problems with dark photos taken in cloudy n dull condtions

express1

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David
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I often use the full auto mode,but now i want to leave the Auto mode and use the manul, but,i seem to have problems with settings,ie,using my camara in low light,ie low cloud and drizzle condions for taking photos of aircraft landing at an airport,which my photos come out dark and not sure what's the best settings to use. I'd be very greatfull if someone can tell me the best settings for this type of weather,ie, exposure,ISO,AV, speed, ect. As i'm fed up with deleting my photos because to the poor quality of my photos.

My camara is a Canon 1000D and i use a 70-300mm Marco lens

regrds
david :thumbs:
 
As i'm fed up with deleting my photos because to the poor quality of my photos.

Then don't delete them, post them up here. It'll give us a much better idea of what's causing them not to come out how you want.
 
If in manual mode set the aperture or shutter speed you want, then use the in camera meter to adjust either the aperture or shutter speed and iso you need to get a correct exposure. Work off the in camera meter reading and if still too dull you can compensate with exposure compensation or by adjusting one of the other settings.

Having never shot in these conditions someone else may have better advice but this would be mine to start off with. Hope it helps.
 
If in manual mode set the aperture or shutter speed you want, then use the in camera meter to adjust either the aperture or shutter speed and iso you need to get a correct exposure. Work off the in camera meter reading and if still too dull you can compensate with exposure compensation or by adjusting one of the other settings.

Having never shot in these conditions someone else may have better advice but this would be mine to start off with. Hope it helps.

the In camara meter always reads -2 but i don't know how to ajust it!!

dave
 
...and if you are taking photos of aircraft then set the metering to centre-weighted otherwise your camera will try and create an exposure average that includes the sky rather than just the subject. You don't want that.

Sorry but how do i get to move the metering to centre-weighted ?

regrds
dave
 
The -2 is telling you there is not enough light coming in for a correct exposure. You have three ways to move from -2 to 0 :

Use a slower shutter speed - be careful about going too slow and introducing blur due to camera shake.

Use a wider aperture (smaller number) - obviously this is limited by the lens you are using.

Use a higher ISO - using really high ISOs may introduce noise to your picture, but that's better than getting no picture at all.

Or you could use a combination of all three of the above.
 
The -2 is telling you there is not enough light coming in for a correct exposure. You have three ways to move from -2 to 0 :

Use a slower shutter speed - be careful about going too slow and introducing blur due to camera shake.

Use a wider aperture (smaller number) - obviously this is limited by the lens you are using.

Use a higher ISO - using really high ISOs may introduce noise to your picture, but that's better than getting no picture at all.

Or you could use a combination of all three of the above.

ok thanks for the info,i'l try that right now

regrds
dave
 
Here's a sample aircraft shot taken in conditions of overcast skies and drizzle. Viz was bad enough that the next flight was cancelled and the whole show packed in for the day. The exposure here was set manually at 1/200, f/7.1, 400 ISO and is unedited apart from white balance. There is no doubt some editing would improve it, but this is just to show an example of an exposure under the conditions you describe. It wouldn't hurt for it to be a little brighter, and I think maybe f/5.6 would have been a better choice than f/7.1.

20110614_120039_000.jpg


I chose 1/200 because I wanted to capture some blur in the prop for other photos taken during the flight. For non prop planes I would usually be aiming for higher shutter speeds as there is no prop blur required. For drizzly conditions I suggest you start off at more like 1/400, f/5.6, 800 ISO and adjust from there. Of course there is cloudy and there is cloudy, so one size does not fit all, but that's a starting point which ought at least to get you a visible image. You can fine tune from there.

In conditions of bright sunshine you could be looking to shoot at maybe 1/800, f/5.6, 100 ISO or 1/800, f/8, 200 ISO. There are many ways to slice and dice the problem. Between bright sunshine and a drizzly day you are looking at around a four stop difference in the ambient brightness. There are many combinations of exposure setting which could be used to cover that range. There is no one right answer to any of it. You have to consider your own limitations, that of your equipment, the speed of the subject and also your creative intent for the control of motion and DOF, as well as deciding how you want the image exposed.

That may sound like a lot to get your head around, but it will fall into place. You should also get used to checking the histogram to verify exposure accuracy, as viewing the preview image on the camera alone may mislead you. Note I included the histogram in my screen capture above. That's important! It shows me I have a large gap on the right hand side, which, with the benefit of hindsight, is why I think I should have pushed the exposure higher in camera.
 
the In camara meter always reads -2 but i don't know how to ajust it!!

dave

Hi Dave,

I would research and have a read up on exposure so you can understand how it works, and the relationship between ISO, shutter speed and aperture. Bryan Peterson has a good book called "Understanding Exposure" or there is plenty of information online and in this forum.

Once you understand these fundamentals you will find this really easy.

Phil
 
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