oops! Sorry Lorne...aaaah, he never read these posts anyway!Hey, you left out ole Lorne!
oops! Sorry Lorne...aaaah, he never read these posts anyway!Hey, you left out ole Lorne!
How much did it cost to get to Mount St. Helens? Film's cheap in the long and short run. It'll also give you the option to process differently if you chose. A back up is never a bad thing.
An interviewer asked Ansel Adams if he bracketed his exposure. His reply was something like, "No, I do it right the first time." He then added, "Sometimes I take an insurance shot at the same exposure." Unlike Saint Ansel, I do bracket in some conditions, especially if the cost of film is a small part of the total cost in getting the photo. It would be better to do like Ansel, get it right the first time. Only then bracket if not absolutely certain. Study those bracketed exposures and consider them as a valuable part of the learning process.
Last edited by Jim Jones; 14-Oct-2006 at 09:09.
Van Camper, concerning your surprise many of us just expose single sheets.
Commenting on just my recent work, this fall chasing leaf scenery during three road trips over 18 days, I've exposed about 130 sheets of Provia out in the field. Most were exposed in sunny conditions though also in various more dim situations of diffuse and cloudy light, and a few in the dim light of sunrise, sunset, dawn and dusk. Only a small number of those shots have been off in exposure more than about 1/3 stop and really not many have been off 1/6 stop. In either case being off by 1/3 stop is usually close enough that a drum scan would not have much trouble recovering the image enough to be able to post process the file to end up looking like the actual experience lumininance. Though if I ever start seeing many off that much I am likely to bracket more. I do bracket very occasionally if the shot is exceptionally important and I am a bit uncertain about the result. However that has rarely proved necessary and as a result almost all the top images on my home page index are single shot scenes. From an hour after sunrise to an hour before sunrise which is typically between EV14.0 and 15.5 I just have few worries about getting it wrong. And of course as light gets dimmer setting the exposure correctly becomes more problematic. I certainly do tend to shoot less during the magic hour periods when that is the case. So to answer your question, I don't need to waste the time to take a second shot, nor the nominal cost of the film and development for the way my work has been going, the way I do it. Simple as that. ...David
Last edited by David_Senesac; 28-Oct-2006 at 14:10.
You know, I'm getting tired of people being jerks like this. Your belief isn't necessary nor required. Your belief or lack thereof won't change reality.Originally Posted by Van Camper
The reality is that I can and do take a single exposure for most every shot I take. I'll only take a second exposure if there is motion in the frame (moving clouds for example, or wind moving vegetation) or if I want to see the trade off between different apertures. In all cases, the exposure is the same. I never bracket.
I can work this way because I've paid plenty of dues. I've educated my tail off, I've exposed thousands of sheets of film and made countless prints.
Van Camper, you owe us all an apology. You don't know most of us. You certainly don't know me. You don't have any facts on which to base your accusations. Your behavior is atrocious and reflects badly on all LF photographers. I'm ashamed for you.
Bruce Watson
I laughed. What is for some of us completely normal - not to bracket - is for someone else completely incomprehensible... Bruce, I wouldn't take it so seriously. I came recently from a mountain trip with a load of pictures of a glacier, crevasses, white and gray scale, reflected light etc. I don't bracket - but I laugh...
Obviously, you came to this thread with your heavy artillery to save the poor amateur, asking a question, his life. But bracketing like crazy is not the way to learn proper metering, neither is it especially useful advice. When I was an amateur I never bracketed either - I foolishly believed the film was expensive. But I learned the proper metering quicker with this additional motivation. Now, having been shooting for several stock agencies for ca 15 years I don't even need to think about metering, believe it or not. It's as obvious as to load a film. And yes, I take multiple shots (not because of bracketing) of the "same" picture - when I submit the picture to several agencies, when I need two or more formats of it (still not bracketing) or when I like the subject in more than one way. Go figure, but don't try to save my life with foolish bracketing. 1500 pics for an article? Sure, if you have other people to carry your load of films. Hardly practical advice for an amateur. Except if you want to look like a pro shooting for the National Geographic. (The last time I sold them a picture for a 3 digit sum it was a picture I took in 2 different exemplars ( on the same exposure)! Go figure.
If I know the photo sucks, I just take one sheet too. If it is a great photo I'll shoot all the film I've got.
So maybe it depends on your confidence about your skills and your photo? If I were in a "learning mode" I would just shoot one sheet because that is all I need for feedback about my composition and exposure. Afterall, they are all tossers anyway. But if I know I have a good picture I am damn well going to cover my arse.
I spotmeter very carefully; will often take 2 if B&W- same exposure, not to bracket, but to correct processing in the second negative if I didn't get the exposure right. Trannies often get bracketed one either side of "optimum", especially if the dynamic range is wide.
Some of the answers given are a bit presumptious - LF shutters are notoriously inaccurate. If the shutter (and film) hasn't been calibrated through its usable range, the light meter is not much use, not until at least a pile of film is shot. Best few hours I ever spent was with a friend's Calumet shutter tester (anyone got one for sale - I want one) - found out and charted a wide range of shutter deviance across the 6 or 7 lenses I regularly use. Many fewer exposure misses as a result.
I'm with Frank on this - multiple exposures of the scene not necessarily because I think the one shot might not come out, but if it's worth photographing, a number of shots ringing the changes ("working the scene" if you like). Maybe a couple of each for "insurance" (i.e. mechanical failure, darkroom screw-ups, light leaks - which will always happen without fail on the best shot you ever took...) - or if the lighting is particularly iffy.
Which, of course is different from the original question.
You'd be amazed how small the demand is for pictures of trees... - Fred Astaire to Audrey Hepburn
www.photo-muse.blogspot.com blog
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