Help understanding photo: possible over exposer?

[creisinger]

There is nothing you can do make this photo work with only one shot.

... and (no brainer!) clean the glass first.

I just wanted to say that all your tricks won't get the bird sh!t off the glass either.

I tried to be to courteous by not imposing changes in the cleaning routine of OP's windows...

Therefore, an open window will easily solve a LOT of problems.

 

[Buckster]

There is nothing you can do make this photo work with only one shot.

... and (no brainer!) clean the glass first.

I just wanted to say that all your tricks won't get the bird sh!t off the glass either.

Move the lens 2 inches to a place where the bird sh!t isn't a problem. Gee, that was hard to figure out, eh?

I tried to be to courteous by not imposing changes in the cleaning routine of OP's windows...

You offered little to nothing in the way of actual solutions.

Therefore, an open window will easily solve a LOT of problems.

But when you must shoot through a window, there are effective ways to deal with it...

Sorry to rain on your parade, but I like to provide solutions when possible.

 

[creisinger]

But when you must shoot through a window, there are effective ways to deal with it...

Sorry to rain on your parade, but I like to provide solutions when possible.

Buckster I cannot argue with you because your tips are spot on! You're a great asset to this place here.

OP failed to provide info whether he was located in a hermetically closed environment that wouldn't allow him/her to open the window.

OP mentioned a balcony (with some "effects" whatever that means...).

I just prefer NOT shooting through a sh!t on window!

Buckster, kindly agree with me on preferably NOT shooting through windows if avoidable.

IF impossible to open the window, swiftly follow Buckster's fantastic assortment of tips to achieve best results!

:hail:

 

[Buckster]

Buckster, kindly agree with me on preferably NOT shooting through windows if avoidable.

I wholeheartedly agree. The less there is between the lens and the subject, the better. That includes things like "protective" filters on the lens.

 

[vintagesnaps]

I've shot hockey in local rinks with every kind of crappy glass and lousy lighting imaginable; I can work around puck and stick marks but not so much thru grime and smears and smudges. One other thing I can think of that's not already mentioned that might help (besides getting the outside of the glass cleaned which might not be possible from an upstairs window, and is never possible at a rink where they never clean the glass!) is to try for a clear day with blue sky to minimize haze, smog etc.

You can also 'move' the reflections by moving yourself - change your vantage point slightly and see if that helps get rid of what's reflecting in the glass; I had to do that at one rink that had a Coke machine behind me that reflected on the glass and I had to move or lean til the reflection was out of my shot.

You could also try different times of day and see what works best in getting the light hitting the buildings. If it's sunny a smaller aperture might help to get more depth and get more of what's between your camera and the buildings all in focus. Good luck when it quits raining.

edit - I found too that when I could shoot thru an open door to the players' bench - no glass - it made a world of difference in the photos I could get.

 

[TCampbell]

No amount of clean glass is going to save this photo... nor is a polarizer. Nor is having the window removed. It's not the camera's fault. The subject is the problem.

I call your attention the extreme lower left corner of the photo. Please inspect the street. Notice you can see a few cars parked on the street. Notice these cars are very dark. Notice that if we reduce the exposure much more than it already is, this corner will just go black.

Next I call your attention the tall buildings in the distance. Notice the sun-facing sides of those buildings are so blown out that you can't see any detail in them.

That street isn't merely under-exposed by a third of stop... it's a at least a full-stop underexposed. Meanwhile... the city scape is probably a couple of stops over-exposed.

The problem here is DYNAMIC RANGE. You're trying to take a photo in a single frame where the exposure needs for different areas are radically different.

You can shoot HDR (which is really several photographs which are then merged via software) OR... because this particular photo happens to have a somewhat linear dividing line between the bright and dim part of the image, you can use a gradient neutral density filter (a piece of glass which is tinted on one half, but clear on the other half.)

But one of the most important rules of photography is that you must never underestimate the importance of "knowing where to stand" and also knowing WHEN to take the shot. Some times of the day will simply be better than others. The "golden hours" (within approximately one hour of either sunrise or sunset) usually have much better lighting than mid-day lighting. There are also much better vantage points. You can't control where the sun or buildings are, but you CAN control where you and your camera are and what time of day you take the photo.

 

[Tailgunner]

There is nothing you can do make this photo work with only one shot.

... and (no brainer!) clean the glass first.

I just wanted to say that all your tricks won't get the bird sh!t off the glass either.

I tried to be to courteous by not imposing changes in the cleaning routine of OP's windows...

Therefore, an open window will easily solve a LOT of problems.

I guess the term sample photo is lost on the group

My shots are taken off our open balcony, I only took a few shots through the kitchen window to test some different settings...I had the same results with or without the extra kitchen glass.


Anyhow, here is a couple Balcony shots:

(Earlier shots, Still getting used to the camera)



(About a 100 shots and starting to look good)

 

[The_Traveler]

This is literally your camera throwing its hands in the air and saying "I dunno".

And when you see spots on images, that is your sensor throwing up. :lmao:

 

[cptkid]

... and (no brainer!) clean the glass first.

I just wanted to say that all your tricks won't get the bird sh!t off the glass either.

I tried to be to courteous by not imposing changes in the cleaning routine of OP's windows...

Therefore, an open window will easily solve a LOT of problems.

I guess the term sample photo is lost on the group

My shots are taken off our open balcony, I only took a few shots through the kitchen window to test some different settings...I had the same results with or without the extra kitchen glass.


Anyhow, here is a couple Balcony shots:

(Earlier shots, Still getting used to the camera)



(About a 100 shots and starting to look good)

Why don't you get out and shoot?

Instead of taking 100 photos of the same thing.

Plus, either your focus is off, or you're shooting at a pretty wide aperture, because that photo looks pretty soft to me.

 

[OfMikeandMen]

Try shooting at a smaller aperture and meter/focus on the roof in front of you. This should get you nice depth of field, and a more accurate reading if the lighting isn't too dark or bright. If it's below 1/100th of a second mount it on something, or brace yourself and camera against a wall or rest on something to hold it still. It looks like you're shooting at a wide aperture, and the second image is still a little over exposed in the sky. Maybe even try metering off the sky without the sun in the frame, then recompose and focus on something relatively close at a small aperture.

 

[Tailgunner]

Why don't you get out and shoot?

Instead of taking 100 photos of the same thing.

Plus, either your focus is off, or you're shooting at a pretty wide aperture, because that photo looks pretty soft to me.

Why move on to another subject if I can't get the first one right?

Anyhow, yes, I shoot all over the Metroplex.