Welcome to my site!
BAD EXPOSURE is one of the worst problems with still or moving photographs that draws attention to itself, and is still a common problem in our digital age.
This site concerns itself with many things, but really they all boil down to one thing -
getting PERFECT EXPOSURE in ALL parts of our digital images!
...(without common image degradation issues like grain and highlight blow-out).
This means either getting a realistic reproduction of the scene we wish to shoot OR some desired change in overall exposure or otherwise enhancements in exposure to parts of our digital images. Such images may be acquired in our digital photography or videography!
As for getting a realistic exposure in all parts of our image, this does not mean just making sure it does not look too dark or too light overall or improper in contrast. It means avoiding other problems particularly in the dark areas and the highlights! Grain in the dark areas and blown out highlights, for instance, are related to how we exposure our images!
It may take some time before digital cameras can automatically lick exposure-related problems, but in the meantime there is a LOT that we can do as photographers and videographers to deal with these problems in order to stand out from the crowd in a GOOD way.
If you are always trying to expose your images in a "normal" way that looks "right" in your camera's monitor or EVF, you can do a lot to improve your image quality in how you take only one exposure. I am offering an e-book to instruct on that approach for a reasonable price.
On some more special occasions where you are trying to capture a very high contrast scene, you might get even better results to combine more than one image together. I am in the midst of writing an e-book that instructs on that approach. The first e-book is a prerequisite to this second one. I am currently creating an Indiegogo campaign to help in the sale of these e-books as well as the completion of the second e-book through pre-orders. This will involve a page that is complete with a promotional video. For now, save for the video, I have much of what I intend for my Indiegogo page on my own page:
http://www.tonallystopaccurate.com/index4.html
Also for now, here are the intended chapters of the e-books to give you an idea of what I have been writing:
"PERFECT (Grain-Reduced Blown-Highlights-Recovered) EXPOSURE Through Sensor Optimization:
E-Book 1 of 2 - ETTR and 'OTTR' Techniques"
CHAPTERS:
1 - Introduction
2 - To "DZS" or Not to "DZS"
3 - Is Intentional Overexposure Really So Much Better than the Traditional Approach to Exposure - My Meter?
4 - Before I Set Up My Camera For A Better Single Exposure, SHOW Me That This Works, and Briefly How!
5 - The (Usually Customizable) FLAT Camera Picture Profile - the Key to Success
6 - "ETTR" and "OTTR" Approaches for One Exposure, or Three Bracketed Exposures:
7 - Post-Capture Exposure Correction (Including EV Difference Calculation, Contrast Adjustment and Noise Reduction)
8 - Enhancing Exposure in Parts of your ETTR Image - Using Photoshop Masks Including Simulated Blend-if Masks in Elements
9 - Why You May or May Not Need or Want to Try HDR or HHDR Imaging (in the Next Optional E-Book)
10 - Applying What We Learned to Video Capture
11 - Looking Towards the Present and Future Concerning "Auto-ETTR"
12 - Other/Free Internet-Based Sources of Info/Videos/Links
"PERFECT (Grain-Reduced Blown-Highlights-Recovered) EXPOSURE Through Sensor Optimization:
E-Book 2 of 2 - HDR and 'HHDR' Techniques"
CHAPTERS:
1 - (H)HDR Introduction
2 - Testing Your Camera to Find its "Base Shadow-Friendly" Exposure for (H)HDR
3 - Trying a Two-or-Three-Exposure (H)HDR - "Base Shadow-Friendly" and "Highest Highlight-Friendly" Exposures Minimum
4 - Trying a "Maximum Spread" True HHDR Automatic Bracket
5 - What About Less Exposures (Like 3 - Even Hand-Held, or for Internal Camera HDR)?
6 - Basic Manual and Automatic HDR and HHDR Blending with Photoshop
(starting with Elements version, Luminosity/Blend-if Masks, Photomerge, and then ACR Merge-to-HDR)
7 - Exploring More Advanced HDR Software - for Realistic Images free of the "HDR Effect", or Exposure-Enhanced Images
8 - Applying (H)HDR Techniques to Video
9 - Other/Free Internet-Based Sources of Info/Videos/Links
My original approach to finding out how to get great exposure was to look into so-called "digital zone systems", which are inspired by the awesome, original Zone System for film-based photography. The problem I found after completing much of my work here was that there is much difference between how an image is acquired through film vs digitally. I came to the conclusion that while a digital zone system might be useful for the editing phase of digital images, it might not be the best way to go for the CAPTURING phase of digital images - not even my own system which implements improvements over other systems. My e-books demonstrate what I believe are simpler and better ways to digitally capture an image. By comparison, I demonstrate where a digital zone system is, and is not, useful by providing some analysis on them as well as providing my own system (which I argue/demonstrate to be more "tonally stop-accurate" than other systems) all for free, on this (for now temporary) link:
http://www.tonallystopaccurate.com/index3.html
Also for fun, and as a perk for sticking with me in reading so far, AND since I am a computer programmer who loves to combine computers with photography, I have provided a free electronic "reciprocity calculator" based on the old "exposure wheel" - something I might expand upon in the future mind you:
http://www.tonallystopaccurate.com/EVcalculator.php
Well that's it for now.
Thank you for your consideration!
- Stacy Muller (camera guy).