Outdoor Photography

[Mo22]

I am a beginner just trying to get great outdoor photos of my friends and family. I am using a D90 and have 2 lense options, a Nikor 70-300 and a 18-105. I am trying to get that soft look to the photos. I recently shot my cousin outside on a partly cloudy day. The sun was peeking out at times. Most of my photos were too dark. I lightened them up in Elements 6 and iphoto editing. I also have Lightroom but haven't worked with it that much. The pictures turned out okay, but I am not satisfied. They appeared grainy once I brightened them up. What settings is the best for outdoor pictures when the lighting is always changing? Is a reflector necessary? An external flash? A certain type of lens cover? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for your help!

[RLucas]

If you are shooting raw, it is easier to overexpose and pull in post, than it is to push the exposure. When you underexpose and push it, it will introduce more noise into the image. There is a threshhold of overexposure though. If you go too far, you can get blown highlights, which are just as ugly to deal with. On my Nikons, I like to have the majority of my midtones just right of the center of the histogram, and spread out from end to end.
That way, in post, you can adjust either way if you need to.
If you don't know how to use your histogram, here is a very good article on how to best use it.

[dcclark]

One good option is to use fill flash -- either the onboard flash, or an external one (like a SB-400 or SB-600, for example) pointed towards the subjects. That helps to "fill in" the darker shadows and avoid problems like this. Give it a try on a willing subject, to see the difference with and without a flash.

Also, if you want the "smooth" look, you'll probably want a faster lens -- something which goes to f/1.8, for example, would help to blur the background out a bit. Nikon has several good choices, such as the 35mm f/1.8 or the 50mm f/1.8 or 50mm f/1.4.

[Chip]

Welcome to DPS. Can you post a photo or 2, as an example of the problems you experienced? That might help us give some more specific advice.

[Mo22]

Here are a few example pictures. I think they are too dark and they don't have that soft touch. The sky is actually blue with a few clouds. Let me know what you think. Thanks!

[autofocus]

They don't look too dark to me..maybe it's you monitor??

[Indigo November]

Do you have the exif for these? The last has a bit of that soft look you are trying to get.
For an even softer look definitely get a lens that goes to f/1.8 or less.
I really love my Nikkor 35mm f/1.8, but some people prefer the 50mm, because
you don't need to get in as close to your subject.
The skin has a grayish tint to it, that could easily be warmed up in PP.
As for the sky, a polarizing filter would fix that, and they are not too terribly expensive.
For the darkness, just overexpose a smidge (only if shooting Raw), or just get your exposure right.
You probably have an exposure compensation button, that should do the trick.

Hope this helps!

[dcclark]

The comment about the sky leads me to believe that you may be expecting too much from your camera. The sky (in general, not just in these photos) is extremely bright during the day. Things like grass and the child aren't nearly as bright. Unless the sun is directly on them, they'll be (relatively) much dimmer than the sky. So, if your camera chooses to expose the foreground correctly (which it seems to have done very well), then the result will be a "blown out" sky. This looks like exactly your situation.

The only real way to avoid this, besides recomposing to get the lighting different, might be to use a flash setup which allows a faster shutter speed. That way, the sky might come out a bit more "natural".

Remember, your eye can see a whole lot more than your camera can -- just because the sky AND the foreground look good to you, doesn't mean that your camera can handle the same range of brightnesses.

[RLucas]

Originally Posted by Mo22

Here are a few example pictures. I think they are too dark and they don't have that soft touch. The sky is actually blue with a few clouds. Let me know what you think. Thanks!

The only problem I see is the white balance. The first two look a little blue, and could use some warming. The last one looks good to me. Actually, I love it!