Overlooking Flats
Several techniques are demonstrated in this image. In order to optimize
depth of field, a small aperture is used, so the nuts and bolts in
the foreground are in focus as is the building in the background. Also
the strong light from under the bridge causes high contrast, making it
difficult to keep detail in the both the highlights and shadows. The
camera can only capture accurate detail in one or two stops of light
above and below the "metered value", so if the light is too bright
or too dark in some areas, detail is lost.
To balance the light, I did two things. First, I used no red filter
or polarizer, which can both add contrast in cases like this. (I could
have used other filters to help reduce contrast, but I didn't want their
undesirable side effects.) Second, I used my on-camera fill-flash to
light the foregound. It's still a long exposure, but the flash is only
an instant, and is just enough to bring up the shadows closer to the
highlights created by the bright light from down below. How did I know
how much flash to use? I didn't. However, the camera can figure it out if
I tell it the brightness I need to match by metering on the bright area
itself. This tells the camera that it needs to power the flash enough
to light everything in the foreground. The background building is lit by
ambient light alone as a consequence of having a longer exposure. Note:
experimentation is necessary, but that doesn't take much more effort
than just taking several pictures at different exposure times and seeing
which one comes out best.
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