Rail bridge

[FlyingKiwiGirl]

I was out practicing my spot metering(and other functions) and this was one of my shots. I don't know what I metered off, if I metered at all, as by the end of my "photo shoot" I had 200 plus photos done 200 plus ways (Note to oneself- "Keep it simple") Anyway this photo appealed to me. Could you pass comment, any which way, would be appreciated. I would have been shooting in "P" mode.



Exif data-
Sony DSLR A350
f/10
1/320 sec
ISO-200
Focal length 22mm

[dvtldav]

I like the shot but to me the bridge & pilings are underexposed. Try increasing the exposure to those parts in LR or PS and see if that helps. The exposure in the sky and water look pretty good.

Dave

[FlyingKiwiGirl]

Originally Posted by dvtldav

I like the shot but to me the bridge & pilings are underexposed. Try increasing the exposure to those parts in LR or PS and see if that helps. The exposure in the sky and water look pretty good.

Dave

Thanks very much dvtldav, I'm still learning PSE9 so I've added it to my "to-do" pile(which is growing by the day) If I was to shoot it again what settings would I adjust on my camera to get the correct exposure. Would I spot meter on the piling or would that over-expose the sky and water? I have no idea on shutter speed(I'm still learning that too!)

[dvtldav]

Originally Posted by FlyingKiwiGirl

Thanks very much dvtldav, I'm still learning PSE9 so I've added it to my "to-do" pile(which is growing by the day) If I was to shoot it again what settings would I adjust on my camera to get the correct exposure. Would I spot meter on the piling or would that over-expose the sky and water? I have no idea on shutter speed(I'm still learning that too!)

I would try metering on the piling, meter as you did and do a plus exposure compensation of maybe +1, or do bracketing. Since it cost nothing to shoot digital try differentthings to see what works best.

Dave

[williamawalker]

Too dark under the bridge. Would be interesting to see if there is any details there. The sky and water look great. Out of curiousity, have you tried this in B&W to see how it comes out?

[FlyingKiwiGirl]

Originally Posted by dvtldav

I would try metering on the piling, meter as you did and do a plus exposure compensation of maybe +1, or do bracketing. Since it cost nothing to shoot digital try differentthings to see what works best.

Dave

Great! Thanks for that info, the bridge is just down the road so I'll be back there to try that out as soon as we have another blue sky day. I think I was trialing bracketing that day too but missed doing it on this shot. Cheers.

[2stroke]

I like it, the sky and water are exposed well and the bright bits of the bridge have nice detail with the rivets.

Since you expressed interest in learning, I would switch out of P mode and start using A / aperture priority. A is still a auto mode but you choose the aperture. To learn what is going on, shoot a shot in Aperture mode, check you screen to see if you would like more or less exposure for the picture you want. Then you can do one of two things, use exposure compensation to add or subtract exposure, OR, the big or, jump to Manual and based on the settings the A used add or subtract shutter speed to get your desired exposure. Also when viewing your pics on the computer, take note of the settings on images you like on iso, shutter, and aperture that the auto modes used.

BTW, I am shooting nearly the exact camera a300.

[FlyingKiwiGirl]

Thanks william for your suggestions(I overlooked your response yesterday) B&W is a good idea, I'll try that too.

Thanks very much 2stroke for your suggestions too. I like that it's in plain english and I can follow what you are saying, sometimes researching and reading, it's just too much to take in. I have been out of P mode more often lately than when I took this shot a few weeks ago but you've given me nice clear instructions to try, thanks!