mdeman Loc: Damascus, Maryland

Often the problem is not one that you can correct with a digital camera in a single exposure. You only have so many bits of light level to spread from your darkest to lightest areas. So commonly, your skies are blown out when the foreground is properly exposed.

You can partially compensate, sometimes, with a circular polarizing filter which (if the angle is right) darkens the sky. An old trick, if you are only interested in black and white pictures, is to put on a red filter. But that may interfere with your foreground.

Other than that, it's all done in digital processing. Either some of the techniques described here, or HDR techniques. HDR stands for high dynamic range. Basically you take multiple pictures of the same image, at least 3 but maybe 5, and bracket the exposure so that the lightest areas are exposed correctly in one image and the darkest areas in another. Then the pictures are blended together in software like Photoshop or with special HDR software to make a single image.

JimKing Loc: Salisbury, Maryland USA

The highlight alerts are for informational purposes. It's not necessarily bad to have alerts. In many scenes exposing with no alerts will cause the darker areas of the photo to go way too dark. That being said to get rid of them you need to reduce exposure. Your exposure compensation on the 50D only allows +/- 2 stops which you said was not enough. Beyond that you'll have to use the manual mode and a smaller aperture or faster shutter speed, or both.

Wendy2 Loc: California

As someone suggested, filters may be the answer.

I visited Australia and New Zealand a few years ago and absolutely loved it!

Hedley Loc: Sydney Australia

Thanks Mdeman, I have a polarizer will try that.

Jimking I haven't tried a full 2 stop so that will be my first practice then as you suggest I will have to venture in to the dark and select "M" aagh!!! (Wheres that handbook?)

Glad you like Oz Wendy hope to visit Calafornia in a few years when I retire.

Harvey Loc: Pioneer, CA

For those members who use Photoshop here is an excellent solution to most blown out sky photos - A free downloadable action


http://www.outdooreyes.com/photo58.php3

grassroots

I use Cs3 and took a stab at it. what do you think?

mdeman Loc: Damascus, Maryland

Nice work. Only minor fringe problems around bridge and tree leaves. Now go back and use the trick that PNagy talk about earlier. Pick your lightest sky color, set your brush on Darken blending mode, and paint over the areas in the bridge and trees that are the light fringes. Need to really magnify to see well, but the painting doesn't have to be very accurate. Only the light fringe will disappear. I tried it on yours and it works very well.

Thanks again, PNagy, for that tip. I'll be using it a lot.

JimKing Loc: Salisbury, Maryland USA

The sky looks great. I'm not sure how you made your selection but it seems to have included the bridge top which now looks pretty blue.

PNagy Loc: Missouri City, Texas

You are welcome. I am glad to have told you about something useful. A few months ago I was considering acquiring a certification in Photoshop with the intention of teaching it to corporate clients. A friend of mine does the same for Microsoft products and thinks she can secure a few jobs for me in Photoshop. I have not yet pulled the trigger, but have not ruled it out, either.