Over exposure (Page 2): Kim, I have never shot in snow but think I understand the logic. I have shot lots of white birds. In sunlight, a white bird will almost always be overexposed if...

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Over exposure

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Jan 16, 2013 05:20:10 #

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Kim LeBlanc wrote:

The rule of thumb when photographing snow or brigh... (show quote)

Kim, I have never shot in snow but think I understand the logic. I have shot lots of white birds. In sunlight, a white bird will almost always be overexposed if you don't underexpose them.
If you expose even more, you will blow it to smitherins. I think you will have to white balance for the snow, but not so sure what that will do to the bird.
Maybe depends on whether you have a landscape with some owls in it, or are trying to get feather detail in a close up of the owls and there is some snow in the shot. Certainly, expose for the owls or they will be white, blown out blobs. And if you can balance the snow and not affect the color of the owls, even better.

Jan 16, 2013 05:31:23 #

fotkaman Loc: Earth

SharpShooter wrote:

quote=Kim LeBlanc The rule of thumb when photogra... (show quote)

...anotherwords, you agree with what I just stated right above, right?

Jan 16, 2013 12:16:02 #

Kim LeBlanc Loc: St. charles, Mi.

thanks for all the comments. I think once I take the raw image and work on it I should be good to go. I am shooting in RAW+, so the image I'm seeing is the jep when checking out image on camera. I am going to do some set ups around the house, white background with white subject to get a better feel before going back into the field.

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Jan 17, 2013 01:21:28 #

Ernie Misner Loc: Lakewood, WA

He's not talking a pure snow situation. I think most of us are assuming that the topic of this thread is shooting in snow, which is white. Here though he is talking aboout shooting in some snow with dark parts in the image.... which of course is a whole different ballgame. Obviously if shooting in pure snow or white sand you have to bias the exposure a lot to the + side. Bottom line - our reflective in-camera light meters are a very dumb beast. They try to make everything 18% grey.

Jan 17, 2013 07:07:53 #

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

Kim to photograph white birds, use Spot metering single focus point and they will turn out every single time, I promise. Your shooting the bird not the scene. Spot Metering Works. And don't adjust over or under on your exposure, your camera will adjust shutter speed to compensate

Kim LeBlanc wrote:

Jan 17, 2013 07:13:44 #

fotkaman Loc: Earth

fstop22 wrote:

Kim to photograph white birds, use Spot metering s... (show quote)

Awesome shooting, fstop22! :thumbup:

Jan 17, 2013 13:24:16 #

Ernie Misner Loc: Lakewood, WA

Spot metering is a great idea when you can catch them sitting. If you are spot metering off of a black bird, neutral colored bird, or white bird, the basic rules still exist for compensating though. I think what is saving you, since you say your camera will "compensate", is the fact that you are shooting in an auto mode, and the metering is picking up some of the background. Put it in manual, spot meter off of a white bird, and it will become 18% grey unless you add exposure.

BTW, your bird photos and exposures are excellent!

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Jan 18, 2013 07:22:05 #

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

Aperture Priority, single focus point, spot metering. When photographing birds you don't have time to evaluate the scenes, surrounding ect. That's the reason for spot metering. Your camera will choose shutter speed which in turn will render the bird in Perfect exposure. No calculating on your part, the camera does what you tell it. I tell mine to Meter off bird and I get the shot, ever time

Ernie Misner wrote:

Spot metering is a great idea when you can catch t... (show quote)

Jan 19, 2013 00:24:22 #

Ernie Misner Loc: Lakewood, WA

Try spot metering a white snowy owl sitting in snow with no exposure compensation. You will have a grey bird....;)

Jan 19, 2013 06:21:26 #

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

That's WB not Exposure

Ernie Misner wrote:

Try spot metering a white snowy owl sitting in snow with no exposure compensation. You will have a grey bird....;)

Jan 19, 2013 07:09:53 #

Radioman Loc: Ontario Canada

The rationale here is that the camera's meter will attempt to expose to achieve a nice even 18% grey and if you just shoot snow in auto it will come out grey and uninviting. So, you need to over-expose by 1 or 2 stops to give you white fluffy snow.
However, you're not shooting the snow, you've got a bird in your sights - so it depends on where your camera's meter is picking up it's reference from. If it's the eye's, these are going to be dark and you will probably over-expose. If it's the plumage it will probably under-expose.
In these sort of extreme conditions the camera's meter is not much good. You'll have to decide what you're metering on and make the necessary adjustments from there.[/quote]

***********

A very nice explanation krispix. This could be one of the cases where a camera's 'Bracketing' option would help.

Jan 19, 2013 19:52:23 #

Ernie Misner Loc: Lakewood, WA

>>> That's WB not Exposure >>>

Sorry but it's definitely exposure we are talking about here. An overexposed groom in a tux comes out grey and an underexposed bride in a white gown comes out grey. Has absolutely nothing in the world to do with WB, nothing. Try it. Take a piece of pure white paper in good light and photograph it, using the recommended (but wrong) exposure. Makes NO difference whether you meter it with spot, center, or matrix. Without adding + compensation it will come out grey. Same with a black object, without -compensation it will come out grey. BTW, white balance changes will affect usually the warmth or coolness hues.

Jan 19, 2013 20:25:21 #

Wabbit Loc: Arizona Desert

Kim LeBlanc wrote:

The rule of thumb when photographing snow or brigh... (show quote)

Hey Doc ..... yep, ya missing something .....

..... when you use shutter priority the camera chooses the aperture setting based on the shutter speed you chose, in Shutter priority the camera will not know what you're trying to do .....

..... Use M (manual mode) and then over expose two stops ..... you can thank me in the morning .....

Jan 20, 2013 03:00:24 #

fotkaman Loc: Earth

Since you will play during pp with the whites, blacks and neutrals anyway, I still thing that the best control is making sure no whites are overexposed, period! And fine-tune the underexposed by adding white to it later. Would this approach be just another way of how to skin a cat, or am I really missing something? :?

Jan 20, 2013 03:21:00 #

Ernie Misner Loc: Lakewood, WA

Right on, make sure no highlights (not just whites) are overexposed. Use the histogram. Sometimes we have to set up in anticipation of a shot though so good to know that snow for example will require + and very darks will require - compensation. Another way to look at it is that if using a hand held ambient (not reflected as in-camera) light meter, it will give you an exposure that already includes any compensation you'd need with the in-camera (reflected) type meter.

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