exposure problem or something else?

[nursemandalyn]

I'm just learning how to use my DSLR. Please ignore the "lack of" composition here. I was really just playing with settings, as I'm trying to learn.

I have a couple questions. The background looks so blown out. Is this due to my aperture, or is it an exposure issue? The picture was taken in a shaded area with trees overhead, water behind. ( we were in Niagara Falls).

I used my on camera flash to help reduce shadows on her face. But she still looks off, too dark

I have an older model Cannon rebel EOS. Per my manual, it uses centerweighted metering on Manual, and Partial metering when AE is used. Otherwise it uses evaluative. In a setting like this, should I meter off her face, then use my AE and re compose the shot?

Any tips, suggestions, anything welcome. As I said I am just learning. I'm thinking I should have bumped my ISO up a bit to compensate for the shade?



f5.6, 1/200, ISO 100.

[nursemandalyn]

My picture keeps posting very large, even though I am resizing it. How do I change that?


OK I figured it out!

[Maik]

You have used spot metering. So your camera was metering the exposure only on the little girl. This is why the backgound looks that blown out. If you used metric metering the camera would meter the exposure for the whole picture. But then the little girl would be far underexposed....

Hope this helps something in understanding you're camera....
Keep shooting.

[RichardTaylor]

You may want to use some more fill in flash to help bring back some of the background. Expose for the background and use the flash to expose the child.

This may help.
http://neilvn.com/tangents/2010/08/1...tl-fill-flash/

[BigFuzzy]

In the end, it's an issue of extremes. Very dark (subject) vs. very light (baackground).

The key is to find a more balanced lighting situation.

Using the fill flash helped, because without that, she'd have been almost a silhouette.
It would have been very difficult to have gotten a better exposure in these conditions without proper lighting (ie something stronger than your pop-up)

In the end, when composing, think of the background and how it'll come out if you try to expose for the subject properly. In this case, proper exposure on the subject will guarantee an overexposed background.

Hope that helps you understand what happened. I think any exposure mode would have had one problem or another (unless you wanted blown out backgrounds as is sometimes the case).

[nursemandalyn]

Thank you for the responses. I purposely tried taking pictures in the not so great lighting, so I could learn from it. I am able to get better pictures in a more natural light situation. I'm just really trying to try out different situations so I can see what I need to do, what works, doesn't work, etc. This definitely helps me in my learning! I will check out those links as well.

[nursemandalyn]

Originally Posted by Maik

You have used spot metering. So your camera was metering the exposure only on the little girl. This is why the backgound looks that blown out. If you used metric metering the camera would meter the exposure for the whole picture. But then the little girl would be far underexposed....

Hope this helps something in understanding you're camera....
Keep shooting.

Thank you. It's a bit frusturating with my camera, because it's an entry level so it doesn't give a lot of option in changing the metering. I am reading up so I make sure I understand the difference between. But hard to apply it when my camera doesn't allow the change. I do see what you are saying though.

I had another picture that she was super dark because I didn't use the flash. I also used the evaluative metering.




f/5.6, 1/160, ISO 100

[BigFuzzy]

Originally Posted by nursemandalyn

Thank you. It's a bit frusturating with my camera, because it's an entry level so it doesn't give a lot of option in changing the metering. I am reading up so I make sure I understand the difference between. But hard to apply it when my camera doesn't allow the change. I do see what you are saying though.

I had another picture that she was super dark because I didn't use the flash. I also used the evaluative metering.


f/5.6, 1/160, ISO 100

What camera do you have? I ask because I'm pretty sure it has the same metering methods my 5d does. It's an issue of how to use them. Even my 300d had the same metering methods except the "spot" metering was not quite a "spot" metering, so I'm not sure what more you want than what I assume it already has?

[nursemandalyn]

Originally Posted by BigFuzzy

What camera do you have? I ask because I'm pretty sure it has the same metering methods my 5d does. It's an issue of how to use them. Even my 300d had the same metering methods except the "spot" metering was not quite a "spot" metering, so I'm not sure what more you want than what I assume it already has?

Per my manual I can't change the way it meters independantly. It's built in depending on what setting I use. I have a Cannon Rebel 300D I think.

This is from the manual. So unless I am misunderstanding, it has the modes, it just doesn't let me change them unless I'm in the mode for it. So that means I can use partial during AE lock, and only centerweighted during Manual. So I can't use Evaluative during Manual. If I am on AV I can only use evaluative, unless I use the AE lock.. then it uses partial.


Evaluative: this is the cameras standard metering mode

Partial metering: This is set automatically during AE lock in the creative zone modes

Centerweighted average: this is set automatically in the M mode.