How do I get a blue sky with clouds?

[becksjd]

Hi everybody,

I am fairly new to photography and I am trying to get better fast, not for any other reason but the fact that I am loving it and am addicted! I am struggling with some of my shots where the sky seems white and blown out. Sometimes there are really pretty clouds I was really hoping I could catch but the end result always turns out with a whitish/blue sky with no clouds.

Is there a trick? A better time of day to take pictures with a darker blue sky where clouds show up?

Thanks so much!

Becky

PS: oh if it helps to answer, I shoot with a nikon d90, with either a 18-105 kit lens or 50mm 1.8 lens.

[SusanH1970]

Hi Becky, welcome to DPS! Can you post an example along with the EXIF data?

[Life in Motion]

Originally Posted by becksjd

Hi everybody,

I am fairly new to photography and I am trying to get better fast, not for any other reason but the fact that I am loving it and am addicted! I am struggling with some of my shots where the sky seems white and blown out. Sometimes there are really pretty clouds I was really hoping I could catch but the end result always turns out with a whitish/blue sky with no clouds.

Is there a trick? A better time of day to take pictures with a darker blue sky where clouds show up?

Thanks so much!

Becky

PS: oh if it helps to answer, I shoot with a nikon d90, with either a 18-105 kit lens or 50mm 1.8 lens.

I have a similar question about the sky. I'm planning on my first "girly" year old shoot. I have one idea in mind that may be a total flop in the end but i still want to try it since i have the image in my head and have to try to get it out lol. okay on with the question. I'm planning on doing a group of balloon shots with the little girl outside. but with a twist, I'm thinking maybe have her stand on a small white stool on the edge of a hill/horizon with big clouds in the sky and then having her holding onto a group of balloons, and the twist is "then go back and edit out the white stool (may flop like i said Lol) so that it looks she is being lifted off the ground by the balloons" now this would be perfect if she has a surprised or excited look on her face from the balloons, which if it's the first couple of shots after she first sees the balloons she gets to hold it may work. i know sounds like a lot of trouble, but heck of less trouble and time took than grabbing a pencil paper and some paint lol.

So, do i expose for the little girl and blow the sky? and then take one exposed for the sky and maybe combine the two? or would it be enough to just expose for the little girl and come back and add contrast to the sky. OR would you say it is a waiste of time and effort and won't work at all lol...hmmm.

[Jim Bryant]

If you use your camera on auto or program, it has a tendency to expose for the sky and underexpose the foreground. Alot of it depends why metering system you've have chosen as well. I use canon, but normally use the spot metering system. You might want to get a polarizing filter, this will help you darken the skies and make those white clouds pop out.

[SusanH1970]

I took this one in bright, full sun. I used evaluative metering (usually I use spot metering for portraits, but I wanted the entire area metered for, not just my daughter).

f/2.0, 1/3200, ISO 100. I did some post work to bring out the richness of the colors.

[lputman]

Of course, you can expose for the sky and use fill light for the subject.

[Life in Motion]

Originally Posted by SusanH1970

I took this one in bright, full sun. I used evaluative metering (usually I use spot metering for portraits, but I wanted the entire area metered for, not just my daughter).

f/2.0, 1/3200, ISO 100. I did some post work to bring out the richness of the colors.

Okay, ya i usually use spot metering too...so evaluative then. and i like the pic you have, the colors are great and the sky looks great too. did you have to do a lot of adjusting on the sky to get it that bright post or did the evaluative metering do a pretty good job exposing for the sky too? thanks for the example .

Originally Posted by lputman

Of course, you can expose for the sky and use fill light for the subject.

i know this may not be aimed towards me and towards the thread starter lol...but thanks for the advice...so if i expose for the sky the flash won't blow the sky out?

[SusanH1970]

I did have to work on the colors to bring them out. I adjusted the blue and green saturation, did some dodging and burning, soft light layer, that kind of stuff. I have another version of it that's closer to sooc only with minor editing, but felt it needed a lot more punch.

I've also used the method that Lori mentioned in different lighting situations. In this shot my daughter was in bright, full sun so it didn't need fill flash.

[Life in Motion]

Originally Posted by SusanH1970

I did have to work on the colors to bring them out. I adjusted the blue and green saturation, did some dodging and burning, soft light layer, that kind of stuff. I have another version of it that's closer to sooc only with minor editing, but felt it needed a lot more punch.

I've also used the method that Lori mentioned in different lighting situations. In this shot my daughter was in bright, full sun so it didn't need fill flash.

I really want to get the first couple of shots right so i will try several of the things you guys recommended maybe on the mom first before i set the baby girl out and surprise her with balloons so i don't miss the expression due to test shots....Thanks for the advice

[lputman]

Obviously, time of day and direction shooting are going to affect the ability to capture a blue sky. Here's a great reference on the Canon line for flash photography...Flash Photography with Canon EOS Cameras - Part II

@Life in Motion, I suggest you go out and practice to get a feel for what you would have to do. You can just go out in your yard with a can, toy or other stationary object and test.