How do you handle a cloudy day?

[pixiedust_photo]

What type of settings do you use on your camera to avoid grainy shots??

I just the canon 50d but I had the rebel XT

[RexK_Cozumel]

I think you mean noisy shots not grain. There is a huge difference. Anyways on a digital camera noise is caused by two general factors. High ISO and long exposure. If you want to reduce the amount of noise in a shot then use a low ISO and a short shutter speed.

[midnightsoiree]

low iso, long exposure, f at 8, and a tripod. XD

[dcclark]

Actually, on a cloudy day, I grab the tripod, ND filter, and go shoot waterfalls! I set my ISO to 100, shutter speed to something long, and enjoy -- at ISO 100, there's no noise to be seen, and life is good. With clouds, there are no annoying shadows to be seen, and nice diffused light all around.

[Glayva]

Shoot urban portraits. Wonderful soft light

[candleman]

you shouldnt be having a problem with noise on a 50D in daylight...
you need to lower your iso

heres iso explained for beginners.
http://digital-photography-school.com/iso-settings

read up on the exposure triangle too.. that should solve all your problems

[kencaleno]

There are two distict types of digital noise:

a) Luminence Noise(Which looks like film grain,usually in large areas of sky)


b) Chroma noise (Colored speckles in shadow areas)

To avoid these Use lowest Iso,correct exposure,and adequate lighting.

Your best aperture for cloudy days is F 5.6

To fix problems afterwards in Photoshop:

Luma -Grainy noise:

-lasso area and apply smart blur at default setting (For small areas)
-Or Ctrl+J
-Smart blur-Then eraser tool to expose background features


Chroma-colour noise:


- Image> Mode> LAB Colour> Channels
Channel “a” Gaussian blur 5 pixels
Channel “b” Gaussian blur 5 pixels
Channel “lightness” Filter> noise> despeckle
Image> Mode> RGB colour


Regards, Ken

[pixiedust_photo]

I know my ISO pretty well but the exposure I am still trying to master. The expersure is my F# right??

So on the cloudy day my ISO is normally 200-300 and should my F# be on the lower side as well

[wulf]

No - the exposure is the image that results from the combination of:

(a) the lighting conditions (harsh sunlight, overcast, flash, etc). You have limited control over these outside of a studio set up but clever positioning and waiting for the right moment can help you find the magic.

(b) the combined effect of aperture (f/stops), shutter speed and ISO (the "exposure triangle). Each of these has side effects so, in some situations you can't get the image bright or dark enough but there is normally a certain amount of choice in how you balance them.

Wulf

[pixiedust_photo]

I know I am learning everyday about something fun in photography but I want perfect photos. That just isnt going to happen for me