Posted by Lindy Martin on November 19, 2009 at 3:52 PM
I need some advice on metering / exposure compensation. Had a great day yesterday with tons of waterfowl including Buffleheads. Most of the shots are just okay. The problem is the white tuft on the head, and white belly seem washed out, little detail seen. How do I set the exposure correctly and where should I be metering. Do I use spot, centred, or matrix. I tried -.7 compensation but it did not make a huge difference.
Thanks in advance for all the advice
Lindy
Given constant lighting conditions for a tough metering problem like this, try some test shots with different settings, make sure you're not getting blown whites, and stick to that exposure with manual settings.
Posted by Luke Ormand on November 19, 2009 at 8:08 PM
he easiest way to handle birds with HDR like mergansers or coots is to shoot with early morning , late evening, or overcast lighting. As soon as the sun starts getting high in the sky, it becomes almost impossible to properly expose the whites and the blacks without blowing out/clipping or both.
I use matrix metering and usually with a bird like a hooded merganser or bufflehead I'm shooting at -.7 EC. Can you post a photo so we can see where you are starting from? Also, on my D300s I have the preview set to "highlights" so as soon as I take a photo I can see if I've blown anything and can change my settings to correct it if I have.
- Luke
Posted by Buck Ward on November 19, 2009 at 9:17 PM
Dark birds with small white patches can be the dickens to expose properly. Obviously -.7 isn't enough. You may need to compensate by two full stops. The old saying is "Expose for the highlights." If you are using automatic exposure, shooting the bufflehead against a light background is going to be easier than against a dark background, that is, less compensation will be required. To set your exposure manually, use a clear sky. Check your exposure of the bufflehead in the LCD. Such a small patch of white may be hard to see in the histogram, unless you are really close, so rely in the highlight warning - the 'blinkies'. Adjust your exposure compensation accordingly. In bright sunlight, the rest of the photo may be quite dark.
Posted by Jim DeWitt on November 21, 2009 at 1:37 AM
Good suggestions above; I also use auto-bracketing the exposure compensation. In bright light you really have to hammer EC to get the whites.
Discussion
4 repliesThanks in advance for all the advice
Lindy
Given constant lighting conditions for a tough metering problem like this, try some test shots with different settings, make sure you're not getting blown whites, and stick to that exposure with manual settings.
I use matrix metering and usually with a bird like a hooded merganser or bufflehead I'm shooting at -.7 EC. Can you post a photo so we can see where you are starting from? Also, on my D300s I have the preview set to "highlights" so as soon as I take a photo I can see if I've blown anything and can change my settings to correct it if I have.
- Luke