Lars Bogart Loc: Camano Isl., Wa., U.S.A.

How would you have taken this photo ??
Objective was to get the color and detailed design drawings of the side of Canoe.
I was facing into the sun.
As you can see I failed , horribly.
Have attached photo & camera info. & settings.
Looking forward to your answers.

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jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

You shot this in Aperture Priority. That's fine but I'd have opened up to f/5.6 and then your shutter would be much faster for a moving subject. But to get the picture bright enough when backlit you must use the EC (Exposure Compensation) at about a +1 maybe a +1 1/3 stops. Also, I'd shoot in raw because you could in post bring up the detail without the picture falling apart. What I mean by that is that you could open up the shadows and it will still be an acceptable picture.

If you shot this in raw, try the shadow adjustment to bring up the canoe detail.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

Did you shoot in RAW as well?

Lars Bogart Loc: Camano Isl., Wa., U.S.A.

Thank You !!
That's why I ask THE PRO'S.
I am always learning.

Lars Bogart Loc: Camano Isl., Wa., U.S.A.

No Raw.
Not Quite comfortable with it yet.
Guess I could shoot Raw+JPEG.

Stardust Loc: Central Illinois

See you had 18-250 lens. On my phone so can't look at photo Exif but if you still had zoom available a closer shot would have cut down some of the backlighting. Also realize you probably didn't have lots of time to shoot but spot metering may have helped versus center weighted adding in all that reflective water.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

I shoot raw because I am not comfortable with the results I get from jpeg.

Raw + jpeg won't help in most circumstances -

It seems your image is about 1-2/3 stop underexposed. I would have used the spot meter function of the camera to measure the side of the boat, and either used it as is (lighter background) or slightly underexposed, (everything a little dark but lighter than what you posted) - and shot it as raw. The raw file would likely provide enough latitude to reveal the shadow detail that is completely missing in the jpeg.

This is an example of what should have been a "miserable failure" but because I used raw and not jpeg, it really wasn't. I believe it has a greater contrast range than your image, yet I was able to reveal, in post processing, all the texture on the stone walls. The first image was used to create the second one.

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bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Of course the software you use matters some, but shooting RAW is not much different than JPEG. The camera creates the file, you transfer it to your computer and then open it in your software. The biggest difference is that the range of the adjustments (sliders) is greater.

My suggestion would be to use your camera's "auto exposure bracketing" feature. It will take a few images at different exposures so quickly it won't slow down your composition at all. Then in your software you can pick what got it right. A set of RAW bracketed photos in tough light can make life easy.

Lars Bogart Loc: Camano Isl., Wa., U.S.A.

WOW !!
All Fantastic answers !!
And understand what your saying !!

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

I shoot raw+JPEG because it doesn't hurt ever; 'raw' does no harm, but my Pentax camera creates great JPEGs so I virtually never need the 'raw'.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Just for the sake of analysis, I post-processes your shot to see if there was any retrievable e information (detail) on the shadow side of the boat. I found a bit of blue color but no graphics, lettering or other designs. I did a tight crop just to get a bit more magnification. This is extreme cropping and dodging so the quality is poor but there seems to be some texture in the skin of the boat.

The EXIF data you supplied makes sense- the camera pretty much observed the f/16 rule as per you ISO setting, f/stop, and shutter speed. The camera made a general reading, center weighted, for a bright sunny day. In such a lighting condition, especially if the sun is directly overhead or providing back of side lighting, the shadows tend to be dense and lacking in detail and color mass. There are a number of methods to overcome this issue.

Experienced shooters will recommend shooting in RAW and aiming for the point where you require highlight detail and them compensate in post-processing. If you master the technique, you are in effect, maximizing the dynamic range of your system

You can simply zoom out, make a spot reading of the shadow area and expose accordingly to by locking the exposure in and then zooming out to reset the composition. It is likely the water and sky wud be overexposed and somewhat washed out but you would have sufficient shadow detail.

You can employ flash- fill. Although in you shot, the subject is at a distance, a speedlight set a full power may have helped to open up the shadows. One method might be to increase the ISO setting to enable a slightly wider aperture and a shutter speed that will still accommodate a moving boat. As long as the shutter speed is within the flash sync speed for your camera the wider aperture will record more of the flash illumination. Shooting from a closer distance will help as well. Increasing the shutter speed is recommeded for freezing action, especially whe the direction of movement is parallel to the camera position.

A simple method may be to simply to set a + exposure compensation for one or two stops.

My advice is to experiment with some of these methods in similar lighting and distances conditions at a time where the is no action taking place- do a dry run! You will discover which method is more practical for your work and level of experience. If you knw how to plan and pre-set the camera, you will be able to concentrate on the action.

If you are making pictorial images, you want to learn to maximize your dynamic range and how to manage difficult light situations. If you are just making record shots to use as reference for making drawing or paintings, you can just shoot (expose) for the area where you require detail and let the rest go where it will.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Even with a JPEG and exposure based on the bright water, there is some detail of the canoe that was captured and revealed with extreme adjustments in Lightroom. If shot RAW, it would work much better.

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RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

Depending on how important getting the image is to you or to your subject:
Why not be in another boat (rental?) and shoot the subject from the other side, with the sun behind your back?
Much easier to get detail on the subject.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

There is also the option of bracketing and using software for HDR.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

These guys may be going too fast for that.