Lighting/exposure questions

[WALABOOM]

Hi, I have a few questions I hope someone can give some feedback on. The two main questions are taking pictures in an area with too much light, (glare), and one area thats very shady......
I take pictures of historical areas, etc. Both areas involve old cannons.
The first is an area that is deeply shady. This cannon really only has light coming from the front. Behind it is a hill 30-40 feet high, all the way around. On top of the hill are tall trees, 40-50 feet high.Best shots are from the rear. But again really deep shadows, even at high noon! I've used only "automatic" setting. Experimented with other settings but sadly don't recall the results... Pix were over 10 months ago... returning in a month or so to try my luck again. Exposure compensation a possibility? I remember using the flash with little or no difference. 2. A cannon out in the open. I've shot at cloudy and sunny conditions. Always at automatic setting, I almost always get glare on the big barrel; top especially. The cannon itself is a very dark black. Never used the "cloudy" setting my Canon A540, don't know if it would make a difference. Possibilities: use of my exposure compensation, flash settings, try manual or program etc, Really cool pictures if the glare and shade can be limited. Lastly, how much can a photo editing program help to lighten the shade, or darker the glare? Any comments welcomed, especially from veteran shutterbug's. Thanks WALABOOM.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Set the shot up you want (preferably on a tripod). Take multiple shots of the same scene at different settings. Stick with your auto mode if thats what you're comfortable with but adjust the exposure compensation between shots. It's obvious you really care about this shot so take one at -2Ev, -1Ev, -0.3 Ev, 0EV, +0.3Ev, +1 Ev and +2 Ev. Then back on your computer at home you can decide what you like most.

If you were very familiar with photo taking and editing then instead you could take a -2Ev, a 0Ev and a +2 Ev and electronically merge them into one photo with a sophisticated editing program and good post processing skills. This is called HDR (high dynamic range) photography.

Or even just taking your shot in raw instead of jpeg and then adjusting "curves" in photoshop, lightroom or the equivalent that you're familiar with to optimise the exposure.

[WALABOOM]

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately my camera on automatic won't let me adjust the exposure compensation, the other settings will. I'll check and see if there is a way to override this feature; maybe I missed something. The cannon that is in the deep shade I doubt that I will be able to use auto; manual or program probably? I will have to experiment and see what happens. Opinions regarding manual or program etc, etc, welcomed. Nice shots but too much glare and shade!! Hope to get my computer later this year. Thanks WALABOOM.

[Screenclutter]

....... But again really deep shadows, even at high noon! I've used only "automatic" setting. .... 2. A cannon out in the open. I've shot at cloudy and sunny conditions.

I'm not an expert like most of the guys here, but the best time of day to take outdoor photos is just before the sun sets or rises. During these times, the difference between the daytime light and the light reflected from the black cannon will be less than in the middle of the day (mid morning to early evening).

May not work though if your cannon is in shade when the sun sets or rises.

It's these situations where people begin to realize that the 'manual' setting will have to start getting used.

[AlexMonro]

Program mode is usually a "semi auto", which makes its own esimate of exposure but allows you to change it, either by "program shift" (you cange aperture or shutter speed, and the camera changes the other variable to give the same effective exposure, or by "exposure compensation", which allows you to increase or decrease the overall exposure (usually by changing the shutter speed).

For the cannon in the shade, try using program mode, and take a range of shots, increasing the exposure compensation by 1 step (usually 1/3EV) for each one. Aperture priority mode (if available on your camera) will probably have the same effect, try setting an aperture in the middle of the range, say f/4 - f/5.6. Using a tripod is a good idea for best results, especially if the shutter speed starts getting slow - depending on how steady your hands are, less than 1/100s - 1/60s. Use the lowest ISO setting you have, to reduce noise.

As to the glare, if the cannon is painted with gloss paint, rather than being bare metal, you might find a polarising filter helps, otherwise, perhaps you can visit the location on a slightly overcast day, with thin, high cloud, rather than full bright direct sun.

When it comes to editing, generally there's more room for adjustment in lightening shadows than darkening highligts - once a highlight is burned out to white, it's gone forever! I often use The GIMP to lighten shadow areas of my pictures to get a pleasing print, but if taken too far, you'll start seeing more noise. If you can shoot in RAW (I believe there's a firmware hack to enable RAW on some Canon A series), you'll have slightly more room for adjustment.

[Ken.]

You're close to the answer with flash. You need to use fill in flash or have the flash fire all the time (fill in flash). This sounds counter intuitive. The flash will illuminate the cannon and the scenery will take care of itself through auto exposure. You can adjust the flash intensity. This is an oversimplification but it will get you going in the right direction. A bright glare on a black cannon will be a problem and not easy to work around. You have no/little control of the environment and JPEG does not help. Bracket your exposures and handle the rest with a little retouching magic. It's a simple thing to clone a dark section of the cannon and gently apply the tone and texture with a tablet/stylus and Photoshop Elements. Elements also has a highlight recovery tool but it's not a cure all. A basic Wacom Bamboo with tablet/stylus and Elements runs about 100.00, a bargain for the photo editing power you get.

[WALABOOM]

Thanks to all for the feedback. You've given me a lot to think about. I think when I arrive I'll have to have a clear plan written out as to what I will do, as far as program modes, settings, etc. If I go back and just "wing it" I'm probably going to forget something that I should have tried. The deep shadow area at Black Point Battery will definitely, if done right, be a great shot! It's not just a cannon but the view and the area below the cannon that make it great. There are old munitions lockers from the American Civil War era that ring the area. My automatic settings don't seem to have enough flexibility to do this job. The program or manual seems to be my option with their exposure/compensation settings. As for the cannon with the glare, which is I believe an 1899 Spanish piece, I will have to do a little more thinking on.... Any comments or Q's welcomed. Thanks again, WALABOOM.