Project 52-Week 4, Shades of Gray

This project isn't your typical Project 52 where you are given a word to interpret . . . like "happy," "friend," or "snow."  We are following a book by David Duchemin called The Visual Toolbox - 60 Lessons for Stronger Photographs and incorporating each chapter into our project posts.  With this being said, this week's theme is about the Zone System which is an exposure model created by Ansel Adams. For me to ask you to read something that I write about how I use this system to get the images I desire would be like my husband asking me to read about how to perform an arial stunt that will create a heart in the sky.  I have no interest in how they do it,  I just want to see the heart!

So . . . instead of giving you a bunch of information that, unless you are a photographer, will require you to have reference materials for a bunch of acronyms used by photographers and then materials to help you understand where it's all coming from . . .  I'll just show you my results.  :O)

Every wonder why it's so hard to get a good picture of a solid black dog or a solid white one? It's all about the lighting, how your camera reads it, and the fact that the camera sees gray. Photographers have to tell their camera how white to read the whites of a scene or how black to read the blacks.

It's a little tricky, but with the right settings and some practice a slick coated black lab can be captured in bright white snow with the sun glaring off of them and still show details of both the fur and snow . . .  as well as the fun of the snow-spray and doggie smile.

As always with this project, you can continue around the blog circle to see what other pet photographers have worked up when contemplating our weekly themes.  Start with Sydney & MAC Creative Designs - Photography for Pets and People - Greater Washington DC Metro Area.