A few photo galleries of recent events and visitors to the Savannah area.
2010 Fountain at Ellis Square (down town Savannah.)
Tybee Island shoreline at dusk.
Tybee Island Sunset.
Browsing Posts in Savannah Ga
Deciding on which in-camera file type to save is usually based on your needs and digital image file knowledge. In a nutshell, RAW files provide more data and provide more options for editing. If you are working a tough lighting situation then RAW probably a better choice.
Well, what about normal or good lighting scenarios?
- If you need speed then JPEG is *usually* better (it will take less time for your camera to store a JPEG file than a RAW file – this is simply math – RAW files are usually several times larger than corresponding JPEG files; writing less data to a memory card *should* take less time… A scenario (today, anyway) where JPEG makes sense might be any sport activity with rapid action – you don’t want to be waiting for your camera to save the last image to take that next picture…
- Otherwise, I suggest staying with RAW
- For some cameras you can save both RAW & JPEG (or perhaps other image file formats like TIFF.) This can be useful if you need both lattitude in development (i.e. from selected RAW images) and faster processing (i.e. from JPEG files; smaller file ~= less time to process for output/delivery.) Note that this setting consumes storage space RAPIDLY…
Editing your images – some guideline/suggested limits
Ok, you are now back at your computer and making your selects. Let’s say that you have at least a few images where the exposure was not perfect and you need to make adjustments – how far can you go before your changes start impacting image quality? It depends on several variables but for this discussion we will assume that you camera is set to the highest quality image that it can produce. In general, for exposure changes we can adjust:
JPEG – exposure latitude = < 1 stop
- suggest edit limit of 1/3 stop over OR
- 1/2 stop under exposure
RAW – exposure latitude = 6-8 stops (could be more – depends on image sensor)
- suggest edit limit of 1 stop over/under
Note that you can surely make larger changes than those suggested above – the point is that you want to get your capture to be within easily editable ranges. So, how can you get your exposure as close to possible to ideal? I suggest:
- taking test pictures and evaluating the histograms (See below) AND/OR
- consider using the bracketing features of your camera (auto-bracketing is a feature where your camera will capture multiple images and vary the exposures based on how you configure the bracketing option.)
Histograms
- scene dependant brightness levels and quantity of pixels in an image
- histograms from RAW files actually display, interpolated JPEG data
- 0 = black, dark side (usually on the left, i.e. dark areas with shadows)
- 255 = brightest, white side (usually on the right, i.e. the sky)
- a ‘balanced’ histogram is ‘well exposed’
- too light (high values on the right) = contains some under-exposed areas
- too dark (high values on the left) = contains some over-exposed areas
- clipping occurs when ‘detail’ is lost (values on the extreme left or extreme right of the histogram)
Use Calibration TARGET Reference Cards
- white balance via a Gray Card (mid tone 18% gray or other tools)
- whibal.com
- rawworkflow.com
- balancesmarter.com
- photovisionvideo.com
Expose for your SUBJECT (center of histogram)
- single source reference – simple histogram
- multi source reference – i.e. three stripes, white, black gray; where are your high & low key light areas
Using a target
- take picture (with subject holding target or target in scene); fill with target
- evaluate histogram – adjust exposure if histogram leans left or right (i.e. keep Aperture but adjust shutter speed up or down)
Savannah, Georgia (USA) and nearby Tybee Island host a number of wonderful cultural events for residents and visitors. We also have a number of historical & arts resources. We enjoy several annual festivals and events with the spring (Irish-connected) activities probably being the largest (Irish Festival, Tara Feis, St. Patrick’s Day parades in Savannah and on Tybee Island.) Photographs (and slideshows) from many of our events are found on this blog and on my Savannah Photography services slideshow index page.
Early July 2010 – Weather update – we have some rough sea conditions so take extra care with families on the beach… 
Fireworks on south end of Tybee Island, Ga – 7/3/2010, after 8:30 PM – should be visible from any east shore location or from US Highway 80. Expect lots of traffic…
Savannah Area Cultural/Historical Resources
- Coastal Jazz Association
- Friends of Johnny Mercer
- Johnny Mercer Centennial (2009)
- Georgia Historical Society
- Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace (Founder: Girl Scouts of America)
- King Tisdell Cottage Foundation
- Little Theatre of Savannah (Rent – summer 2010)
- Live Oak Public Libraries (Savannah/Chatham County)
- Lucas Theatre for the Arts
- Savannah Folk Music Society
- Savannah Waterfront Association
- Telfair Museum of Art
- Tybee Art Association
- Savannah Black Heritage Festival (winter)
- Savannah Book Festival (winter)
- Savannah Children’s Book Festival (fall)
- Savannah Music Festival (spring)
- Savannah Film Festival (fall)
