first manual mode photo

[vickistark]

I got up just at sunrise today. It had snowed all night and I wanted to get a good clear shot of the scenery. So what do you think of this? It seems a little dark to me but it was rather gloomy. What should I have done differently?



*Vicki - noticed you were having issues. Sime

[autofocus]

Originally Posted by vickistark

I got up just at sunrise today. It had snowed all night and I wanted to get a good clear shot of the scenery. So what do you think of this? It seems a little dark to me but it was rather gloomy. What should I have done differently?

Looks very dark Vicki...so dark I cannot see the photo

[vickistark]

well I am going to try and attach the stupid photo again

[autofocus]

Originally Posted by vickistark

well I am going to try and attach the stupid photo again

Vicki, you may have better luck when shooting snow scenes(or beach scenes) by bumping up your exposure by a stop or so...EV+1 (or more if needed) You see, the meter in the camera wants to expose to 18% grey, and fresh snow is always more white than that..so you want to fool the meter by over exposing

Vinnie

[vickistark]

thank you. I am having trouble understanding the EV. I mean it makes snese when I read it but when I pick up the camera it falls out the back of my head hahaha. Is there anything you can add that I I may not have read to make it click? I did do a second picture later in the morning. Take a look and give me some feed back.

[dcclark]

Originally Posted by vickistark

thank you. I am having trouble understanding the EV. I mean it makes snese when I read it but when I pick up the camera it falls out the back of my head hahaha. Is there anything you can add that I I may not have read to make it click

As far as EVs, the simplest thing think of is: More EV = lighter / brighter. Fewer EV = dimmer / darker. If you see a scene that's too dim, dark, grey, etc., dial in some positive Exposure Compensation (that is, add some EVs). If it's overexposed, dim it down with some negative EVs. That's just about all -- other than that, it's mostly experience, getting used to your camera's particular needs concerning how many EVs to add or subtract. (Hint: start out with + or - 1, and fine-tune after that.

[Sterling]

Of course, the whole point of shooting in Manual mode is that you can control the exposure directly with aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Exposure Compensation control is only relevant in P, A, and S modes.

When in Manual mode make sure Auto ISO is not set or it may try to fight your manual changes to aperture or shutter speed by changing the ISO setting on you. (Auto ISO should be automatically de-activated when in M mode but it isn't in some cameras.)

Regarding your photos, they are just underexposed. Just compare the darkness of the snow in the second one to the thread background which is nowhere near white itself. Since you are using Manual mode, just increase the exposure 1-2 stops by either opening up the aperture or using a slower shutter speed (once your ISO is set at a fixed setting).

[dcclark]

Good point, and sorry that I missed the obvious there! Dealing with EVs in manual mode is trickier, because you have to calculate the change yourself -- in a semi-auto mode, exposure compensation lets you simply "tweak" your camera's meter instead.

[Doctor Atomo]

As a newby, one of the most valuable tricks I have found is to take a quick shot in full Auto to see what settings the camera wants to use. From there I adjust shutter speed, aperture, white balance and ISO to taste!

[vickistark]

Thanks bunches yal! My Dad would have said "well you gotta be smarter than a digital camera, now don't ya?" Hahaha, I will press on and see what happens! I did retake a shot or two and this was what I thought was the best of the bunch.