Measuring exposure

Part 1

For this first part of the execise I took 4 photographs which were deliberately lighter and darker than average :

P270 : f5.6 @ 1/320 ISO 100 -1 step exp. 18mm

P271: f5.6 @ 1/200 ISO 100 -0.3exp. 18mm









P272: f5.6 @ 1/200 ISO 100 0 exp. 18mm

P273: f5.6 @ 1/125  ISO 100 +0.3 exp. 18mm

P274: f5.6 1/80  ISO 100 +1 exp. 18mm

























I chose this interesting sculpture for this exercise as I was  intrigued to see which exposure best brought out the lovely and varying shades of colour of the metal. The day was dull so I felt it likely to be a lighter stop working on the basis that the average exposure would be expected to be near the mark here. On reflection I feel that the slightly darker exposure ( P271 ) best matches the colours that I could see before me.

Part 2

In part to it was a question of taking five different photographs making five exposures arranged around what I measured as the best exposure.

P 275: f5.6 @ 1/1250 ISO 200 -1exp. 22mm

P276: f5.6 @ 1/1000  ISO 200 -0.3exp. 22mm

P277: f5.6 @ 1/500  ISO 200  0exp. 22mm

P278: f5.6 @ 1/500  ISO200 +0.3exp. 22mm

P279: f5.6 @1/320 ISO200  +1.0exp. 22mm

Looking at the above images, I feel that slightly underexposed image ( P276 ) is more the picture I was looking for with P277 a close second.

P280: f5.6@ 1/320  ISO 100  -1exp. 39mm

P281: f5.6 @ 1/250  ISO 100 -0.3exp.  38mm

 P282: f5.6 @ 1/100  ISO 100  0 exp. 38mm

P283: f5.6 @ 1/80   ISO 100 +0.3exp. 38mm

P284: f5.6 @ 1/60 ISO 100  +1 exp. 38mm

With the images above I was looking to find the exposure that best picked out the facial detail of this figure..interestingly, this seems to be the middle three as the very dark picture absorbs the detail and the lightest while showing the facial detail loses much of the textural colour of the sculpture.

P285: f5.6 @1/800  ISO 200 -1exp. 18mm

P286: f5.6 @ 1/400 ISO  200 -3exp. 18mm

P287: f5.6 @ 1/400  ISO 200  0exp. 18mm

 

P288: f5.6 @1/250   ISO 200  +0.3exp. 18mm

P289: f5.6 @1/125 ISO200  +1exp. 18mm

Given the changing cloud pattern and variation in light when taking these pictures of the Millenium Tower, my preferred image is the slightly overexposed P288 displaying as it does a balance between light and shade. But again, there are other images here which are fine in their own right. 

P290: f5.6 @1/800 ISO200 -1exp. 22mm

P291: f5.6 @ 1/400 ISO200 -0.3exp. 22mm

I always find this kind of sculpture difficult to shoot given the shape and material so I was again interested to see which setting best captured the artwork.

P292: f5.6 @ 1/400  ISO 200 0exp. 22mm

P293: f5.6 @ 1/250  ISO 200  +0.3exp. 22mm



P294: f5.6 @ 1/125  ISO 200 +1exp. 22mm



Looking at the above five images it is quite hard to pick out one that stands out from the others - maybe the underexposed P 290 does the job as it seems to give the impression of the sheer weight of the sculpture.. 

P295: f5.6 @ 1/3200  ISO200  -1exp. 25mm

P296: f5.6 @ 1/2000 ISO 200 -0.3exp. 25mm



P297: f5.6 @ 1/1600  ISO200 0exp. 27mm

P298: f5.6 @ 1/1600 ISO200 +0.3exp. 27mm

P299: f5.6 @ 1/800 ISO  +1exp. 27mm



P300: f5.6 @ 1/1000  ISO100  -1exp.  18mm

P301: f5.6 @ 1/640  ISO100  -0.3exp.  18mm



P302: f5.6 @ 1/500  ISO100  0exp.  18mm



P303: f5.6 @ 1/320  ISO100  +0.3exp.  18mm

P304: f5.6 @ 1/125  ISO100  +1exp.  18mm

Looking at the above images of the ship's figurehead,I think that this exercise quite effectively demonstrates that depending on lighting and subject, more than one exposure setting can present an acceptable image. With the exception of the most over exposed image i.e P 304 any of the above would be reasonable shots of the subject depending on how much detail through depth of shadow is desired.