtler, quicker, and more effective solutions for controlling contrast problems [such as has been discussed here] than applying transparency film workarounds like ND graduated filters. Glad as I am to always check Lars' contributions, I again disagree with him, and advise leaving the ND grads at home and choosing superior post production techniques when shooting digital. ................ Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanhulsenbeek Posted June 9, 2009 Share #24 Posted June 9, 2009 Well..., chacun à son goût, but I like what Bruce Percy shows, and for that matter I also like the style of Joe Cornish. If you really find that digital gives subtler, quicker, and more effective solutions for controlling contrast problems [such as has been discussed here] than applying transparency film workarounds like ND graduated filters, can you show some compelling examples of those superior post production techniques? (in the Photo Forum, I suppose) To offer a possibility myself: diligently applied HDR can solve contrast problems. See: http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/landscape-travel/85236-scotland-b-w-hdr-view-loch.html#post892786 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bo_Lorentzen Posted June 9, 2009 Share #25 Posted June 9, 2009 Chris, You are right about using post, it works for most things, but the dynamic range of a RAW file do not hold enough information to double as a graduated 3x ND filter. The post technique here would really be shooting on a tripod and grab two frames. one significantly darker than the other and then go post. Honestly, the two shot technique is how I solve this myself. though I still am tempted to break out a grad ND. Actually I have a grad filter I have used for video which is a screw in, covering half of the image and I just rotate for position.. it works but is a bit limiting in that it can not be adjusted up and down... Hmm seems that is a need for a small compact rotating filter holder for a trimmed lee filter. . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Posted June 9, 2009 Share #26 Posted June 9, 2009 Second that - and their 75mm holder is still a touch too large... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisC Posted June 10, 2009 Share #27 Posted June 10, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) ..... but the dynamic range of a RAW file do not hold enough information to double as a graduated 3x ND filter. The post technique here would really be shooting on a tripod and grab two frames. one significantly darker than the other and then go post.Honestly, the two shot technique is how I solve this myself...... Bo - I was also thinking of a two-shot technique when the scene's contrast range requires, and yes it will require the use of a tripod, as would the clumsier technique of setting up a grad on a rangefinder camera and doing test shots and filter adjustments, and hoping you've got it right from examining the camera's small LCD screen. I have known Bruce Percy's work for some time and if I gave an impression of disdain for his work that was not my intention as I have great respect for him. But there is an issue of a typical 'grad-look' in a lot of transparency landscape work which I have always found unconvincing, and I would not like to see that look migrate unnecessarily to digital shooting. ............... Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bo_Lorentzen Posted June 10, 2009 Share #28 Posted June 10, 2009 Chris, I thought you probably did, but my reading of your post did read like "with the right skills one can apply a graduation in post.." Im very comfortable with the 2 shot technique in photoshop, but have not seen a good description of the post side yet. so I might ask, how do you like to blend the layers.? I almost always end up with blending but also hitting the layer mask with a soft brush to massage the blend. I also create a selection based on the lightness in the RGB channel and use this as the base, then apply the graduation, for the graduated "look" kind of mixing basic HDR with graduated. . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanhulsenbeek Posted June 10, 2009 Share #29 Posted June 10, 2009 Bo and Chris, The 2 shot technique in photoshop - would love to see some examples - reads to me like a simple step-up to HDR. In my previous post in this thread I have linked to a HDR example in the Photo Forum, (some more there also) which technique I like for B&W but does not convince me in color. I have yet to see convincing digital PP examples of the kind of pictures Bruce Percy shows, where indeed color temperature shifts occur that personally I like. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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