Question about terminology

[kelmn07]

I took photography in high school almost 10 years ago and thought I could pick it back up again, but I've found I can't and am looking into some books to learn more. I took a class a year or so ago that taught me nothing about photography, and only about the camera which I was pretty disappointed with so I am hesitant to spend money on another one. Just wanted to preface my question with some brief background.

I redid my kitchen this past month and was taking pictures with my d60. The stove is all black but you can't make out any of the details of it, like the edges or the the panels or the stove top. I wanted to figure out why that was so I tried googling things like 'blacks washed out' but couldn't find much so I am thinking I am not referring to it correctly, my other thought would be the exposure, but not sure if that's considered over or under when searching.

Thanks for any help and if needed I can post a picture for a better understanding tonight after work.

 

[MissCream]

Under exposed

 

[Big Mike]

Yes, it sounds like your problem is that your stove is underexposed, so the details don't show up in the photo.

You could increase your exposure, but then other things in the photo might start to become overexposed. This is due to the brightness range of your scene and the dynamic range of your (or any) camera.

 

[Helen B]

Detail-less blacks can be referred to as 'blocked up' or 'crushed' whether from deliberate or unintentional underexposure. 'Washed out' is usually used for highlights that are losing detail.

Best,
Helen

 

[kelmn07]

Makes sense since my counters and appliances are black and the cabinets are white so now I just have to figure out how to correct that. Thanks!

 

[analog.universe]

Using the histogram on your camera is the easiest way to ensure proper exposure. Check out this article: Understanding Histograms

 

[KmH]

Makes sense since my counters and appliances are black and the cabinets are white so now I just have to figure out how to correct that. Thanks!

You have only 2 choices for imaging a dynamic range that exceeds what your camera's image sensor can capture:

1. blending multiple exposures post process
2. using supplimental light to raise the exposure of the dark objects in the scene.

 

[analog.universe]

Makes sense since my counters and appliances are black and the cabinets are white so now I just have to figure out how to correct that. Thanks!

You have only 2 choices for imaging a dynamic range that exceeds what your camera's image sensor can capture:

1. blending multiple exposures post process
2. using supplimental light to raise the exposure of the dark objects in the scene.

My first guess was actually not that there was too much range in the scene, although it's certainly possible. For some reason I just assumed that the autoexposure underexposed the white cabinets... I feel like that's what my camera would do in one of the auto modes.

 

[bazooka]

If you are shooting in digital and you shoot in RAW format, it will give you quite a bit of leeway in exposure so you can bring up your blacks or lower your highlights if you need to.

EDIT: Just saw your last post... that's a definite possibility if most of the scene is white. Your camera will tend to underexpose the image. To compensate for this, you need to use exposure compensation. Check your camera manual if you do not know how to adjust this on your model.

 

[kelmn07]

I do know where the exp. comp is and how to change it, I just need to better grasp when/why to use it. I will try again this weekend to understand it better, not to get any kind of a shot. I am going to Europe next month and hope to have a better grasp of the basics so I can actually enjoy my images (but I'll have a point and shoot with me too).

Also, I am nervous to shoot in raw just because I do not know how to use photoshop in that capacity, even though I have it, but couldn't hurt to take some test pictures and see what happens.

 

[Josh66]

Also, I am nervous to shoot in raw just because I do not know how to use photoshop in that capacity, even though I have it, but couldn't hurt to take some test pictures and see what happens.

You could shoot RAW+JPG. Then you'll at least have the JPG to fall back on, just in case.

 

[w0M]

Using the histogram on your camera is the easiest way to ensure proper exposure. Check out this article: Understanding Histograms

Really useful to me, thanks for the link