Mastering Exposure and the Zone System for Digital Photographers

by Lee Varis

Overview

Every photographer using a digital SLR camera needs to master exposure in order to achieve the highest quality results in his photographs. Mastering Exposure and the Zone System for Digital Photographers is a complete guide to both the technical and creative aspects of exposure in digital photography. Applying the principles of Ansel Adams' Zone System to digital photography, this guide uses a combination of discussion, examples, and hands-on exercises that lead you through a progression of skills development covering the full range of photographic lighting situations. Topics covered include basic metering, outdoor and indoor photography, night and low-light conditions, camera calibration, Photoshop techniques, high-key and low-key lighting, and multiple light sources.

Mastering Exposure and the Zone System for Digital Photographers includes coverage of:

Digital Imaging Basics

New Digital Zone System

Calibration Procedures

Case Studies

Post Processing

High Dynamic Range Imaging

Emerging Technologies

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781435454682
Publisher:	Course Technology PTR
Publication date:	01/06/2010
Sold by:	CENGAGE LEARNING
Format:	eBook
File size:	20 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Lee Varis has been involved in commercial photography for the past 35 years as a photo-illustrator working in Hollywood. He began working with computer imaging two decades ago, after one of his clients took him to see what he was doing to his photography on the Quantel Paintbox. He currently works with digital as well as conventional photography in conjunction with computer graphics to create images for print advertising. Lee's work has been featured on movie posters, video box covers, CD covers, and numerous brochures and catalogs. His creative imaging has been featured in "National Geographic," "Newsweek," and "Fortune" magazines as well as trade journals such as "PDN," "New Media," "Micro Publishing News," "Rangefinder," "Design Graphics," "Photo Electronic Imaging," and "PC Photo." He is currently active in seminar programs with APA, ASMP, PPA, Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, Maine Media Workshops, and Julia Dean Photographic Workshops, as well as ongoing "Photoshop for Digital Photographers workshops in Los Angeles." He is one of the founding fathers and current president of the Los Angeles Digital Imaging Group and serves on the board of the Digital Image Marketing Association, a division of the Photo Marketing Association.

Table of Contents

Introduction xiii

Chapter 1 Digital Capture Basics 1

Basic Digital Capture Workflow 6

Setting Up a Lightroom Catalog 8

Photoshop-the Complete Digital Darkroom 11

Review 13

Chapter 2 Digital Zone System 15

The Zone Scale 16

Capture System Calibration 23

Step-by-Step: Lightroom 29

Adobe Camera Raw 39

Shooting the Test Target 42

Calibrating for Color 46

Step-by-Step: DNG Profile Editor 46

Utilizing the Camera Profiles 54

Review 57

Chapter 3 Studies in Light 59

Greek Island Churches 60

Monolake 64

Foliage 66

Artificial Light 72

Night Photography 80

Wedding Couple 86

Studio Lighting 88

Still Life 92

Review 99

Chapter 4 Post Processing 101

First Steps: RAW Processing Controls 102

Basic Adjustments 106

Creative Manipulation 114

B+W Tone Control 128

Image Enhancement Workflow Overview 136

Detailed Workflow Review 153

Advanced Image Enhancements 154

Parting Shots 172

Chapter 5 HDR-The Fine Art of Cheating 181

Capturing HDR Images 182

Tone Mapping HDR Images 189

Extreme Contrast and Detail 209

Experimental HDR 214

HDR Gallery 217

Conclusion 221

Chapter 6 Emerging Technologies 223

Current New Capture Technology 224

Where Do We Go from Here? 227

Appendix A Exposure Estimations 229

Gallery 235

Index 249