Campfire at sunset

[darren]

Hi. I posted a some photos in a trip report thread that Chomp started on a 3 day kayak trip we did on Lake Umbagog. They were kind of buried so I figured I would repost a couple of the shots here.

This is our campfire at sunset. The white dot in the sky is Jupiter (I looked it up on heavens-above.com after we got back).

It was a compromise in trying to get some color in the sky without over exposing the fire. For this second shot we used a stick to stir up the fire to generate more sparks in a shorter period of time, but then the sky has less color.

The one with more sparks is more dramatic but I think I like the first one because of the better light in the sky. I guess I could crop the one with more sparks into a vertical shot.

This is the probably the "standard shot of Umbagog" but it probably my favorite from the trip:

Aloha

- darren

 

[Grumpy]

I agree with your preference for the first fire shot because of the light in the sky. Its more natural (unagitated) appearance also appeals to my pedestrian taste. This shot also could be cropped into a square or vertical.

Your "standard shot of Umbagog" has a great sky and pleasing foreground. The sky colors subtly reflected in the water are an elegant touch. This is a pleasant photograph, both dramatic and serene, and it is not surprising that it may have become your favorite from the trip.

G.

 

[MichaelJ]

Love the first one. Exif says it was an aperture priority shot, so I'm curious what spot you metered on to get that excellent exposure, and how many different ones did you shoot to get this one?

 

[darren]

Grumpy - when I posted the shots, I just wanted to get them online ao I could add to the trip report. When I posted them here in the photo forum I thought "oh...grumpy is going to tell me I should have cropped it". And I should have. That is part of the good that comes from forums like these. It helps you push yourself and makes you think more. I'll do some crops when I get a chance.

MJ - I shoot aperture priority just about 99% of the time. It is just second nature to me so I leave it alone. For exposure, I have a good feel for what I need by looking at a scene and then I adjust the exposure compensation (I have it set for exp comp on the big rear dial) to get what I want. For a new scene I'll shoot one shot, check out the histogram, and adjust the exp comp some more if required. So it usually only takes 2 shots max to get a good exposure. I guess in hind sight I could have used a GND soft edge upside down to knock down the brightness of the fire.

Thanks

- darren

 

[BorealChickadee]

I like the first fire better. More natural and I can picture myself there. It's a really good shot that I rarely can capture with the P&S I hike with. Although I try every time.

Umbagog-Sweet!

 

[Grumpy]

Yeah, Darren, I am fairly predictable. Crop, crop, and crop again. That’s my credo.

Anyhow, like you I generally shoot (digital) in aperture priority mode, using the matrix metering feature and auto white balance, and check exposures using the histogram display feature. I also shoot in RAW format, which gives me lots of extra control later in the editing-processing phase.

The campfire picture is one of those that really challenges dynamic range limitations of the medium (recently discussed in this forum).

Shooting with my Nikon D2Hs SLR, I often use the “tone compensation” feature in the camera’s “shooting menu.” (Other camera brands and models may have similar controls, but they may be labeled differently or appear in different menus.) This gives me the option of raising or lowering the image contrast (expanding or compressing the tonal or dynamic range in the recorded image).

In non-gobbledygook terms, the “less contrast” setting helps me avoid blowing out important highlights while capturing better shadow and mid-tone detail in high-contrast scenes like the campfire one. In a low contrast scene – say a foggy day vista – I can gain tonal separation (contrast) by using the “more contrast” setting.

After checking the image histogram, I can adjust my exposure up or down using the “exposure compensation” feature on the camera.

As a rule, I prefer to “expose to the right” – meaning that the distribution of recorded tonal values as shown in the histogram is pushed generally rightward – without excessive highlight “clipping.” (I can accept having some highlights at “pure white” with no tonal gradation in them, in many or most scenes.) This gives me a “full” exposure that maintains good contrast and minimizes noise in the darker tones.

G.

 

[Grumpy]

Postscript to my last post.

In the case of the campfire photo, I am guessing that straight matrix metering would give me an image in which the fire tones were blown out and the background tones substantially lighter than necessary. In this case I might use that exposure as a basis, but switch to manual exposure mode -- adjusting aperture and shutter speed myself -- to bring the image around to how I want it.

Digital is very nice for that kind of approach.

G.

 

[forestgnome]

another vote for the first campfire pic because the composition looks more geometric(?), whereas the fire dominates the rest of the scene in the 2nd.

Nice work!

 

[Woody]

I like the first campfire picture because my eye is drawn to the right with the setting sun and then to the "star" in the darker sky. The campfire provides a nice foreground. I don't think the picture needs to be cropped.

The second campfire picture is overpowered by the sparks.