What did I do wrong?
Aug 23, 2019 12:22:02 #
amfoto1
Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA
rook2c4 wrote:
The EXIF data indicates that you used spot metering. Apparently, you spot metered off the darkest spot in the scene (the very center of the flower), and the camera adjusted exposure accordingly. Spot metering for this is okay, but make sure you choose the spot wisely. Near the edge of the flower, for example.
I agree, this image is massively overexposed because of the Spot metering mode you had set.
You used Aperture Priority auto exposure, setting f/7.1 (good) and ISO 6400 (a little high?)... the camera metered the dark center of the flower, since that's what Spot metering restricted it to doing, then the camera chose a shutter speed (1/13) that it determined would render that dark flower as approx. equiv. to "18% gray". The camera has no idea what it's being pointed at, so all camera metering systems are calibrated to 18% gray (some think it's closer to 15% gray, but that's splitting hairs and doesn't matter). The photographer has to make adjustments when they are photographing anything that's darker or light than average, of the exposure will be incorrect.
A broader metering mode such as Center Weighted or Matrix/Evaluative would have taken much more of the scene into consideration and rendered a more accurate exposure. If the metering mode had included the highlights and leaves surrounding the flower, it would have all averaged out closer to 18% gray, making for a lot less over-exposure.
Alternatively, with Spot metering you could have dialed in a couple stops minus Exposure Compensation. That's used to override auto exposure when what's being metered is darker or lighter than "18% gray".
Because Spot metering is so limited in the area it reads, you need to be a lot more aware of tonalities that are darker or lighter than average, and more careful making adjustments.
Image can be recovered partially... but it's so overexposed that the highlights are completely blown out and unrecoverable. That's not necessarily a bad thing.... "high key" is a photo technique. In This case, some cropping might help. See below for the image after some recovery and a couple crop possibilities.
Aug 23, 2019 16:23:37 #
Aug 23, 2019 16:50:13 #
This is a gem of a capture.... I'd ad a little contrast to pop out the violet, add a little softness and boom you have a masterpiece..
Aug 23, 2019 17:12:29 #
I was in Aperture mode with Auto ISO. The camera measured the light level in the way it does and set the shutter speed. Next try will be in better light and a fixed ISO and smaller f-stop, like 5.6. Don’t know what to do about WB.
JohnSwanda wrote:
How did you arrive at your settings?
Aug 23, 2019 17:22:38 #
The shot was taken 45 minutes before sunset to the east of our garage on a not very sunny day overall. I sense some graininess which could come from the high ISO. I have a lot to learn about controlling through the histogram.
camerapapi wrote:
Your image is overexposed. Only the flower has goo... (show quote)
Aug 23, 2019 18:04:16 #
John_F wrote:
Sony a6300 30 mm macro, f7.1, 1/13 sec, ISO 6400. Taken in shade of garage, cloudy, overcast, around 7:30. At our latitude sun sets about 8:15.
It's pretty badly overexposed. Metering on the flower caused the background to blowout. What I would do is to spot meter off of a gray card in the same light as the flower and set your exposure in Manual mode by the gray card reading and shoot at the lowest ISO you can get away with. Look at the shot and then make any needed exposure changes. The other advantage is you can set your white balance off of the gray card shot in post processing and use it for all the other shots taken in the same lighting conditions.
Aug 23, 2019 18:29:35 #
John_F wrote:
I was in Aperture mode with Auto ISO. The camera measured the light level in the way it does and set the shutter speed. Next try will be in better light and a fixed ISO and smaller f-stop, like 5.6. Don’t know what to do about WB.
Did you know you were in spot metering mode?
Aug 23, 2019 18:35:16 #
Aug 23, 2019 19:33:42 #
amfoto1 wrote:
I agree, this image is massively overexposed becau... (show quote)
I think the original is much more interesting than the "recovered" result. And cropping even makes it more banal because it removes the composition, and just leave this rather unbeautiful dark maroon object.
Aug 23, 2019 20:51:42 #
Novicus
Loc: north and east
CatMarley wrote:
You evidently spot metered on the interior darkness of the flower, which overexposed everything else. But I don't care. You got a very lovely and unusual image. Sometimes accidents turn out better than intentions.
Agree
Aug 23, 2019 20:54:00 #
Novicus
Loc: north and east
CatMarley wrote:
I think the original is much more interesting than the "recovered" result. And cropping even makes it more banal because it removes the composition, and just leave this rather unbeautiful dark maroon object.
WholeHeartedly Agree
Aug 23, 2019 22:32:21 #
Aug 23, 2019 22:36:27 #
Aug 23, 2019 22:59:05 #
Nice artful photo however if you want it to look more normal, try a higher shutter speed and an ISO of around 400. If it looks underexposed ... hooray ... you can always lighten it up in post processing. A good rule of thumb is this: an underexposed image will yield more detail when it is lightened. An overexposed image washes out the details. Having said that ... I like what you did. Belongs in an art gallery.
Aug 24, 2019 11:04:52 #
CatMarley wrote:
If you had done everything "correctly" You would have gotten a very prosaic picture of a dark colored flower, with all it's detail too dark to make out, and nice green leaves. And completely ordinary and uninteresting. Your "mistake" resulted in this high key rather ethereal image. Yes, it is a terribly overexposed image of a flower, but it "works".
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