Practically every day, one can see threads on photographic forums where members discuss the various different modes of automatic exposure, trying to find the right one. As a rule, these discussions result in the same question – what compensation to automatic metering ought one set to get consistently good exposure?...
About Iliah Borg
Post Archive By Iliah Borg
Camera Color Calibration Explained
Two recurring questions that we often see from photographers are: "I have color management properly set up on my computer; why is it that the color is different between an out-of-camera JPEG and, say, Lightroom (substitute with your favorite 3rd-party converter)?" and "Why is it that the particular color on...
When in Doubt, Bracket!
On any photographic forum, it doesn't take much effort to find old or new discussions on how to set the "proper" exposure while shooting, and even what exactly "proper exposure" is. The question of setting exposure was and is one of the most commonly-discussed topics on forums and blogs. Newbies...
DIY: Reliable and Cheap Universal White Balance Reference Device
DIY projects are always popular, so we’ve decided to throw another one into the mix. This particular little idea comes from a problem that many photographers have – where do you get a good, small, white/gray surface to use for white balancing your RAW shots in conversion? (more…)
How to Use the Full Dynamic Range of Your Camera
Suppose you have read somewhere that the dynamic range of your camera at a certain ISO setting is 11 stops. And here comes the immediate question – how can one use such a treasure to its full potential? Optimal exposure for RAW is the answer. But now we need to...
Where Are My Mid-tones? Deriving Hidden Baseline Exposure Compensation
As we already mentioned in the previous article "Where are my Mid-tones?", most raw converters apply some hidden adjustments to a raw shot, often resulting in a bumped mid-tone, clipped highlights, and compressed shadows. This is done to make the shot look good, but can also lead to all sorts...
Where Are My Mid-tones?
We've gotten several emails, the most recent and the best phrased one from a reader of Photography Life, with questions along the following lines: What happened to my mid-tones? I set the exposure using exposure meter, opened the shot in Adobe Lr (or Adobe Camera Raw, or some other converter)...
Dealing with Damaged RAW Files
You may find this article to be useful in a practical way, not just as an isolated case of RAW data damage. Often, just a casual look into raw data provides arguments allowing one to persuade technical support that there is a problem with your camera body that needs to...
Why Bother Shooting RAW If You Are Culling JPEGs?
What do you think is the possibility, when you are choosing and sorting images based on the JPEG previews, that you are going to discard the better-quality image, and keep the lesser-quality one? Let’s take a look at a typical “training” shot for a holiday – noon of a sunny...
On Comparing Cameras and Sensors
It reminds me of Goldoni's "Servant of Two Masters"; only masters are now more than two and quite often they are not only capricious but they do not know what they want. First, any comparison is open to critics because even in a well-equipped lab it is impossible to repeat...