exposures: Is it better to slightly overexpose and darken a picture in pp or underexpose and lighten in pp to produce the best exposure for use in news paper photographs. I don't want...

issa2006.

Is it better to slightly overexpose and darken a picture in pp or underexpose and lighten in pp to produce the best exposure for use in news paper photographs. I don't want to blow out highlights or lose shadow detail. I don't have time to recheck exposure for each picture when time is so short with catching the moment. Thanks for any advice. Are there photojournalists out there who can advise me.

Bob Mevis Loc: Plymouth, Indiana

As I understand it, it's easier to recover under exposure. I'm certainly no expert however but, in my limited experience that's my opinion.

BebuLamar

Of course one shouldn't either over or under expose. However, I know what you meant by slightly overexpose that you would increase the exposure to make the highlight comes very close to the clipping point and the image straight out of the camera is too light. You then in post darken it to make it looks right. Slightly under expose is similar.
For best quality image I would give the image as much exposure as I can without blowing the highlight. However, you said for newspaper and I think newspaper images don't have good dynamic range any way so the slightly under expose approach is faster and would give sufficient quality for newspaper.

tradio Loc: Oxford, Ohio

Read up on ETTR, Exposing to the Right.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

For an EOS DSLR, exposing to the right (ETTR) is the better approach. For most all digital cameras, ETTR is still a best practice, but for many recent models / brands, it really doesn't matter when shooting in RAW. Check your model for 'ISO invariant' as well as test your specific camera and software and the impact on noise when correcting an underexposed image. This post shows ETTR in practice: ETTR in Practice

User ID

tradio wrote:

Read up on ETTR, Exposing
to the Right.

Or, read Dostoevsky. More
fun, less controversy, and
more helpful to your photo
journalistic endeavors. Do
keep in mind, "Tomorrow,
they'll wrap fish in it."

Having made thousands of
halftone screened printing
plate negatives, I assure
you that you must keep all
of your lighter tones toned
down, not just what you'd
usually call "highlights". A
contrast killing "gray haze"
is your friend.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

issa2006. wrote:

Is it better to slightly overexpose and darken a picture in pp or underexpose and lighten in pp to produce the best exposure for use in news paper photographs. I don't want to blow out highlights or lose shadow detail. I don't have time to recheck exposure for each picture when time is so short with catching the moment. Thanks for any advice. Are there photojournalists out there who can advise me.

You can process shadows for detail, contrast and noise. Once a highlight is blown, there is no data recorded making blown highlights ugly and unrecoverable. The correct exposure is one that retains as much highlight detail as you need to make the picture you want. If you shoot jpeg, you will need to contend with blown highlights and unrecoverable shadows due to narrower dynamic range compared to raw, but your midtones will be fine.

tradio Loc: Oxford, Ohio

User ID wrote:

Or, read Dostoevsky. More
fun, less controversy, and
more helpful to your photo
journalistic endeavors. Do
keep in mind, "Tomorrow,
they'll wrap fish in it."

Having made thousands of
halftone screened printing
plate negatives, I assure
you that you must keep all
of your lighter tones toned
down, not just what you'd
usually call "highlights". A
contrast killing "gray haze"
is your friend.

What ever that means??

Pablo8 Loc: Nottingham UK.

When I started - out in Newspaper photography,(1950's) one piece of advice from an 'old-hand' Get the detail on the negative first and foremost. You can relate that to modern digital techniques, if you need to.

Thorburn Loc: Virginia

Since publications differ with requirements I would ask the publication what the would prefer.

Tony Hayman

Having spent my life in the film industry, my basic rule is that if the light is even, or well controlled, I expose for the brightest object... this is good in film, but essential in digital. If the light has a large variance, such as a forest at sunset, then expose for the average (I still like a light meter, but you can let the camera make it’s recommendation) then with an APS-C sensor shoot 1/2 stop down, with a full frame sensor 1 to 1 1/2 stops down.... Always shoot in RAW. Obviously make a test or two before shooting something important...

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

It is easier and better to open the shadows with little ill effect on the image. If some noise is objectionable there are excellent noise reduction software.
If you do not want to blow the highlights simply meter from them...if they are important for the image.

Charlie C Loc: North Liberty, IA

If you underexpose you are sacrificing dynamic range. (Also, the higher the ISOExpose as the less dynamic range.) the trick is to shoot RAW, expose for the the lightest highlight, (ETTR_expose to the right), checking the histogram and blinkies, then bring up the shadows/midtones as needed in post processing. You must a low ISO or you defeat the purpose of eliminating as much grain as possible.

Silverrails

issa2006. wrote:

Is it better to slightly overexpose and darken a picture in pp or underexpose and lighten in pp to produce the best exposure for use in news paper photographs. I don't want to blow out highlights or lose shadow detail. I don't have time to recheck exposure for each picture when time is so short with catching the moment. Thanks for any advice. Are there photojournalists out there who can advise me.

Watch you Historgram and if it is balanced and not bunched to the Left (under) or to the Right (over) then you should be in the "Ball-Park" of having a proper Exposure.

Drbobcameraguy Loc: Eaton Ohio

tradio wrote:

What ever that means??

It basically means tomorrow your newspaper will become trash. All your work off to the landfill. LOL