 Jordan |
Velvia at Yosemite I am going to Yosemite in a couple weeks and will be using my Mamiya m645. I have limited experience with this camera and slide film in general. However, I want to shoot Velvia. Since this is a rare opportunity for me to shoot there, I'm wondering if I'd be OK shooting this film if I expose for the brightest area in the scene, and bracket each shot? My intention is to bring 5 rolls, but I'm not sure if this is enough. Every shot doesn't have to be perfect, but I would like a few I could have blown up to hang on the wall. Thanks for any input on this
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Jordan |
Also, wanted to add that my meter is centerweighted, so perhaps someone could elaborate on how to get best exposure from my meter for Velvia, since I can't spot. Thanks
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doug Nelson |
I'd shoot the first exposure at just what the meter tells me. This widely available centerweighted metering system works a lot of the time. Yeah, I know the rule of thumb when shooting slides is "expose for the highlights". I think the proper meaning of that is, to expose with consideration for the highlights. Blown out highlights with slide film gives the same result as with digital- no information in the highlights, just a pure, glaring white. Overexposure is the culprit here. Light burns away density with slide film and digital. Overexpose and you get, with Velvia, clear sides with no detail. Expose based ONLY on the highlight and the meter will freak like Dracula at sunrise and overreact, closing down and underexposing your shot, throwing your shadows into total blackness, and maybe giving you some deep rich clouds. If you're gonna bracket from the center-weighted average reading, underexpose a little in steps, but not so much as to throw your shadow detail into opaqueness, total density. A half stop and a whole stop under should do it. Do you have an SLR with maybe an 85mm or 100 or 135? Use it as a spot meter. Meter off what you think to be a middle tone, dark blue sky or healthy green grass. The other tones will fall into place. I love Yosemite. My jaw dropped and I was a kid in a candy store. Do your serious work at first light and into the morning, and from about 6 PM 'til nightfall. From 10 to 4 you may as well play with the kids in the pool; the light is just too harsh.
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Kerry L. Walker |
Considering the narrow latitude of slid film, I think that might be the way to go. Don't worry about spot metering. If something is so bright in the scene that only spot metering will get the right exposure, you are going to lose the shadows anyway. You should take a lot more film than you think you need. If you are taking 120 instead of 220, you will burn through 5 rolls pretty quick when bracketing. You might also want to take a few rolls of Kodak UC print film and shoot each scene with both chromes and print film. UC100 has great colors and VERY fine grain. UC400 isn't far behind.
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Kerry L. Walker |
Doug and I must have been typing at the same time. If you have any doubts about his advice, check out his website. Heck, grab a napkin and check it out anyway. You'll enjoy the tour and you'll need the napkin to catch the drool.
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Jordan |
Doug and Kerry, thanks, your responses were very helpful. Doug, I just had two other questions, with centerweighted metering, do I need to adjust if say something is white, do I need to add more exposure, or will the meter automatically average in the surroundings with it giving me a right exposure? And, I should only bother underexposing in my brackets, not overexposing, does that have something to do with the way a centerweight meter gets its readings? Kerry, do you think UC100 could be a good print film alternative to Velvia? And, you were right, Doug's photos are very good :)
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doug Nelson |
Guys, when you shoot for 35 years, you get lucky sometimes, mostly right place-right time. This situation calls for two kinds of awareness. First, know how much of the viewfinder is being read by your meter. Center-weighted means that most of the emphasis is in the middle, but that the outer zones, often sky, are being taken into consideration. Nikon for decades used mostly center-weighted for good reason. If that center area is reading a mostly white subject, know that the light reflected from that subject may cause underexpose, if the meter reacts to that being in the center. The other awareness is how slide and neg films react to light. Light causes density build-up on neg film, while it causes burning away of density with slides. I like the Kodak UC's. I don't find them "ultra" saturated, but they can can tend to overemphasize blues and yellows. Try some of the Portra line of films for natural color. Jordan, you are to be commended for going about photography as an art and a craft. You are thinking about what you're doing, not putting it on full auto and hoping. My next step in photography may be along the lines of what you're doing. I'm trying to decide between the Mamiya 7 II and Bronica RF rangefinders, both with superb optics, both fairly portable. Try some black-and-white. Medium format should, as Mike Johnston says, "blow 35mm into the tall grass".
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Kerry L. Walker |
Doug, you're too modest. Jordan, I have had good results with th UC film. Are you going to get the same saturation you would with Velvia? No way. I wouldn't take UC instead of Velvia. I would just take some to shoot some prints.
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Kerry L. Walker |
Jordan, I think I need to add something to this. Film selection is a subjective thing. Different films have different characteristics so you really need to decide what you like. Portra NC gives more natural colors and excellent skin tones. Portra VC gives more vivid colors but the skin tones are not as good as NC. UC falls somewhere in between, at least in my humble opinion. Yes, UC does overemphasize certain colors but it is what I like. Try some of each and pick whichever gives you the look YOU like. However, don't substitute print film for Velvia. You won't get the same results.
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Jordan |
Doug and Kerry, thanks very much. I decided to double my amount of Velvia and use it only for the times around sunset / sunrise when the sun is low and to use Superia Reala in my 35mm camera for midday times since it's lower in contrast. Thanks again for all your help, now I just have to pick out a better tripod :)
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Raymond D. Marlow |
Best of luck if you haven't left to Yosemite allready. The advice I have heard has all been good and pretty much right on. I have shot some black and white while in Yosemite but other then that its all Velvia and Ive been going there about 13 years or so now. Im actually wanting to try some less vivid Kodak these days and get away from the extremes in colors. The only thing I would say which goes against the norm is yes do your best shooting in the morning up till 10 or so and again in the evening but don't think there won't be some nice images left during the day either. I have some really good Yosemite images taken in the earlier afternoons and additionally up in the high country around 2:30 when the other photographers were out napping the amazing clouds were rolling in. Best of luck and come home with some good materials. Raymond Marlow, here are a few earlier afternoon images.
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