Bright Bright Snow!! Beginner?'s

[RebelTasha]

Edited later to add.. Please ignore this thread I missed out an important part of photography and this is all a moot point, please read post #11 for explanation!

Ugh! So basically I think my fault was in my lens I took 50mm 1:8.
I tried taking pictures of the lake area all covered in snow, everything was covered in snow and it was extremely bright and sunny too...
I tried altering contrast etc, tried a custom WB, ISO
They all came back blown I knew they would I could see it in the LCD.
I felt it was because of the lens with the high Fstop and that it is best for low light situations..
I dont' have my camera bag yet so I didn't bring my Canon kit lens with me.
Would it have made a difference or should I have been able to make it work with this lens without editing after?

Canon Rebel XT.

 

[Rand0m411]

If you were shooting in AV mode, just hold down the AV button and move your exposure compensation down a couple of clicks with the dial. That should help compensate the brightness of the shot.

Last time I shot in the snow I had the opposite problem and had to increase the exposure compensation a couple clicks to get my images brighter.

From what I remember the exposure compensation will work in all modes except any of the auto modes and <M>.

 

[RebelTasha]

I was shooting in "M" dang it, when I had my old 35mm Rebel I shot in AV all the time.
Your solution would have been perfect.. thankyou .. I could kick myself.

 

[Big Mike]

While a fast lens like that can do well in low light, it can do just as well in bright light.

You can't just put the camera in M and hope for the best...you need to meter the light in some way. Even in M mode, you can look at the scale on the LCD and adjust the settings until the 'needle' is in range and close to the -0-.

 

[Mav]

It would help if you could post an example photo along with EXIF data (shot info, like shutter speed, aperture, ISO, etc). If you have the lens wide open at f/1.8, I suspect you may have maxed out the shutter speed and had overexposure. You need to stop the lens down if that's the case, or use a neutral density filter. Without an example it's anybody's guess though.

 

[RebelTasha]

While a fast lens like that can do well in low light, it can do just as well in bright light.

You can't just put the camera in M and hope for the best...you need to meter the light in some way. Even in M mode, you can look at the scale on the LCD and adjust the settings until the 'needle' is in range and close to the -0-.

The Aperture was blinking '4000' I turned the dial all the way to try and compensate and it didn't move the needle at all.
No matter what I did I couldn't get the needle to 0, infact I couldn't get it to move at all.
I do know about looking at the scale I wasn't just hoping for the best and shooting for the heck of it I tried until my fingers were going to freeze but nothing I did would budge the needle.

 

[RebelTasha]

I'm sorry I wiped my card so I can not tell you I wish I hadn't I should have known to post the information. ISO on these was most probably 100
I hope I can redeem myself and actually make this work..
The snow had better not go and melt on me before I can figure it out.. haha
Here's some hopeless examples all were taken at F1:8 as per lens. I know they are my fault but I dont' want anyone to think I didnt' even bother try..

 

[Big Mike]

It really depends what the camera is reading as well. If the sun is anywhere in the frame, the extreme brightness will throw off the meter.

When you don't know what settings to use, just flip the camera into auto mode for a second, take a reading and see what settings it gives you. Then you back to manual and input those same settings...that should put your needle on the -0-. Then you can starting making adjustments from there.

 

[Big Mike]

here's some hopeless examples all were taken at F1:8 as per lens

The settings on your camera have limits. The maximum aperture is F1.8...and the minimum is probably F22 or F29. The shutter speed will max out at 1/4000 and can go to 30 seconds (or into bulb mode). You can even adjust the ISO as well...but it has limits.

So in your situation, F1.8 was just too large of an aperture...because the shutter was at it's limit. If you adjust the aperture smaller (higher number) then the shutter speed will fall back into it's range and you will be OK.

Once we get all that figured out...we need to realize that bright snow will trick the meter and so when you shoot a scene with lots of white like that...you actually want the needle to be to the right of the -0-...maybe +1 or even +2.

 

[RebelTasha]

Ok if i'm not mistaken the lens I was using does not have anything lower than 1:8 so therefore it was partially the lens and not me but I could have compensated in the AV mode correct?
Here is the lens
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-50mm-1-8-Camera-Lens/dp/B00007E7JU

Feel free to bang my head against a wall if I'm still not getting it, I can be stubborn..

 

[RebelTasha]

OK I don't even know how to put this into words but I am a complete idiot!
You know what I "WASN'T" doing??
While in "M" yes I moved the dial but I did NOT hold down the A/V button as I mentioned earlier in this thread I used to have a 35mm Rebel and shot in A/V mode most of the time therefore when I turned the dial I changed the aperature not the shutter speed..
So this whole thread is a moot point of my stupidity...
Please discount anything I have said it is all in the past.. lol..
Just went out and took more pictures and guess what my lens will move out of 1:8 durrrr it went right down to 22 just like Mike said..
I did only get my camera the day before yesterday and it's been 8 years..

Do I get a prize??

 

[Mav]

Hey it's the Beginner's forum for a reason. You're allowed. :mrgreen:

 

[mrodgers]

Once we get all that figured out...we need to realize that bright snow will trick the meter and so when you shoot a scene with lots of white like that...you actually want the needle to be to the right of the -0-...maybe +1 or even +2.

Well, since this thread has been solved, I have a question on this statement.

Don't you want the needle to be to the left of the -0-? You want a darker photo to prevent the snow from blowing out, right? Or is it that my camera is a darker exposure to the left of -0- and with a dSLR it is opposite?

I've seen this statement a few time throughout the forum when talking about snow or sky blowouts. I would think you want the needle on the left of -0-.

 

[RebelTasha]

I think the meter compensates for what it thinks is brightness and therefore will make the snow look gray rather than white so you have to then fix that but doing +1 ..
However for goodness sake don't take anything I have to say today too seriously.. haha

 

[mdcrisp2000]

Well, since this thread has been solved, I have a question on this statement.

Don't you want the needle to be to the left of the -0-? You want a darker photo to prevent the snow from blowing out, right? Or is it that my camera is a darker exposure to the left of -0- and with a dSLR it is opposite?

I've seen this statement a few time throughout the forum when talking about snow or sky blowouts. I would think you want the needle on the left of -0-.

As far as I understand it, your camera will meter for the whole frame (if you have it setup that way) and if the majority of the frame is snow, it will compensate for the brightness by having a quicker shutter speed. This leaves anything that isn't snow (i.e. your subject) to be underexposed and detail it lost... hence the +1 rather than -1.

It's just a tossup between blown-out snow and an underexposed subject. You just have to find a compromise.