[Mattox]

I thought this photo was to throw away until I opened up the shadows and look what result I got


https://500px.com/photo/122674791/rebirth-in-torres-del-paine-by-matt-bishop

[max_pyne]

what do you mean by "opened up the shadows"?

[Markovo]

I think he shot the photo underexposed to see the skies and that he corrected the photo with software. Great result by the way! Please show the original photo for us to make a comparison.

[TER-OR]

I'm always amazed at how much information the sensor captures in an underexposed area. Overexposure is a different matter, but still post-processing can correct some of that as well.

[CreationBear]

That is some seriously big country there--a wonderful photo, too...the buckskin hues on the leftmost peak are sublime.


I too would like to know more about your workflow, especially if you find yourself dealing with a lot of noise in the shadows if you "expose to the left." (FWIW, I'm still in the peg-it-at -.7EV and let 'er rip stage with my K5, since even in the darkest scene there always seems to be a leaf or patch of whitewater that wants to blow-out.)

[tuco]

aka, pulling up the low values.

[Mattox]

I will upload the original photo asap. Opening up the shadows refers to Lightroom. Overall the exposure wasn't too bad on the original but I found releasing the shadows lightened the peak areas of the mountains that were just too dark and off putting before hand. When you have such depth and contrast in mountain peaks like this with cloudy skies it is a classic problem. I find when you open up the shadows some luminosity has to be introduced (around 10-15) to remove the grains, but since I almost always shoot in iso 100 I never find it a big issue

[reeftool]

Very nice shot! and nicely done in PP.

The sensors in our newer bodies (K5 and on) have incredible dynamic range so shooting in Raw at ISO 100 lets you bring up a lot of shadow detail. It's pretty easy in Lightroom. Even at higher ISO, it works quite well. While I do the occasional landscape shot, I primarily do sports and a lot of motorcycle and ATV racing. The light is often harsh. When shooting motocross, when the racers are getting big air, they are often almost a silhouette against the bright sky. I usually shoot at ISO 800 or higher to get the faster shutter speeds I need and also at f/11 for the best DOF and also it's the sweet spot on my relatively cheap Sigma 70-300 which can get covered in mud after a day shooting this stuff. I spot meter on the rider but when your subject is moving fast, you can get the sky and the rider is nothing much more than a shadow. This is an ISO 800 shot from last weekend with the shadow slider moved to +70 in Lightroom. You do have to play with the Clarity, Contrast, and other adjustments.


I did over 700 shots on Sunday. All my shots generally fell into 3 different groups. The pretty good ones that just needed some Clarity and minor adjustments, the somewhat overexposed, and the underexposed. I make a few presets and then go through all the shots with just a couple of clicks of the mouse, first for the preset and then export. There is the occasional dust spot on the sensor that needs removing but in racing, they tend to blend in with the flying chunks of mud.