Picture problems

[mattmiles]

Hi There,

I am new to Photography and brought an awesome Pentax K20D. I love it.

I have been experimenting and taking loads of pictures since I got it but have been struggling with exposure settings.

When I try to photograph someone or something against the blue sky during the day time I either get the object in front underexposed with the background exposed correctly or the background is very over exposed and the foreground is just right. Can anyone tell me if there are any work arounds whilst taking the photo or post production? Any advice would be hugely appreciated.

Many thanks,

Matt

 

[Sherman Banks]

You're dealing with a common case of extreme contrast in lighting conditions. In a usual case, the sky probably meters at f8 1/4000, and the subject probably meters at f8 1/500, making up a 3 stop difference between the two. Without a flash you either get one or the other (or expose for both and do some fancy post work to combine them). The solution is adding a flash to bring up the subject's exposure while exposing for the ambient. But even doing this presents it's own problems such as your camera's max sync speed, flash power, light quality, etc. The best solution is to avoid shooting in harsh lighting conditions with such severe contrasts in exposure, but using a flash could make a big improvement in your shot if that's your only option. You could also make use of a reflector, which is a cheaper/easier tool that may not make up the full amount of light you need but would help you bring more balance to the exposure. Hope this helps!

 

[Chris Stegner]

This book is awesome! You'll learn tons from it! And it's cheap!

Amazon.com: Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition) (9780817463007): Bryan Peterson: Books

 

[Shockey]

You will need to use a flash to even out the light. Or let the sky blow out to have the foreground exposed properly or get the sky right and the forground will be black.

 

[HikinMike]

If you do nature/landscape photography....

Use GND (Gradiated Neutral Density) filter.

Or if you take two exposures (on a tripod), one for the highlights and one for the shadows and blend them together in Photoshop...

 

[Shockey]

Hikin Mike,
Sweet photo, great example of how to use the tools we as photographers have at our disposal for evening out exposure.

 

[HikinMike]

Hikin Mike,
Sweet photo, great example of how to use the tools we as photographers have at our disposal for evening out exposure.

Yep, that was my point! :mrgreen:

Thanks btw. :blushing:

 

[djacobox372]

This is why you often see very good photographers using a flash during bright daylight.

 

[gsgary]

This book is awesome! You'll learn tons from it! And it's cheap!

Amazon.com: Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition) (9780817463007): Bryan Peterson: Books

I'm sure people on here are on commission for recommending this book but i have noticed quite a few coming back with problems understanding what he says

 

[KmH]

This book is awesome! You'll learn tons from it! And it's cheap!

Amazon.com: Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition) (9780817463007): Bryan Peterson: Books

I'm sure people on here are on commission for recommending this book but i have noticed quite a few coming back with problems understanding what he says

You should see Bryan's home in Tuscany.

Like most books technical books, 1 read isn't enough to fully comprehend all the material. Bryan also concentrates on concepts rather than specific camera settings so some, not finding specific settings for their camera, give up on the book long before that understanding of the concepts gels.

 

[gsgary]

This book is awesome! You'll learn tons from it! And it's cheap!

Amazon.com: Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition) (9780817463007): Bryan Peterson: Books

I'm sure people on here are on commission for recommending this book but i have noticed quite a few coming back with problems understanding what he says

You should see Bryan's home in Tuscany.

Like most books technical books, 1 read isn't enough to fully comprehend all the material. Bryan also concentrates on concepts rather than specific camera settings so some, not finding specific settings for their camera, give up on the book long before that understanding of the concepts gels.

Not seen the book in UK shops, i usually buy photo books got most of Henri Cartier Bresson's