In the Field

Rainforest Skies. Great Bear Rainforest, BC, Canada. October 1, 2006.

I don't know how many times I've heard the saying "...just wait 10 minutes and the weather will change" - or to how many different locations I've heard it applied. But from own limited experience, no where does it apply more fittingly than in the Great Bear Rainforest along the northern coast of British Columbia. Just minutes before I shot this image it was lightly raining, 100% overcast, and sunshine was - at best - a distant memory. Then, suddenly, the clouds starting splitting and brilliant sunshine started filtering through. Even though it was a near daily experience, it was still pretty dramatic.

Capturing the full tonal range of the scenes like this can be a challenge - to say the least. In the field, the key point (when shooting digitally) is to avoid blowing out the highlight detail - but not to underexpose the image any more than you have to. When shooting RAW format images it's important to remember that SOME of the highlight detail that APPEARS to be lost (according to your camera's exposure-evaluating tools) can be recovered during the RAW conversion process. Remember that those tools (like the histogram or "blinking blowouts") are based on a JPEG preview of the image, NOT the RAW image detail.

During the processing phase of the creation of this image I experimented with a new tool - Light Craft's LightZone. This software package is built around Ansel Adam's Zone System of exposure and it's quick unique. I performed both the RAW conversion (to 16-bit TIFF) and much of the image editing using LightZone. I quite liked the result - and the software package. I can see using it increasingly commonly in my landscape work.

Behind the Camera

Rainforest Skies. Great Bear Rainforest, BC, Canada. October 1, 2006.

Digital Capture; Compressed RAW (NEF) format; ISO 200.

Nikon D2X with with Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR lens @ 82 mm (123 mm equivalent with digital conversion factor) - handheld. VR turned to "On" and in "Normal" mode.

1/2500s @ f8; no compensation from matrix-metered exposure setting.

At the Computer

Rainforest Skies. Great Bear Rainforest, BC, Canada. October 1, 2006.

RAW conversion, including initial adjustment of RAW tone curve, colour saturation, and tone mapping using LightZone 2.0.6.

All further digital correction on 16-bit TIFF file using Adobe's Photoshop CS2, including selective noise reduction (using PictureCode's Noise Ninja Photoshop plug-in), selective exposure curve adjustment and selective saturation. No image sharpening performed on this image (during RAW conversion or during subsequent digital correction).

Conservation

Rainforest Skies. Great Bear Rainforest, BC, Canada. October 1, 2006.

Information to follow.