Exercise 1.8: Zone system in practice.

Zone system in practice.

The zone system is one I am aware of and employ.

The modern camera has taken away most the guess work and need for too much bracketing as with the use of spot metering, live histograms and out of gamut displays all the required tools are in place.  These aids are however just that, aids.  The old exposure problems of the black cat in the coal hole or the bride in white against a pale ground still exist but with a little thought and use of the 18% grey card these can be overcome.  The question as to favour the high or low end of the exposure range is choice still to made according the subject and the intended result.

I had intended to spend Christmas week in Malta where as well as spending leisure with my family I was hoping to take the images for Assignment 1 on the theme of Malta's repeated invasion and occupation.  Thanks to the rain, Easy Jet and the idiot who built the North Terminals electrical sub-station next to the River Mole I was three days late in flying out.  I quickly realised I was never going to complete the task I set myself.  

The trip was not a complete photographic  wash out as I was able to take a number of high dynamic range images that I have used here.

The first is of rough seas hitting dark rocks that produced a fine mist that rose up the slope of the land.  The clouds reflected off the sea giving very bright highlights.  The histogram for this image very high at each edge with almost no reading in the centre range.

The second was taken at Golden Bay, previously called Military Bay, and features building dating back to Britain's military presence on the island.  I have managed to keep both ends of the exposure range within gamut by taking my reading from the darker building at the and of the main building.  A C.P. filter darkened the sky to add more contrast to the image.  All just within range.

I took the third from inside one of the old officers houses looking out through the broken window on to a British forces chapel.  The problem was to not burn out the exterior part of the image and yet still give sufficient exposure to retain some interior detail.  The sky shows slight burn out but retains sufficient detail.  My base reading for this image was the green shutter outside the window.  I checked the results on the display histogram. 

These pictures are always a challenge but with a little thought and planning good results are possible.