How can I expose a model inside a tunnel without blowing out the bright landscape outside?
Asked 6/28/2016
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2 answers
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I’m shooting with a Nikon D7200 in a short tunnel, with a model standing inside and a bright green landscape visible beyond the tunnel exit. If I use the built-in flash, the model is visible but the outside scene blows out to white. If I don’t use flash, the model is too dark.
I’d like both the model and the landscape outside the tunnel to look properly exposed, and I also want enough depth of field so the scene doesn’t look overly blurred. What’s the best way to set exposure and use flash for this kind of high-contrast scene?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
6
Sounds like you want the outside of the tunnel to be properly exposed and not blown out. Meter for that and with your camera set to full manual mode use the settings suggested by the light meter. Take some test shots to fine tune the exposure.
You are limited with an on camera flash but try adjusting the power of the flash with the flash compensation function. Keeping your aperture and shutter speed set to what you came up with for the proper exposure for the outside and experiment with the flash compensation function, plus or minus, until you have a good balance of light on the model and the outside scene. You may need alternative lighting equipment.
Because of the distance between the model and the scene outside of the tunnel you will need a small aperture to achieve your depth of field criteria, and this may mean your on camera flash is not going to be powerful enough. Move the model, and start all over again. ( well not really, you still know the correct setting for the scene outside the tunnel if the light has not changed ) but the model may have more ambient light falling on her/him if they are closer to the end of the tunnel.
Originally by user50217. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user50217
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
This is mainly an exposure-balance problem, not a single “correct” aperture/shutter combination.
Start by exposing for the bright scene outside the tunnel. Put the camera in manual mode, meter the landscape beyond the tunnel, and set shutter speed/aperture/ISO so that background is not blown out. Then add light to the model.
If you use the built-in flash, keep the background exposure fixed and adjust flash exposure compensation up or down until the model looks natural. An on-camera flash is limited, so you may need stronger or off-camera lighting for the best result.
For more depth of field and less blur, use a smaller aperture rather than a wide one.
If the contrast is still too extreme for one shot, a practical workaround is to take two photos from the exact same position—one exposed for the outside scene and one for the model—and blend them later in editing.
So the workflow is:
- Expose for the outside view.
- Add flash/light to the model.
- Use a smaller aperture if you want more of the scene in focus.
- If needed, combine two exposures in post.
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