exposure problems with blown skies

[westy79]

Did some practice shots the other day to try to stop the skies getting blown out. Im none the wiser as either the sky looks great with the rest in darkness or the sky is lost with everthing exposed better. I dont own any filters by the way.

have a look at the pics and see what you think. The 3rd shot is how the sky pretty much looked, but the shot is so dark. I have read
about taking two shots then merge them in photoshop but im not too keen on that idea! Plus i dont own photoshop.

Please view the link as the photos wont show on the thread!!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/djwesty79/sets/72157622130566169/




http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2626/3888964245_458f9e2379.jpg

Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/800)
Aperture: f/9.0
Focal Length: 18 mm
ISO Speed: 400
centre weighted

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3464/3889756590_cf81dede77.jpg

Exposure: 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture: f/9.0
Focal Length: 18 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Matrix metering

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2461/3888961779_1c3f734997.jpg

Exposure: 1/4000 sec
Aperture: f/9.0
Focal Length: 18 mm
ISO Speed: 400
spot meterd on sky then recomposed shot

[herc182]

hmm for some reason I cant see the photos.

But what you are describing is totally normal and unfortunately a result of the sensor not having the "dynamic range" that your eye has. Your eye can take in more light tones and see the sky and foreground in its entirety. However a camera sensor only has enough for the sky OR foreground.

The only way round it is using HDR (which takes three photos or more simultaneously, then you merge them all in post processing), or you using neutral density filters (which typically have a darker top half that will balance the bright sky with the dark foreground.

Here are some I did earlier :) Using HDR:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2457/3656146751_96cb931e3d_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3378/3585841914_ae07117a0b_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3663/3585538290_52074252b2_b.jpg

[rawpaw18]

Photos still not showing, and what editing program you using.
PP will be needed if the dynamic range is that vast

[westy79]

Thanks Guys, its strange cos they show up when i view the thread. Im pretty behind the times and only use picassa. My big worry is spending more time photoshopping than taking the pictures. But it seems alot of images can only be achieved with pp or merging two shots together etc.

Great images too Phil!

[Screenclutter]

Try and take these photos just after sunrise or just before sunset

So long as you don't take thousands of photos that need postprocessing, pp shouldn't take too much time

[GoneTomorrow]

I'll tell you about a trick I use which only works if the DR isn't too great. Under expose by -1 to -2 EV which should bring the skies down into a properly exposed or at least recoverable range. Of course the foreground will be somewhat dark, but with PS you can lift the shadows and evenly expose the shot, very quick and much less work than doing an HDR. And if you don't have Photoshop, try GIMP.

Also, are you shooting RAW? You get about a stop or so more dynamic range with the RAW format.

[westy79]

I'll tell you about a trick I use which only works if the DR isn't too great. Under expose by -1 to -2 EV which should bring the skies down into a properly exposed or at least recoverable range. Of course the foreground will be somewhat dark, but with PS you can lift the shadows and evenly expose the shot, very quick and much less work than doing an HDR. And if you don't have Photoshop, try GIMP.

Also, are you shooting RAW? You get about a stop or so more dynamic range with the RAW format.

No i dont shoot in RAW, dont have the editing software neither!!!!! I must invest in Photo shop because picasa is a little limited.

How do i meter for a scene like this. Spot metering the sky just makes the whole pic almost black!

[GoneTomorrow]

No i dont shoot in RAW, dont have the editing software neither!!!!! I must invest in Photo shop because picasa is a little limited.

How do i meter for a scene like this. Spot metering the sky just makes the whole pic almost black!

Scene like what? Can't see your images still. Maybe just link to the flickr set? And you should look at PS. You don't need CS4 necessarily, I find Elements 7 does enough for me ($100 USD or so). Lightroom is a little pricier but fantastic.

[westy79]

Here is a link to the images

http://www.flickr.com/photos/djwesty79/sets/72157622130566169/

[Gintaras]

listen to what others said. you either use software or you use GND filters. problem is for some situations filters will not work. GND can be also expensive, a good filter like Lee can cost 150$, cheaper Cokin is also good and costs only a fraction of Lee.

in any case you will need to invest some money and plenty of time learning.

here is the example of GND, i use Cokin before I find right combination and invest in more expensive filters. and Cokin is fairly Ok for what i need.

[jcon]

The only way round it is using HDR (which takes three photos or more simultaneously, then you merge them all in post processing), or you using neutral density filters (which typically have a darker top half that will balance the bright sky with the dark foreground.



Not entirely true. For most landscapes thats true, but if youre doing portraits with a sceninc background, this issue is easily resolved with fill flash and expose for the sky.

[GoneTomorrow]

Here is a link to the images

http://www.flickr.com/photos/djwesty79/sets/72157622130566169/

Just out of curiosity, are you clicking the "all sizes" button on the photo page then copying the link below?

[K1W1]

Thanks Guys, its strange cos they show up when i view the thread.


Try refreshing your cache on your browser.
The photos don't show here either. They are on your Flickr site so I guess you need to check the URLs.

[herc182]

Not entirely true. For most landscapes thats true, but if youre doing portraits with a sceninc background, this issue is easily resolved with fill flash and expose for the sky.

That in my book is a portrait not a landscape shot in which case my suggestion still holds true. If he had mentioned the presence of someone in his photo I would have alluded to the technique you summarised there.

[K1W1]

The same photos on Flickr are landscapes - no people present.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Remember you're having fun with this Westy, it's a hobby and you're getting better at it. If it all fell into place on day 1 the hobby would be no fun.

Proper filters like GND will really mean a decent tripod to use them properly so factor that in.

The cheap mans solution to your dilema is a circular polarising filter, even a cheap Hoya one will do fine. They work well for handheld shots. It will darken and blue the skies a bit. It darkens them most at 90 degrees to the sun and doesn't fix everything but is a good simple way to improve your current problem.

I'd recommend matrix metering for most shots, spot metering takes extra thought but is worth it for some shots. When I stopped using spot metering my shots improved heaps.

[westy79]

Remember you're having fun with this Westy, it's a hobby and you're getting better at it. If it all fell into place on day 1 the hobby would be no fun.

I'd recommend matrix metering for most shots, spot metering takes extra thought but is worth it for some shots. When I stopped using spot metering my shots improved heaps.

I think thats a good point about a hobby because i do get my teeth into things and want to know all i can in a short space of time. I have realised that photography is a lifetime of learning and i feel i have learnt so much.

Also due to metering i think i can disappear up my own backside with all the different settings to the point where i cant take the picture!

i think i will invest in some kind of filter to protect my lens at least!

[Rooz]

the real secret about metering is to be "zen-like-at-one" with your camera. different cameras meter in different ways. what you need to be doing, just learning from experience, is what you are gonna expect your camera to do in certain scenes. then you can make adjustments to metering methods from there.

using spot meter just for the sake of it is a sure way to screw your shots. but there are instances where if you don't spot meter it, the shot's dead.

you got free film dave...shoot it and chimp !!