Exposing is a critical portion of the process; all other downstream processes rely on it directly. Once the proper composition and perspective is realized and the ideal camera, lens and film combination is selected, Carlos meters the scene with a Minolta IV F with the 5 degree spot meter attachment to measure the contrast ratio from highlight to shadow. Depending on the scene’s dynamic range, he may need to take two exposures: one for highlight detail and one for shadow. He then combines these during the retouching process. If the ratio is such that a single exposure will contain all detail from highlight to shadow, Carlos will expose one sheet. He may take additional exposures and vary camera parameters such as tilt, swing, focus, exposure etc. to ensure that one excellent image is obtained. Although this is expensive, it always costs more to go back and the light is never the same.

The smaller the aperture the greater the depth of field but lower the resolution. So it is a double-edged sword that must be considered on every exposure. In most cases, he will make all the camera movements necessary to achieve the maximum depth of field and set focus using the hyperfocal distance to improve depth of field even further. If Carlos can’t achieve his f/stop goals, he will use a different lens and change his perspective to achieve his goal.

The new generation of large format Aspheric lenses from Schneider allow him to use even wider than normal f/stops with excellent detail in the corners of the frame. In addition to 8x10 format, Carlos also implements 8x20, not by using an 8x20 camera, but by exposing two overlapping 8x10 frames to create an 8x20 in the retouching process. In this way, he achieves all the benefits of 8x10, with none of the selection and quality issues associated with conventional 8x20. Using this technique, he achieves museum quality grand panoramas, suitable for the most elite clientele.