In a message dated 6/16/02 14:12:06, kostaspapakotas@hotmail.com writes: << first i have a question to ask...what is the reason i'm getting grainy, grayed (underexposed ? )shots >> Kostas, First, it could be underexposure. Then it might be where you are having the prints made--how do the prints you are scanning look? Chances are the photoprocessor is printing the dark backgrounds to be 18 percent gray. Ask to have them reprinted to look right. I'm guessing the problem starts with underexposure. Can you get to the venue other than at the time of a concert? If so, you could meter off a gray card in the different areas the performers will be (best if you can replicate lighting conditions as they will be during the concert). If that's not possible spot metering would be good, if you have a seperate hand-held meter or one built in to your camera. If no spot meter is available try using a longer focal length lens to fill the frame with the subject as much as possible to get a reading--you don't have to shoot with the longer lens, just get a meter reading to set the best exposure. It doesn't take much of a black background in the frame to throw your metering way off, so it's probably best to base your exposure on what's important (the musicians) and let the background go black--especially that black curtain in the images you posted. Next, you may want to work on your scanning skills. The images on the page you referred us to had few pixels in the shadow range. I adjusted one of them in Photoshop, but only made minor Levels changes. I put my tinkered version up here: http://members.aol.com/cameratraveler/ll_9Copy.JPG Unfortunately there is almost no information there for making improvements in shadow detail, but I think you'll agree it is much improved over the original. If you don't want to invest in the full version of Photoshop, you might consider one of the scaled down versions like Photoshop Elements, or Paint Shop Pro--I think they're both about $99USD. Good luck, and keep shooting--you're really not that far off. Cheers, Rich Mason Photographer-at-Large <A HREF="http://www.richmason.com/";>http://richmason.com</A> See the new section: Rich on the Road
