Gemeader Loc: NW WA state ( upper left hand corner)

Betsy- Your backlight situation is easy to handle and you have a couple of options. One, is to use the ± button to add exposure to your subject, since the light is behind him and not falling on his face. ( I’m assuming it’s a portrait, OK? We’ll just stay with that). By adding some exposure this way your camera will adjust whichever priority you HAVEN’T chosen; if you’re in Aperture priority, which would be good for a portrait, when you call for more exposure, it will change the shutter speed for you. If you’re in Shutter Priority, it adjusts the aperture. That said, The sky behind will probably go white. But that’s OK. It’s not your subject. With the extra exposure gained thru using the ± button, your subject will be rendered lighter. THe other method, if possible is to get very close to your subject and meter for just him. Set that exposure in M mode, step back, compose and pull the trigger. Your final post mentioned you were trying to capture a hummingbird. If so, method 2 won’t quite work. So stick with method one, use the ± button to increase the exposure and you should be on your way. And the indicator to look at when you’re using the ± is in your viewfinder. Moving the mark to the right is more exposure, to the left is less. Make sense?

bjwags

thank you so much for the advice. i will continue to try to get some good pics. I am waiting for my bee balm to bloom then i will wait and ambush them! But i wil also keep trying from my porch. I have till August when they stop coming.

bjwags

i read some more and it is under the scene mode as a choice. But i cannot use it for anything with motion. I am wanting to get some good pics of a hummingbird in a back light situation. I will keep trying.

bjwags

thank you gemeader, I am trying to get a good pic of a hummingbird and i have a setup on my porch that is backlit. My camera has a backlight option i was asking about but in studying it further, it is under the scene mode. But i cannot use that in anything that has motion. But thank you so much for the suggestions,i will try them on hummingbirds. I have till around August when they stop coming here to figure it out. I wil keep trying.
Betsy

twowindsbear

IMHO, you're on the right track! I really LIKE the 2 pix that you posted. Your shutter speed looks good, you're showing just a hint of subject movement in the bird's wings. Your pix aren't backlit, but rather nicely out of focus & an unobtrusive mix of shades of gray & green.

Keep up the good work!

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Congrats, Betsy! That makes a great background contrast for the hummingbirds. One tip about answering people in a thread: use the "quote reply" button. Comments go in order of when posted so your reply to one person may be a couple of pages beyond the original comment. Using "quote reply" such as I did here enables people to follow the conversation more easily

bjwags

thank you twowindsbear,
I changed my approach to the hummer by moving my camera so the white house across the street is not in the backround. I used a tripod with a remote cord and waited for the little bugger to come. I can see the focus is out, but not sure what to do about that - I set the camera up and focused on the test tube, but the hummer is not exactly at that place so maybe i need to hold an object up right n front of the feeder and focus on that? I have trouble hand holding the camera and getting a shot cuz they move so fast by the time i pust the shutter. Do you think i should manuel focus or use the AF? Thank you again for your input

bjwags

Ok, thanks Linda

bjwags

twowindsbear

Changing your f-stop 1 stop smaller - 1 number higher - may give you enough more depth of field to fix that focus situation. You'll probably need either more light or a higher ISO value, I wouldn't use a longer shutter speed, though. Can you set your camera to shoot several frames in rapid sequence, and to focus continuously while shooting in rapid sequence? Keep shooting, keep experimenting, keep posting your results! Electrons are free, so you're not wasting them when you use them.

sloscheider Loc: Minnesota

Well possibly she’s referring to Hubert H Humphrey but I assumed it was just a typo meant to be UHH for Ugly Hedge Hog?

ToBoldlyGo Loc: London U.K.

Yup. Confusion. It would be nice if she could respond and tell us what she's been reading.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Here's a tip: there is also a variation of that easy-to-figure-out typo that pops up occasionally: UGG. Please make a note: they both mean "Ugly Hedgehog."

bjwags

Thank you. I changed the angle so the backround is a large evergreen instead of the white house across the street. i will keep practicing

bjwags

Okey Doke!