[photo-3d] re; professionals photographers bracketing

["Ferguson Studio" <larry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Brian;

I respectfully couldn't disagree with you more about professional
photographers not bracketing !

As a member of this group of professionals who make 100% of their income
from shooting photography, I have to say that I do bracket almost all of the
time, here are some examples of how it is done, even though it may not look
like it.

First of all; yes, we test our equipment all of the time.  We use, not one,
but several different light meters at one time in order to gain additional
information that my own intuition does not get from looking at the scene and
to make sure that the readings are correct.  In doing BW work, we always
measure light meter readings for the shadows and then develop for the
highlights to get the proper contrast range for the negative.  (this is
possible with rollfilm by using multiple cameras)  In color work, we do it
the opposite way; expose for the highlights and control the shadows by
additional illumination.

Second;  we test with Polaroid materials.  By this I mean that we bracket
exposures on Polaroid to see which one is correct and then we shoot the film
in accordance with what we know from testing to be the exposure differences
between the Polaroids and our actual working films.

Third; we test develop film (clip tests--especially on transparency films,
if we don't bracket the individual exposures); so that we can push or pull
the development times if we happened to miss the proper exposure, by even a
1/4 stop !

Fourth;  we do actual on-camera bracketing whenever possible.  This is one
of the jobs of an active assistant; they are actually adjusting the f/stop
while I frame and shoot.  Yes, there hand is actually on the camera rotating
the f/stop ring !  I during this time am working the composition and
controlling focus while the motor drive is advancing the film.  Many of
todays modern computer chip cameras have auto bracketing that is adjustable
(I just love my Contax G2 for this).  With larger cameras such as the 4x5 or
8x10" view cameras, we bracket every shot when shooting chromes for
advertising and architectural work.  Sometimes we bracket by changing
f/stops on the camera, but normally bracketing is done in still-life studio
work by varying the power output on the flash generators, or by varying the
number of exposures (pops) each sheet of film might receive.

These items usually go unnoticed by even experienced observers on the job,
such as art directors, who are use to seeing bracketed exposures.  I mean
really, who can tell from across the street (such as an on-location fashion
shoot) that the photographer had the model strike the pose and then the
camera quickly made five successive auto-bracketed exposures?  For each roll
of 35mm film we would only get seven shots.  Observers don't even notice the
quick handoff of identical cameras and lense combinations so that shooting
is continuous.  This is how you can end up shooting hundreds of rolls of
film in a day.  I have a friend here in Omaha who regularly shoots fashion
work and last year he shot over 40,000 rolls of film.

When I do my figure shoots in the studio; we (I shooting and my assistants
helping) shoot with many different types of cameras at the same time.  We
figure out the exposure with test Polaroids on the Hasselblad and the Sinar
4x5, then we shoot with both of them and also a Nikon or Contax 35mm,
Viewmaster Personal Stereo Camera, a couple of Rolleidoskop's and a Sputnik.
We need the exposure to be perfect, because we have one shot at this and if
we blow it we don't get to work with that client again.

When we do architectual work (for clients such as Architectural Digest or
HDR Architecture and Engineering) we not only bracket each and every
exposure, but we also shoot on a number of different types and brands of
film.  If we don't get this shot we loose that account, they expect us to
deliver the goods and we must because reshoots are expensive.

I do believe that everyone should bracket and I also believe that most
professionals do it.  Personally, I don't know any professional photographer
who doesn't bracket in some way.

Larry








 

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