[filmscanners] RE: Real-World Scene Brightness Range

["Austin Franklin" <darkroom@ix.netcom.com>]

Hi Stan,

> As I said earlier, in photographing in mountains and deserts,
> metering with a 1-degree spotmeter, I don't recall exceeding 6 or 7 stop
> ranges.

I don't know what you are metering, and whether you are talking landscape
scenes, or what, but certainly in mountains, where you will get trees and
rocks, etc. shading items, you will easily get 10+++ stops of range with a
bright sun shining through.  In the desert, well, less likely, of course.
John Sexton routinely gets 14 stops on his images.

> Are you saying that they are quite common in your experience?

Yes, it is quite common for me.  I am not saying every shot, or probably
near every shot, but, depending on the scene, where I am etc. I can shoot
whole rolls with 10 stops, and then in a different setting, rolls that don't
exceed 6 stops.

> If
> so, what are your common subjects?

That's hard to say.  It changes a lot.  I live in New England, and I
primarily shoot in New England.  One example is something like fishing
villages (as I just did another set of images from Menemsha on Martha's
Vineyard), which have a large density range, since insides of boats and
buildings, under docks, etc., are in the scenes.  Another example is in a
slate rock quarry, where the sun shines through the trees, onto the rocks
and the subject being photographed (it's typically portfolio work), and
there are dark shadows all around.  Also, shots inside buildings when the
bright sun is shining through the windows...getting the detail in the dark
corners of the building.

Austin

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