Help with settings...

[wodm]

Hi Guys.

I am need of some advice.
What setting should i be using for shooting in the park in sunlight? (please dont judge the shots themselves, just the lighting issues )

This picture has no sky in it (over exposed?)


Photo info

Model: Canon EOS 1000D
Manufacturer: Canon
Orientation: top - left

Photo data (EXIF)

Date taken: Sun, 30/10/2011 - 16:51
Focal Length: 131.0 mm
Aperture: f/5.0
Shutter Speed: 1/125 sec.
ISO: 500
Flash: Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode.
Shutter speed: 458752/65536 sec. (APEX: 11)




Where as this on seems too dark.


Photo info

Model: Canon EOS 1000D
Manufacturer: Canon
Orientation: top - left

Photo data (EXIF)

Date taken: Sun, 30/10/2011 - 16:54
Focal Length: 55.0 mm
Aperture: f/5.0
Shutter Speed: 1/320 sec.
ISO: 200
Flash: Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode.
Shutter speed: 548864/65536 sec. (APEX: 18)



Both these pics were taken at the same time pretty much so conditions were identical for both.


Any advice please as to what i can do right or even what i am doing wrong greatly apreciated.

Thanks.

[GeoffWessex]

Difficult to see how these were done unless you were in Manual mode! The top one's overexposed and the lower one is underexposed..... but either Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority (or even a full 'Program' mode) should have worked out a better exposure than that.

[markgozz]

Hi worm

To help us could you let us know what settings you used for these shots , things like metering mode , focusing mode and as Geoff above has said A P or M .

Also is this the first time this has happened or is it an on going problem .

Mark

[wodm]

Originally Posted by GeoffWessex

Difficult to see how these were done unless you were in Manual mode! The top one's overexposed and the lower one is underexposed..... but either Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority (or even a full 'Program' mode) should have worked out a better exposure than that.

Is the info in the EXIF data? i can't remember off the top of my head what settings i used sorry. The camera is a canon 1000D

Originally Posted by markgozz

Hi worm

To help us could you let us know what settings you used for these shots , things like metering mode , focusing mode and as Geoff above has said A P or M .

Also is this the first time this has happened or is it an on going problem .

Mark

As above but i should add, i have only had the camera about 6-8 weeks so still experimenting (Read messing with it lol).
It is an ongoing problem but not serious lol i am worried though that i will have a great shot ruined by my ineptitude

Oh and it's wodm not worm lol

[wodm]

Just added the exif data under each pic.
Aperture Priority was used according to the properties on my computer.

[markgozz]

I'm so sorry wodm it's this predictive text on my phone ( smart phone my *** )

Have a go at using your camera in auto mode and make sure your not set on spot metering this should give the best chance of seeing how your camera exposes a scene .

Good luck

Mark

[wodm]

Cheers mate. i have used it on auto and it works fine but i want to take control of the camera.
I go to autograss when i can and want to take good shots there as well as getting good shots of the kids at play.

As for calling me worm it's fine mate i have been called worse, my missus is called Karen and predictive text comes up with lard until i press the n at the end

[nick_gray]

Wodm,

Whilst you are trying to figure out the settings. Here's what I used to do (and still do sometimes in tricky lighting). Take a shot in Auto, then press the playback button and see what settings the camera is using to take the shot (press the disp button if the settings are not displaying on the lcd). Now when you switch to AV or TV, you'll have a better idea what setting to use.

Regards

Nick

[wodm]

Originally Posted by nick_gray

Wodm,

Whilst you are trying to figure out the settings. Here's what I used to do (and still do sometimes in tricky lighting). Take a shot in Auto, then press the playback button and see what settings the camera is using to take the shot (press the disp button if the settings are not displaying on the lcd). Now when you switch to AV or TV, you'll have a better idea what setting to use.

Regards

Nick

You know in life, sometimes things are so obvious that you don't even think about them and then when you have them pointed out to you you feel like an idiot? thats me now

Cheers mate. i will do that for sure. Excellent tip i think.

[jet_kit]

Hi Mick,

Yes, the first pic is overexposed and I wouldn't have used such a high ISO. Also I would have used a smaller aperture (say f11) which is likely to be closer to the lens' sweetspot and will give a great DoF. Going completely manual I would expect something like ISO 200; 1/125 @ f11
So, you're about 3 stops adrift.
The problem then is one of dynamic range- The sensor just hasn't got the range to expose adequately for the shadows (under the trees) and for the bright sky. The solution would be take two or three images at different settings and marry them together. If you have PS4 or 5 there is an HDR facility for this.
The simpler solution is a graduated ND filter to cut down the excess light from the sky.
You could try to rescue this in PS by lassoing the overexposed section and reducing the exposure locally, but it's unlikely that you'll get very far. If the highlights are blown, there's no data to rescue.
The second pic is more salvageable and simply needs the exposure lightening up in PS. Image/Adjustments/Brightness & Contrast.

Good luck