KyleProhaska
Veteran
Reflection off the water as the sun went down? We were just outside and the only light source was the sun...
AF100 - First Screenshots
- Thread starter KyleProhaska
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KyleProhaska
Veteran
The reflection off the water was VERY bright...totally blown out. Even with my ND's all the way up to 4 I couldn't expose it so that's why. The sun was in the direction she was looking as was the large water reflection so that's where it comes from.
bgundu
Veteran
tflak
Veteran
This is why I now always carry a Singh-Ray Vari-ND to put on the lens when the built-in NDs aren't enough. I didn't have it with me the other day and got bitten by diffraction when I stopped the lens down to avoid clipping the highlights. Not sure which would have been preferable; clip the highlights and get a sharper image, or preserve the highlights and go soft. Subjects were wearing white forensics outfits in bright sun with a white wall behind them so it was very bright and wasn't like just clipping out a bright sky or something. Needed to preserve detail so you could tell they were in front of a white painted cinder block wall and also didn't want to lose detail in the suits. So I went for preserving the highlights. Definitely a judgement call. Have only looked at the raw footage so far. Hopefully, I can add some sharpness in post.
Lessons learned were to always have something to supplement the built-in NDs and be aware of diffraction.
Lessons learned were to always have something to supplement the built-in NDs and be aware of diffraction.
Shooter
Veteran
Doesnt make sense to me.
The reflection and the source are the same size and they throw two different nose shadows in different directions. (One shadow is hard and one is soft. One is long and one is short) Weird physics!
Nice large scrim (diff) 6' x 6' frame would have been handy to have had in your pocket Kyle. Full lighting truck and crew even better.
KyleProhaska
Veteran
Shooter I was just at a park with my wife...cut me some slack, LOL. I got what I could get with what I had.
I was there, and I can assure you the sun off in the distance, and the very bright reflection on the water is where the light was coming from.
I was there, and I can assure you the sun off in the distance, and the very bright reflection on the water is where the light was coming from.
Shooter
Veteran
Relax Kyle.
I am not doubting you or having a go at you at all . I know the sun is very bright.
(Only a joke about carrying a lighting rig around with you.)
Bgundu thought it made sense...I didnt. I wanted to analyse it. Simple as that.
So what was the solution to your exposure issue anyway?
KyleProhaska
Veteran
Just didn't seem that way I guess. The internet sucks when it comes to context/emotion.
I honestly was never able to figure it out until I got home. I think my camera settings themselves weren't helping me. B.Press was the gamma I was using which lifts the mids and presses the darks a little, and the mids is where her skin was (upper mids on the left side) so I think it was making it harder for me to find a happy medium. If I exposed her face the background went away too much. That wouldn't have happen had I thought to change my gamma to something like Cine-V for a moment.
I was a little frustrated at the time anyways over a few things so I just wasn't thinking clearly.
I honestly was never able to figure it out until I got home. I think my camera settings themselves weren't helping me. B.Press was the gamma I was using which lifts the mids and presses the darks a little, and the mids is where her skin was (upper mids on the left side) so I think it was making it harder for me to find a happy medium. If I exposed her face the background went away too much. That wouldn't have happen had I thought to change my gamma to something like Cine-V for a moment.
I was a little frustrated at the time anyways over a few things so I just wasn't thinking clearly.
KyleProhaska
Veteran
A few random shots from the other day. Just using the light coming in from the side porch window of our apartment.
Barry_Green
Moderator
Nice...
dustylense
Veteran
Straight up top notch.
KyleProhaska
Veteran
Thanks. 
I'm getting more and more comfortable with this camera as times goes on. I'm notorious for having buyers remorse so I'm happy now LOL.
I'm getting more and more comfortable with this camera as times goes on. I'm notorious for having buyers remorse so I'm happy now LOL.
KyleProhaska
Veteran
I really need to do some more tests in the kind of light I had in the screenshots above...because it's really shown me what this camera can REALLY do with the human face. I shot my face because I know it's like a moon (lol) and has all sorts of little things the camera (and light) would need to define. I was actually a little shocked at how sharp and awesome it looked. Perhaps I'm making too much of it, but it sure does make me excited to own one of these. Especially amongst talk in other threads about how this camera sucks at exposing faces. 
My TV Logic monitor is on its way, so I look forward to taking this camera out with a bit more confidence in my exposure, color, etc. The on-camera LCD is great, but it's just tough to judge focus for me and I need something a little bigger that I can shade (got a hoodman for the TV logic). Indoors the on-camera LCD is much more adequate though...
http://www.kyleprohaska.com/af100/kyle_big.jpg
My TV Logic monitor is on its way, so I look forward to taking this camera out with a bit more confidence in my exposure, color, etc. The on-camera LCD is great, but it's just tough to judge focus for me and I need something a little bigger that I can shade (got a hoodman for the TV logic). Indoors the on-camera LCD is much more adequate though...
http://www.kyleprohaska.com/af100/kyle_big.jpg
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KyleProhaska
Veteran
Here's a few from the past few days. Most of them shot on the spot very quickly but I'm trying my best to learn how to expose in harder sunlight or with subjects that aren't as easy to handle.
The one of my friend Anthony that's first here was probably one of the hardest with it being about 3pm on hot memorial day. We were in total shade while the background was burning bright with sunlight. I did have to recover a little bit of the highlights (not from being blown out but simply too hot) and boost the mids only a few notches, but it looks really amazing. I was shocked to see how much dynamic range I got.
The last one of the cityscape was tough to expose too. I wanted the sky but the stuff in the middle of the buildings too. Granted it's pretty dark but on a proper calibrated monitor you can see quite a bit in there in my opinion. I think I'm finally getting the hang of using this thing outside with confidence. Still, most of the time while I shoot I keep feeling like I underexpose even while using zebras and the waveform, and then I come home and find there's a lot more detail in there than I think.
The one of my friend Anthony that's first here was probably one of the hardest with it being about 3pm on hot memorial day. We were in total shade while the background was burning bright with sunlight. I did have to recover a little bit of the highlights (not from being blown out but simply too hot) and boost the mids only a few notches, but it looks really amazing. I was shocked to see how much dynamic range I got.
The last one of the cityscape was tough to expose too. I wanted the sky but the stuff in the middle of the buildings too. Granted it's pretty dark but on a proper calibrated monitor you can see quite a bit in there in my opinion. I think I'm finally getting the hang of using this thing outside with confidence. Still, most of the time while I shoot I keep feeling like I underexpose even while using zebras and the waveform, and then I come home and find there's a lot more detail in there than I think.
Shooter
Veteran
Nice.
You have to trust the waveform. Its all you got to go on. You have exposed very well for the scenes under the conditions that presented to you. You had no supplementary lighting so well done.
All those images would grade and cc very well Kyle. eg you could pop ( separate) Anthony off his bg very easily. You have retained detail in the shadows and have full tonal range across your images.
We all struggle with those situations. Some of us are lucky enough to have a truckful of lights etc to control the situation.
You have to trust the waveform. Its all you got to go on. You have exposed very well for the scenes under the conditions that presented to you. You had no supplementary lighting so well done.
All those images would grade and cc very well Kyle. eg you could pop ( separate) Anthony off his bg very easily. You have retained detail in the shadows and have full tonal range across your images.
We all struggle with those situations. Some of us are lucky enough to have a truckful of lights etc to control the situation.
PaPa
Major Contributor
Ditto, well exposed imo.