That's what I was thinking, slight under exposure by 1/2 stop maybe even a full stop?Originally Posted by Corran
That's what I was thinking, slight under exposure by 1/2 stop maybe even a full stop?
I'd say at least a full stop but of course we are not looking at the original transparency.
Pretty shot if it can be brought out.
I've found that Velvia NEEDS to be exposed EXACTLY for optimum results. I usually rate it @ ASA40(so a 1/3 overexposure from box speed), as I've found that for me and the lab that I use for my E6 processing, ASA40 provides an easier-to-scan, slightly lighter(but still has good, easily "recovered" highlight detail as long as I've exposed it correctly from the start.
I also get my spot meter calibrated on a yearly basis. I don't photograph much these days, due to time constraints, but when I go out, I don't want to bring home film that'll just end up in the trash can. Call me persnickety, but I don't want to waste my time on ho-hum shots. When shooting Velvia 50, I carry a "correction card" that shows corrections for color and/or density based on testing a sheet or two when I buy a batch(last time was a few years ago, and will probably be the last couple boxes I'll use, as Ektar 100 scans beautifully, and allows me to shoot w/o ND grads most of the time(one less thing to worry about in the field!)
Scanning CAN allow one to have some control over density in post-production, but Velvia 50 is harder(IMO) to correct if not exposed within 1/2 stop of a "perfect" exposure +/-. Blocked-up shadows that cannot be fully recovered without going to sh** is a very real possibility, so testing of shadow clipping points(basically where I know shadows will block up without any discernible detail)
A harder film to truly master, but once you're dialed in, you're dialed in. Technical proficiency is key with Velveeta 50, but then again, if you can master shooting transparency film, color neg will be a piece of cake; b/w too!
-Dan
Hey everyone! Very interesting discussion.
The slide looks exactly like that on a very bright lighttable with masking the areas arround it. The scanner brought out everything thats in there.
But Im not shure if we can rate it undeexposed. You havent been there. This is nearly a night shot. It was taken about 30 minutes after sunset, and it was really dark. The thin clouds brought out the last gloom of light, so in my feeling the slide matches the scene. The exposure time was around 4 minutes. I'm not shure if more exposure would have killed this mood but probably you are right and 1/2 a stop more would have been better.
Very interesting to hear, how someone sees a picture like this, who was not there. Seems a significant difference, because I like it and think about printing.
I appreciate your opinion very much because its absolutely important to see the own pictures through the eyes of an uninvolved person. Thank you all for your comments!
It's a nice shot. What you are saying makes perfect sense. If it was me I would reshoot it a little bit earlier in the day to avoid the shadows blocking out.
I don't shoot much Velvia but what you are saying reminds me of when I used to shoot Kodachrome and print Cibachrome. Sometimes it was a bitch but when you got it right it was beautiful.
Noting that something may be underexposed doesn't have anything to do with liking it or not.
My feeling is that "real life" and the photograph of it are two very different things, especially with regard to long-exposures / night shooting. For an extreme example, think about long-exposures with star trails. Nothing looks like that in real life but it's a different experience photographically to do 2-4 hour exposures or whatever to get the image. Just because it was after sunset, for me personally, doesn't mean the slide should be dark, but that's my aesthetic and you obviously differ in opinion, which is fine.
And here we are only discussing exposure...not composition, subject matter, etc.
You are right, I tiny bit more exposure would have been better. Unfortunately Vacation is over and the moment is gone. But thats analogue photography. I love it ;-)
Another example:
Velvia 50, Tachihara, 75mm, Drumscanner
Bornholm 8 von sdzsdz auf Flickr
Sdzsdz : you do some amazing work on rvp50. It is impossible not to fall in love with rvp50 when you see good results. For me, the only turn off is the hit ratio for good exposures. Not th films fault. Rather, my lack of practice exposing it.
Chamonix 045N-2 - 65/5.6 - 90/8 - 210/5.6 - Fomapan 100 & T-Max 100 in Rodinal
Alexartphotography
I'm going to start using Velvia100 and see how it goes, mostly because it's more difficult to get Velvia50 in the US without jumping through hoops, if I can get similar results, I'll stick to that instead.
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