Push processing (pushing, uprating) is a well known film photography era technique, in which the photographer intentionally underexposes the film then compensates for the underexposed film by over-developing it in the processing lab. Typically this is done by telling the camera the loaded film is rated for higher speed than it actually is. The purpose of using this technique is to obtain the needed shutter speed to avoid blur caused by camera shake or freeze motion.
With today’s digital technology, the sensitivity of the sensor (ISO) can be easily changed at any time to obtain the desired shutter speed. In the film days, it would have meant exchanging the film in the camera with another roll that is rated at a higher speed. Is there any more incentives for underexposing then compensate it in post-processing (the equivalent of a film processing lab) with today’s digital photography? After all, many people suggest that the shadow needs to be properly exposed to avoid noise. Before answering this question, let’s look at the results of my recent experiment. Read More…
