Blown Out Horse

[wannabehorsephotographer]

I am moderately new to photography, but have always been interested in art. This was one of my first horse picture attempts with my new camera, a Fuji Finepix S700. It is still a point and shoot, but a huge step up from any camera I've used in the past.

This picture is straight from the camera - no post processing. I know that the picture is overexposed. I would appreciate any help on avoiding this as it is hard not to overexpose a dark horse. What is the best way to fix this in photoshop (Please feel free to edit my photo)?

I would also appreciate any other critiques.

PLEASE HELP!

EXIF info:
Shutter Speed: 1/170
Aperture: f/4.0
ISO: 100
Focal Length: 63 mm
Flash Fired

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24020312@N07/2284109506/" title="DSCF1371 by wannabehorsephotographer, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2021/2284109506_0f612c901f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="DSCF1371" /></a>

[chowc]

Depending on the point and shoot camera, you should be able to change between the various metering modes. I have found that by playing with the metering and exposure lock you can usaully come out with a pretty good pic of dark horses without post-processing. Takes some trial and error so take lots of pics and filter out the one that works.

Other method is to ensure the horse is evenly lit with the sun behind you/in front of the horse or have the horse in front of a darker background so the point and shoot can evaluate the light better.

Good luck!

[wannabehorsephotographer]

Chowc, thanks for your help! I will have to keep practicing. I'm kind of a newbie with photography, so hopefully I can figure it out. Does anyone have any tips on metering and exposure lock?

Also, I did have the sun behind me for the picture, but I think you are right about needing a darker background. All the barns on our place are white, the fence is white, and since it is winter all the grass is dead so the ground is light brown dirt. I need a lighter horse (just not a white one or they'd blend into everything) - lol.

Thanks again.

[peeperita]

chowc offered excellent suggestions for a better out of the camera shot.....

but, you did ask about post work.....this is an extremely off the cuff, in one minute flat example of what can be done.....

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/peeperita/2285445919/" title="2284109506_0f612c901f by peeperita, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2379/2285445919_b270177726.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="2284109506_0f612c901f" /></a>

this was done with the shadows/highlight tool in cs2.....and i use it mainly where the image is highly contrasted and is in need of repair......

if you plan on doing postwork to your images, try to bracket exposures....definitely have some that are on the underexposred side as it is easier to bring up shadow detail than it is to repair a blown highlight......

peeper

[wannabehorsephotographer]

Wow thanks Peeper! That helped a lot. He looks very bold and flashy now. I will definitely have to remember to bracket exposures of my horses from now on. I knew my camera could do it automatically, I just didn't realize how helpful the feature could be.

[windrider86]

You might also try, if its available, using a piece of white paper or carborad as a reflective surface. You can position it to the areas where there is shadows. That is if your subject will sit still while you do this.
Another option is during your post processing you can duplicate your laer and set the slider to mulitply. This will really bring out your colors and then use the slider to what ever opacity looks best to you. It may not be the best way to fix an overexposed photo but its an easy and quick way

[mrodgers]

Does anyone have any tips on metering and exposure lock?
As I have an S700 as well, I can tell you a few things.

First, I'm guessing that you were not using manual mode or shutter priority as you can not set 1/170 second shutter speed with the S700. So, I am guessing you were in P or auto. The best thing to do is just use manual mode. It isn't difficult to do at all once you figure it out. It isn't hard to figure out either with some good searching on the net. Anything dSLR related can be useful information as you have all the same modes. Our S700 cameras are just limited to the range of settings in the different modes.

If you have the time for multiple shots, you can shoot the horse (that doesn't sound good, hehe) then view the shot. While viewing, hit the display button and you get a smaller image on the screen along with a list of settings. You will also see a histogram which you can google search on how to read a histogram, and also in the photo display, you will see blinking black/white splotches. These splotches in the photo preview is the blown out portions. Reduce the shutter speed by 1/3 stop (1 click in the settings in manual mode) and reshoot and preview again. Eventually, you will learn by looking at the histogram in the viewfinder while setting the shot up how the shot will turn out.

Exposure lock is a nuisance with this camera in the other modes (P, S, and A). The problem is, both the exposure lock and the focus lock use the "push the shutter halfway". That means, if you want to lock exposure somewhere else other than the spot you want to base your focus on, it is impossible. Manual focus for me isn't an option at all as it is difficult to do while the camera is at my eye and difficult for me to see in the viewfinder as well. But we do have manual focus on the Fuji S700.

Here are 2 great sites that I found when I first got my camera (just before Christmas) and learned a lot with just these sites. This forum was the 2nd area I found that gives great info as well. And everyone recommends it, but the book Understanding Exposure will teach you a ton as well. I've only read the first 3 chapters, but those first 3 chapters made it instantly click for me and allowed me to move from the P, S, and A modes to understanding how to use full manual mode.

Here's the 2 sites....

ShortCourses (http://www.shortcourses.com/)
Digicam Help (http://www.digicamhelp.com/index.php)

Good luck with the camera, I do really like mine. It starts to become a bit limiting because it won't have the range that a dSLR does, but it does take very nice photos. And don't call your camera a Point and Shoot as everyone else does with non-dSLRs. That's one of my big pet peeves about this photography stuff is calling anything other than a dSLR a point and shoot. I definitely am not taking point and shoot photographs with mine.

Cheers

[wannabehorsephotographer]

Thanks mrodgers! That helps so much. It's nice to find someone else who has the same camera - it's so much easier to understand when they can speak your camera's "language".

Sorry to aggrevate your pet peeve - I'm new to all the photography lingo; I just assumed everything that wasn't a dslr was a point and shoot. But you are right, the camera can do a lot just like most dslr's I've seen. I have really enjoyed mine. I think I get better with it everyday; there's just so much to learn!

Thanks for taking the time to write so much helpful info!
~wannabe

[wannabehorsephotographer]

windrider,
thanks for the ps info! i will have to give it a try and see how it turns out.