How can I photograph a dark restaurant interior with a bright view outside without blowing highlights or losing the foreground?
Asked 10/22/2018
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2 answers
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I'm shooting with an Olympus OM-D E-M10 and a Panasonic Micro Four Thirds lens, using only available light and the built-in flash. In a restaurant, I wanted to photograph a table indoors while still showing the outdoor view through the windows (water and a village).
In practice, I ran into a dynamic-range problem: if I exposed for the outside, the interior/table became too dark; if I exposed for the table, the background blew out. I tried auto mode, aperture/shutter priority, different metering modes, and the built-in flash as fill, but couldn't get a satisfying balance.
Is this possible with my current equipment? If not, what approaches or extra gear would help in this kind of high-contrast interior-plus-window scene?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
7y ago
2 Answers
19
Definitely you shall use frontal lighting. Mostly so called fill-in flash.
The second option: HDR with at least 3 shots to get high, mid and low tones.
Originally by user56868. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user56868
7y ago
0
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Yes, but this is a very difficult high-contrast scene: the bright outdoors and dark interior exceed what your camera sensor can usually capture in one exposure.
Your main options are:
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add light to the foreground Use fill flash or, better, off-camera lighting aimed at the table/interior. Built-in flash is often too weak and can create unattractive reflections, so external lights placed carefully work better.
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shoot multiple exposures Take at least 3 exposures for shadows, midtones, and highlights, then blend them as HDR or manually in editing.
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change the timing If possible, shoot later in the day or around twilight, when outside light is dimmer and closer to the interior brightness. This often gives the most natural result with minimal gear.
With no extra equipment, your best compromise is usually to expose to preserve the outdoor highlights, then lift the interior in post-processing as much as the file allows. But for a clean result, either more light inside or multi-exposure blending is usually necessary.
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