How/If Question about a room pic (Page 2): You could make a selection in Lightroom or Photoshop of the window, & edit that to make the values match more closely. Maybe include doorway...

seeker613 Loc: Brooklyn, N.Y.

You could make a selection in Lightroom or Photoshop of the window, & edit that to make the values match more closely. Maybe include doorway or frame from which you entered to add to the sense of open design & framing like that will be a very interesting compositional tool.

That pre-storm sky is gorgeous!

OnDSnap Loc: NE New Jersey

Got a good flash/s? Set your exposure for outside (ambient) and use the flash as fill to light the room.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

SheilaG wrote:

Longshadow, I did try metering the outside and the inside was very dark.. VERY dark..

I've received some good ideas to try and maybe I can get closer to what I want.

I knew that was going to happen.
I hope you can accomplish your goal.

Shakey Loc: Traveling again to Norway and other places.

SheilaG wrote:

This is one of the things that I cannot figure out... (show quote)

Here's a different approach: Do this after dark and turn all your lights off; set your camera to B, which means your shutter is wide open until you until you click the shutter again. Take your flash in hand, not connected to the camera, and walk around each room firing the flash to illuminate all areas. When you have flashed each room close the shutter. Your rooms will be perfectly exposed as will the outside starlight. You may need a little practice to get it right but it works. Have fun.

seeker613 Loc: Brooklyn, N.Y.

Oooops, I was wrong on some points: there is no ability to make Selections in Lightroom, & the way the windows are situated it would be difficult to make such Selections. I'll try to be more careful w/late night posts.

HDR is the way to go. You can find videos on YouTube that demonstrate the HDR process (hope that wasn't a no-no, to refer to YouTube vids here…)

rdubreuil Loc: Dummer, NH USA

OnDSnap wrote:

Got a good flash/s? Set your exposure for outside (ambient) and use the flash as fill to light the room.

RWCRNC Loc: Pennsylvania

There are several You Tube videos on shooting interiors, specifically related to lighting.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

SheilaG wrote:

Longshadow, I did try metering the outside and the inside was very dark.. VERY dark..

I've received some good ideas to try and maybe I can get closer to what I want.

You are halfway there!

Here is a video explaining how to balance indoor and outdoor lighting. It's a good skill to cultivate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDLjOKSROnQ

If you want the cliffs notes version here it is.

1.) Put camera on manual and set shutter speed to flash sync max speed.

2.) Get good exposure for out the windows but retain that shutter speed, only change the aperture or ISO.

3.) Put flash on camera and set on manual.

4.) Dial in an amount of flash percentage (pretend 1/128) and take a picture.

5.) Evaluate; is the interior too dark? Add a bit more flash without changing the camera's settings.

6.) Repeat until you have a pleasing balance of flash to outdoors.

donrosshill Loc: Delaware & Florida

One of the beautiful things regarding our Eyes, they have the ability to compensate for light over a very wide latitude and our mind helps to put it all in proper density and perspective. Our cameras can not do this without some help.
I would suggest using a tripod and a good grade of HDR software that will allow you to take at least 5 images at a wide range of exposures to then be combined to create a single and fully dynamic range image that displays the details from outside to the shadows inside.
Yes, it is work but worth it.
Don

artBob Loc: Near Chicago

Using Photoshop and your second "dark" image, I would select the outside, and save that selection. I would then experiment with Camera Raw, or Hue/Saturation and Curves, to bring the outside into true color and contrast.

Reversing the selection, I would do the same process with the interior.

DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

SheilaG wrote:

I did not even know what that was until I joined here. I am trying to study the D70 manual and figure out how to bracket with my camera. I don't have software specifically for HDR. But I do have LR/Photoshop CC and I think there may be something in there. Again, figuring it out!! Thanks! I appreciate that!!

Yes, you can do HDR with LR. It's a little different from HDR programs like Photmatix, in that it doesn't provide a bunch of presets with thumbnails, but you can get a photo with higher dynamic range which could show what you see out those windows when you walk in. You could also download a free trial of Photomatix (or get the free NIK suite, which includes HDR Efex Pro 2. Although there are workarounds, the latter typically needs to be used as a plug-in to a photo editing program.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Sheila, this a somewhat easy to accomplish, but requires you to know your camera's capabilities. This is a similar situation to this photo; http://static.uglyhedgehog.com/upload/2014/6/6/1402033254602-_rsm_2011031901_001.jpg

The trick is to spot meter on the brighter outside and then push your exposure to the right several stops. This is where knowing your camera's capabilities comes in. Just how far to the right you need to increase your exposure and still capture those outside details. Once you have that somewhat simple approach understood, it's quite easy.
--Bob

SheilaG wrote:

This is one of the things that I cannot figure out... (show quote)

SheilaG Loc: Central Arkansas

seeker613 wrote:

You could make a selection in Lightroom or Photoshop

Thank you Seeker613! I have not ever done that type of editing, but it sounds like it would be very interesting.

That was one of my favorite sky pictures out there.

SheilaG Loc: Central Arkansas

OnDSnap wrote:

Got a good flash/s? Set your exposure for outside (ambient) and use the flash as fill to light the room.

No, I don't have a good flash. I am looking around at different cameras and will probably invest in a good flash along with the new camera! woo hoo!!

SheilaG Loc: Central Arkansas

Shakey wrote:

Here's a different approach: Do this after dark and turn all your lights off; set your camera to B, which means your shutter is wide open until you until you click the shutter again. Take your flash in hand, not connected to the camera, and walk around each room firing the flash to illuminate all areas. When you have flashed each room close the shutter. Your rooms will be perfectly exposed as will the outside starlight. You may need a little practice to get it right but it works. Have fun.

That does sound good and will be something to do once I get a good flash!
Thanks!