George Lepp • Tech Tips

Digital cameras have a linear response to light. Adobe, in its tutorials on Camera Raw, suggests “exposing to the right” in order to maximize the midtones and shadow information recorded by the camera. What’s the best practice you suggest, and how does one go about determining the right “exposure” when using Raw capture?

I’m fascinated by strong silhouettes with the sun in the background when it’s partially or totally obscured by foreground objects, such as trees. For example, in your picture of the Baobab tree from Africa at sunset, the tree is dark, yet detail is maintained in the tips of the branches, and there’s beautiful color in the sunset. What’s the secret to maintaining detail, while at the same time obtaining a proper exposure and rich colors? So far I’ve simply been bracketing like crazy and hoping for the best.

You mentioned the Singh-Ray variable neutral-density filter (Vari-ND) in a previous OP column. If I have my information correct, it appears to be made only in a 77mm mount. I don’t know if I can find an adapter to mount it on my lenses with smaller filter sizes, but if I can, will it work properly with such an adapter?