Capturing light

Exposure in photography is one of the most debated subject, many people prefer a little extra lightness while some prefer a little more heaviness, just a matter of taste.

For example of the image of this post, lovely Jenna sits by the window when this image is taken and thanks to the powerful dynamic range of Phase One P65+ I am able to capture reasonable detail in the light and make the shadow area well exposed to show the girl’s beautiful skin tone.  Some may not like the light wash out the detail outside the window, something I could care less in this situation.  The light area gave the picture a little more depth and to me, more appealing.

And what about HDR?  In fact I did, using the Capture One’s HDR tool to adjust on single exposure rather than to blend a range of exposures.  HDR is a powerful yet dangerous tool, powerful because it can create some surreal image while done right – breathtaking; dangerous is most people just can’t make it right, and often result horrible images.

Both light and shadow is everyday experience, I am personally not bothered I lost certain detail in both extreme, but it is just like Chinese ink painting,  the light is used as a tool to create the mood of the painting, as it is in this image.

Bangkok, 2012