Blurry light through windows

[rich7271]

Hi guys, this is my first post here so hopefully I can get a bit of advice. In quite a few of my photos taken indoors focusing on areas with windows the light from outside is always blurry creating a white haze in the photo. I have tried focusing on the sky outside and this helps a lot, but in doing so it makes the inside area dark.

Is there a way I can capture the true colours outside as well as those inside? I've attached a photo below as an example (on the day there were clear blue skies outside). Any tips on avoiding this in the future would be great!

 

[photo1x1.com]

Hi Rich,
unfortunately the so called Dynamic Range of the human eye (or better said our brain) is much bigger than those of cameras. You can only get a certain amount of different brightness levels onto your images. This can be improved a little in post production (when shooting raw), or with techniques like HDR (high dynamic range) photography. Other than that there is currently no real chance to solve your issue.
What you see is lens flare and the reason why you are getting less flare when you "focus" on the sky outside is that your camera probably exposes for the light outside - that doesn´t really have to do with focus, but rather with exposure. It seems your cameras automatic mode uses a metering mode called spot metering when you "focus" on the window.

 

[tirediron]

...It seems your cameras automatic mode uses a metering mode called spot metering when you "focus" on the window.

Ehhh? Howzzat? The camera certainly seems to be using a wide-area metering mode here as in the interior is reasonably well exposed and the window light is blown out. Had spot metering been used the window would have been better exposed and the interior very much under-exposed.

That said, this is a difficult problem to get around. From a technical standpoint, bringing in a tripod and shooting a frame with correct interior exposure and one with correct exterior exposure and then blending them would be the best, but chances are a venue like this wouldn't be too keen on your using a tripod. If you're very steady, can try and hand-hold it, or you can middle the exposure between the interior & exterior and try and adjust in post.

 

[photo1x1.com]

...It seems your cameras automatic mode uses a metering mode called spot metering when you "focus" on the window.

Ehhh? Howzzat? The camera certainly seems to be using a wide-area metering mode here as in the interior is reasonably well exposed and the window light is blown out. Had spot metering been used the window would have been better exposed and the interior very much under-exposed.

that was an assumption regarding this note:

... I have tried focusing on the sky outside and this helps a lot, but in doing so it makes the inside area dark.
...

 

[table1349]

Simple tip to reduce or avoid the issue, change the time of day when you run into that problem. No bright sky no problem.

Many a time I have gone back to get a shot based on the time of day. The Golden hour can be just as wonderful for you issue as it is to portrait photographers.

 

[tirediron]

Simple tip to reduce or avoid the issue, change the time of day when you run into that problem. No bright sky no problem.

Many a time I have gone back to get a shot based on the time of day. The Golden hour can be just as wonderful for you issue as it is to portrait photographers.

Of course if you just want to take the easy way out....

 

[table1349]

Simple tip to reduce or avoid the issue, change the time of day when you run into that problem. No bright sky no problem.

Many a time I have gone back to get a shot based on the time of day. The Golden hour can be just as wonderful for you issue as it is to portrait photographers.

Of course if you just want to take the easy way out....

 

[tirediron]

Simple tip to reduce or avoid the issue, change the time of day when you run into that problem. No bright sky no problem.

Many a time I have gone back to get a shot based on the time of day. The Golden hour can be just as wonderful for you issue as it is to portrait photographers.

Of course if you just want to take the easy way out....

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