I need help

[jenn2]

Recently I did a shoot outside and the sun was intense. I tried several settings in my camera but nothing seemed to work. Can someone let me know what is the best setting to use for a shot like this or what can be done in photoshop to help the matter. Any help is appreciated.

 

[table1349]

Since there is no photo to look at the only suggestion I will give is don't shoot in intense sun. Shoot during the golden hour, the hour before sunset and after sunrise, the first and last hour of sunlight in the day.

 

[davebmck]

Full sun can result in high contrast conditions. Your camera cannot handle the extreme range of highlighs and shadows that exist. If you shoot in these conditions, you will need to take that into account. You can expose for the highlights and loose shadow detail or you can expose for the shadows and blow out the highlights. Otherwise you can look for places like shaded areas where the dynamic range is not so great.

 

[KmH]

Each lighting situation is always a little different so there isn't one "best" group of settings that anyone can give you.

Watch this video and see how you might handle this is in the future. Watch for when they hold up a diffuser to create some shade.

 

[Dominantly]

Sunny F/16 rule will get you in the ball park for your basic shots.
The Photo Forum - Photography Discussion Forum - The Sunny 16 Rule!

If you are shooting portrait in the sun, a 42" diffuser held over your subject, and a reflector held under the subject bouncing light up will greatly benefit your shots.

You can also use a strobe for fill, this is probably my favorite method. Set your camera up to slightly underexpose your background and then fill your subject with off camera strobes.You can Google it and find many lessons on it.

 

[gsgary]

If your using the cameras light meter properly there should not be a problem, try not to shoot towards the sky unless you know what you are doing

 

[Flash Harry]

fill flash

 

[benhasajeep]

You may have run into a problem where you needed a neutral density filter. Basicallly it's a filter that cuts down on the light getting to the lens so you can use lower settings. There are several levels of the filters availalbe each cutting more and more light as they go up.

I think the most used is probaly a .6 or sometimes called a 4x ND filter. It give you about 2 stops of effect. A .3 is a 2x and is effective for 1 stop. Adn a .9 / 8x is 3 stops of effect.

Those are the 3 I have. And the 4x is probably the most I used.

They also make a graduated neutral density filters where the top half has the effect and the bottom has none (or a varying degree deppending on the filter purchased).

 

[table1349]

Sorry, forgot to mention, [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-Photographs-Digital-Updated/dp/0817463003"]this[/ame] would be an excellent book to read on the subject of exposure.

 

[Texas Photo]

If you do not have a flash, then the advice davebmck gave you will work best or shoot with a telephoto at a low F-Stop to throw the background out. Place your subject with the sunlight behind him and to the right or left slightly, make sure your background is either in the shade or darker than your subject and shoot tight. If you do have a flash, then shoot at max power as close to your subject as you can get, preferably off camera and under expose the background 1-2 stops. You also may want to diffuse the flash some depending on your desired style. Most of the rest of the advice given so far can work as well. Good Luck-www.texasphotoworkshops.com

 

[usayit]

Fill flash.. or reflector to fill. You need to bring up the shadows so you can keep the highlights in check.

Its tough without examples.. but my guess is that the resulting high contrast might be beyond the range of the camera's sensor. Its generally not flattering either.

 

[LearnMyShot]

intense sun can be tricky...you need to know how to deal with it...use it to your advantage or avoid it and get in the shade...look at this, it may help
How to Photograph with Diffusion and Direct Sunlight - watch free tutorial at LearnMyShot.com