Camera Help

[Photo_Mama2]

Ok so, My father and I took my two boys to a local go cart and putt putt facility just to have some fun. Any ways... As I was taking pictures of my oldest son driving the kiddie kart I noticed that I couldn't really see the color very well once I took the photo (due to it being so bright out) so once I get home my photos are not what I would have liked them to be. Any tips on how to fix this?

also... What is the best WB to have the camera set on when it is VERY VERY Bright and sunny? Like the concrete looks very bright
I should also mention im fairly new to DSLR, I bought my first DSLR in Feb. Canon Rebel T4i 18-55mm kit lens and I also bought a 75-300mm USM non IS lens

 

[480sparky41 40]

Sounds like an exposure problem, not a white balance issue.

Post a sample.

 

[Light Guru]

As I was taking pictures of my oldest son driving the kiddie kart I noticed that I couldn't really see the color very well once I took the photo (due to it being so bright out) so once I get home my photos are not what I would have liked them to be. Any tips on how to fix this?

Expose the image properly when taking the photo. It sounds like the images were badly over exposed. If this is he case there is not really a lot you can do. But it's hard to say without seeing the photos.

What is the best WB to have the camera set on when it is VERY VERY Bright and sunny?

White Balance has NOTHING to do with how bright the light it. It is about the color temperature of the light.

 

[Photo_Mama2]

my file size is too large to upload. what do I do?

 

[Light Guru]

my file size is too large to upload. what do I do?

So save it as a smaller file.

 

[hirejn]

One tool you might like is the Hoodman loupe. You put it over the LCD when you want to review images and it creates a little darkroom so it's easy to see the LCD. However, the LCD is not always a perfect representation of what you shot and doesn't necessarily tell you if you're overexposed or under. The histogram or blinkies are a better bet. These are things you'll have to learn, as well as exposure. I recommend setting the WB to match the condition you're in. For sun, set it to the sun setting. This will work in sun from sunrise to sunset. If it's cloudy, use cloudy. Cloudy works well in shade also. I avoid auto because it's not consistent. If you have more questions, message me.

 

[Overread17 5]

my file size is too large to upload. what do I do?

You'll want to resize the photo to 1000 pixels on the longest side at most ( that's more than big enough for web display). Don't go below around 720 on the longest side (going smaller than that it becomes harder to see detailing). You can get a free flickr account if you want which will let you upload fullsized images and provides you with resized versions you can use automatically - the auto resizes are not "as good" as what you can do yourself with a proper resizing and sharpening method; but for now they will work well. Note a free flickr account won't let you access all sizes - you get a selection but not the largest (you have to upgrade to a paid account for that - its something like $25 a year or thereabouts).


As for the reviewing of photos the best thing you can do when shooting is to read up on and learn to use the "histogram" when reviewing photos. That lets you read the exposure over the whole photo much more easily. It's a simple tool and one that you can make a lot of use out of for review and is much better than trying to view the exposure by the preview image alone (because that is harder to read in difficult lighting and can also not fully represent the final quality since the LCD screen itself has a limited quality of display).

As for white balance, these days if you're shooting for yourself or artistic purposes and don't need 100% colour accuracy then auto white balance works well under most lighting conditions. If you combine this with learning how to shoot in RAW mode you can effortlessly change the white balance when you process the RAW photos (you can adjust the white balance for JPEGs, but its harder to do and can take a lot longer to do it well on certain shots).

 

[undrtow]

You've just learned first-hand the importance of looking at the histogram. Don't ever trust what your LCD screen looks like, especially in bright light. It feels weird at first to accept a picture based on the histogram when the image looks like crap on your screen, but you'll be glad you did when you get to see the images on your computer.

 

[Patrice]

You were photographing go-carts on a track. The asphalt is typically very dark so your meter tried to expose to a mid grey thus overexposing your photo. This is a lesson in predicting how your camera will react. The opposite will happen with brighter than average scenes, as in lots of bright white snow, your meter will then tend to underexpose the scene. The suggestion above about looking at the histogram is a good one, but it also needs to be interpreted correctly.

 

[KmH]

The main issues have been addressed:
1. Relying on how a photo looks the rear LCD
2. Perhaps not using an appropriate metering mode.

Understanding Camera Metering and Exposure
Understanding Digital Camera Histograms: Tones and Contrast
Understanding Digital Camera Histograms: Luminosity and Color

 

[cynicaster]

OP, what mode were you shooting in? The best chance you have of getting the results you seek at the go-kart track is learning how to set exposure yourself rather than relying on the camera’s smarts.

In the conditions you describe, if white balance is set to either auto or sunny, I’m sure you’ll be fine, but this has nothing to do with the problem you describe of things being too bright.

There are a few different approaches you could take with the settings, depending on whether you want to freeze motion, or if you want to convey speed with a bit of motion blur, etc. All of this will make sense once you understand the interrelation between shutter speed, aperture, and ISO, and these things have been explained a million times on here so I won’t do it again.

As has been mentioned, stop relying upon your LCD preview to determine whether the pictures are properly exposed—big mistake. Don’t fear the histogram, it is your friend, and really not as complicated to read as it might seem at first glance.

Lastly, it sounds like you could benefit from learning some post processing techniques. I haven’t seen your go-kart photos but I’d be willing to bet some of them could be salvaged with some darkening, assuming things aren’t completely blown out. There are several different ways to do this in photoshop and the like. If you have Photoshop Elements, one approach would be to stack multiple copies of the image and set the blend mode to “multiply”. You might be surprised at how much nicer this makes the results look, and how much it helps bring out the colors you remember.

 

[KmH]

rather than relying on the camera’s smarts.
.

Or lack of smarts.