Fill-flash in a rain forest?

[Heroique]

Here I am, lost in the Queets River valley, Olympic National Park (NW Washington).

This rain forest scene captured my imagination, but the broken sun produced a lot of contrast for Velvia-50 film to handle.

My main question is about using fill-flash, if possible, to bring up the shade on the left tree’s dark trunk?

Perhaps 1 or 2 portable Nikon speedlights, with pc cord connections? How might this change exposure settings? Or maybe I could use a different film? Or … just be patient, and wait for different light?

The forest was quiet – very little wind.

My spot meter reported:

Left tree trunk in shade = 7 ev
Central mossy-green trunk = 9 ev (shaded portion) to 13+ ev (sunlit portion)
Foreground sunlight = 13 ev
Background forest = 8 ev (shade) to 10 ev (sunlit)

I metered for 11 ev – understanding Velvia-50 would struggle to capture textured values less than 9 ev, and greater than 13 ev.

Tachi 4x5
Schneider XL 110mm/5.6
½ sec. @ f/22
Velvia-50 (shot ISO 50)
Leveled camera, added 20mm front rise
Epson 4990

[Ash]

I love that how it is. It looks more like an illustration than a photo, and I like that.

[Vaughn]

1) Wait for different light -- best would be just as a cloud begins to block the sun -- at that instant where there are still shadows, but greatly reduced in strength. This has happens a few times for me...if you are not too old, it might happen to you in your lifetime

Or wait for cloud cover -- still lots of contrasts then...but not too much.

2) How about pre-exposure to boost shadow detail?

Fill flash -- might work if there is not too much depth in the photo -- seems to me that the closest trunks would be affected more than further ones, creating the looks-like-a-flash-was-used effect.

Vaughn

[arca andy]

What ya Heroique
.....Fill in flash? It all seems rather complicated to me and you may not get that natural look. How about a couple of those large round fold out reflectors, the ones I have have a white side and a gold side. If you are trying to fill in one trunk they maybe enough just to bounce a bit light back in without overlighting the trunk. I like the shot but then here in England its grey and dull, any sunlight with shadows would be a bonus.

[Heroique]

What ya Heroique
.....Fill in flash? It all seems rather complicated to me and you may not get that natural look. How about a couple of those large round fold out reflectors, the ones I have have a white side and a gold side. If you are trying to fill in one trunk they maybe enough just to bounce a bit light back in without overlighting the trunk. I like the shot but then here in England its grey and dull, any sunlight with shadows would be a bonus.

A "fold-out" reflector. Perhaps a clever, portable idea...

So one might unfold it, lean it against a trunk on the far right (unseen), and bounce sunlight to the trunk on the far left.

I'd enjoy hearing a little more about Vaughn's "pre-exposure." I've never tried that...

[Vaughn]

Herouque,

I have never done it, but a friend worked with it many years ago. He was doing 4x5 tranny city landscapes and wanted a way to not only boost up the shadows a little but also warm them up...this was 25+ years ago, so I am not sure what film he was using.

Basically, one would give the film an even exposure of just enough light to bring the film along the toe right before the curve starts to rise. He did this by pre-exposing the film by shooting a white card (out of focus, also). I believe he used a warm-white card (basically a very light yellow) to help counter some of the blue in the open shadows (open to the sky).

The idea is that this very low exposure would only significantly affect the shadow areas, since there is very little light hitting the film there to begin with. The mid-tones and high lights receive so much more light than given by the pre-exposure, that the pre-exposure has little or no effect on them.

How well it worked for him I do not remember. Those more experienced with transparency film might know more. I know that it is a common procedure in B&W printing (called "flashing") and I believe that it was discussed by AA for B&W film.

Vaughn

[Bruce Watson]

You are never going to be able to fill all the shadows. If you concentrate on just the tree, you'll play hell getting the fill to look right as it goes up the tree. And it won't look natural because... it won't *be* natural. That part of the tree is *supposed* to be in shadow.

If you like this scene (and I think it's an excellent get that's well worth pursuing), use negative film that can handle the subject brightness range. Fuji 160S can handle this SBR without breaking a sweat. And comes in Quickloads too.

Else, wait for clouds. But you'll loose that snap you get from direct sunlight.

Me, I really like sunlight. I only shoot negative films. My favorite is 400PortraNC, but it's so expensive that my big user is 160PortraNC. Just excellent films.

[Stephen Fritz]

I agree with Bruce about shooting color negative film in these circumstances. I shoot in these conditions all the time and Velvia is absolutely the wrong film for this, unless you're after an effect.

If you insist on shooting transparency film, try E100G which will look far more natural and has beautiful greens, but it will never equal the quality of the color negative films in accommodating the scene brightness range you've described.

In earlier days, I tried Vaughn's description of the pre-flash method of lowering Velvia's contrast, but the technique does not work well with this film, although it does with others.

Of course you can wait a few minutes in the Northwest and it'll be cloudy enough to even out the contrasts!

[C. D. Keth]

In a similar situation I did a double exposure that worked nicely. The sun was going in and out of heavy clouds. The sunlit grove was too harsh and the cloudy-lit one was too flat so I double exposed and used half and half.

[arca andy]

A "fold-out" reflector. Perhaps a clever, portable idea...

So one might unfold it, lean it against a trunk on the far right (unseen), and bounce sunlight to the trunk on the far left.

I'd enjoy hearing a little more about Vaughn's "pre-exposure." I've never tried that...

Hello again from England, where the nature light always needs a litte help. You could support it with a light stand. Have a look at www.lastolite.com they have some interesting reflecting stuff but I am sure you have similar companys in the USA. Enjoy the sun