Technical Information
If you’re interested in the finer details of my processes and technologies, you can find technical information for each method below.
Exposure Technique
The Zone System pioneered by Edward Weston, Ansel Adams, Fred Archer, Minor White and other iconic photographers is employed for exposing B&W negatives. A hand-held, spot light meter enables accurate quantification of reflected light in the scene from the deepest shadows to the brightest highlights. The Zone System essentially entails exposing for the shadows and developing for light areas such that details are revealed in both as desired.
Exposure Technique and Image Processing
A modified Zone System is used for exposing color digital images. A spot meter within the camera enables accurate quantification of reflected light in the scene from the dark to the light regions. Accordingly, if the scene contrast falls between zones II/III and VII/VIII (or III/IV and VI/VII, if color saturation is of primary concern), then one image may be adequate to capture details of significance in both the shadows and light areas. However, if the scene contrast exceeds this range, then two or more images may be needed each with a different exposure to capture significant details in both the shadows and light areas. Alternatively, the AE Bracket (BKT) option can be used on the GFX50S camera. These RAW images are converted to DNG files and subsequently merged into one HDR image using Lightroom Classic.
Exposure Technique and Image Processing
A modified Zone System is used for exposing 4 x 5-inch color negative film images. A hand-held, spot light meter enables accurate quantification of reflected light from the dark to the light regions. Accordingly, if the scene contrast falls between zones II/III and VII/VIII (or III/IV and VI/VII, if color saturation is of primary concern), then capturing the image is relatively straightforward. However, often the scene contrast is excessive especially due to bright blue skies and sunlit clouds, in which case graduated soft neutral density filters are applied accordingly. To achieve sharp focus throughout the scene as desired, large depth of field is achieved using lenses of short focal length, narrow apertures, as well as camera movements like tilt and swing.
