Is there a technique for taking shots where there is a large darker object in the foreground and the background is light? I attached a couple of examples of what I mean. I want to be able to preserve the detail in the dark areas yet not to overexpose the backgrounds. The tree image there is a larger version in my gallery or I have full size images (loads of examples- lol) if it helps. I know for conventional landscapes people use a grad.filter but in my shots the dark areas do not fall neatly into the bottom half of the pic. but in some take up one side of the frame. I would like to be able to shoot the image and have it come out the camera correct but is it possible ? Will I have to do postwork and if so what ? Thanks for any help Richard

And every one said, 'If we only live,
We too will go to sea in a Sieve,---
To the hills of the Chankly Bore!'
Far and few, far and few, Are the lands where the Jumblies live;
Their heads are green, and their hands are blue, And they went to sea in a Sieve.

Edward Lear
http://www.nonsenselit.org/Lear/ns/jumblies.html