Foreground good, sky blown out.

[tenthumbs]

I'm taking a lot of marching band photos and I'm finding most of these shots look great except the sky is always blown out. I've tried using a gradual filter but it's really not practical when I'm moving around and trying to capture a moving target. What's the tip/trick to keeping the bright sky and darker foreground in balance?

 

[robbins.photo]

Sounds like maybe your exposing for the subject rather than the whole scene. Try switching to a different metering mode, such as matrix metering, if your not already using it.

 

[dennybeall]

Easiest fix is to get up off the ground so there is less sky in the shot. Even a 3 step stool will help and you'll get more of the band in the shot. You can also hold the camera up as high as you can over your head.
It takes a bit of practice but you can look at the back of the camera and get the right amount of tilt to get the shot.
Also try metering the whole scene.

 

[The_Traveler]

Or something like this on a pole Sony RM-LVR2 Live View Wireless Remote RM-LVR2 B&H Photo Video

 

[fmw]

Shoot so that your subject is 90 degrees from the sun and attach a polarizing filter to the lens.

 

[tenthumbs]

Thank you for your replies. Not sure what the Live View Wireless remote is for but that's a pretty cool device. I'll try to get higher up where possible.

 

[KmH]

Polarizing filters don't work evenly on the sky if the Sun is more than 30° or so above the horizon.

The best way to balance foreground exposure with a bright sky is to use flash on the foreground.
However, using a metering mode that meters the entire scene (Matrix/Evaluative) helps.

 

[dennybeall]

The wireless remote lets you place the camera way up high or off to the side or even up on a long pole (like a selfie stick) and the remote lets you see what the camera sees so you can take the shot.

 

[spiralout462]

If your shooting Raw you should be able to pull down the sky enough to make a balanced exposure.

Happens all the time with birds in flight.

 

[Vtec44]

Shooting a live event from afar, you're limited to what equipment you can use. With natural light, blown out sky is definitely acceptable. It has a different look and feel to the photo. If you want to limit this, try a higher angle or use the background to your own advantage. Also, closer framing if the subject helps too (if you can get close). I generally shoot in RAW, low ISO, under expose then bring out the shadows area in post. However, of course that has its own limitations (mainly dynamic range of your camera's sensor in relative to the lighting condition at the time).