very basic question
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Leslie
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It sounds like you might be over exposing the sky part of the image. If your subject is in shade and you are exposing that part correctly then there is probably too much light coming from the sky to show any details and it simply shows up as white.
If you could post some examples it would be better if we could have a look.
If you could post some examples it would be better if we could have a look.
billybob99
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Sounds like the sky is blown out, camera is taking a average metering reading for the whole scene and the difference between the dark areas and the sky are too great, and the detail is lost, post up some pictures to show the problem. you can get around this in various ways, filters or using bracketed exposures for example
jockwav
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I agree about the ND filters,do a little research on these,thats what i did & they are really good for getting the sky exposure looking good.
They are great once you get to grips with them.
new2me
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Without suggesting buying filters and getting technical (because I'm not experienced enough myself) i'd suggest you make sure the sun is behind you. If these were taken around midday (going by exif details) then it's a little more difficult to do, so try again earlier or, later in the day.
thanks ill keep that in mind
vizzair
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There are series of good tutorials on "cambridgeincolor" website,
this one shows why the camera doesn't see what you do, other tutorials are a good read, some are a bit technical, but can be worth reading.
this one shows why the camera doesn't see what you do, other tutorials are a good read, some are a bit technical, but can be worth reading.
Phil V
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The problem with this advice, is that whilst it answers the OP's immediate problem, it also sets them up for never taking a great photograph.
As great photographs are about 'interesting' light, it's rarely going to happen with the sun over your shoulder, the starting points being sidelighting and backlighting.
For the OP, I'd suggest a little PP trickery, as in the old days the sky detail would have been burned in, I'd shoot RAW and process a copy of the image with sky detail and do a little lightweight HDR or image sandwiching, or mixing exposures, or whatever else you'd call it.
tdodd
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When you have overcast skies the whole sky becomes your light source. Therefore when you include the sky in your composition you are effectively shooting into your own lighting. This makes it very difficult to expose for the light source itself and the subject and the rest of the scene.
When you have a sunny day the sun is your light source and the rest of the (blue) sky is just another part of the scenery, which makes it relatively easy to photograph, unless you include the sun itself in the frame.
In the situation of overcast skies I will shoot raw and manually set an exposure that puts the brightest part of the sky at the brink of clipping. Then using software I will adjust the rest of the scene until I get an aesthetically pleasing/acceptable result. Here is one such example....
The red areas show the clipped highlights. The blue areas indicate clipped shadows. You will see that I have been able (quite easily) to lift the details in the shadow areas and mid tones without losing anything in the highlights. The tiny area which remains clipped is, IMHO, inconsequential and I've retained plenty of detail in the sky.
Another example here, this time without the need to lift the foreground, but still shot with a manual exposure to secure enough of the highlights from the backlit sky to be able to manufacture a usable image. Once again the exposure was locked manually based on metering the sky, not the subject, and checking the histogram and highlight alert blinkies....
Others have suggested alternative approaches, which might give you a better result in the end, but aren't always viable when the scene includes movement or may require a bit more setting up before the shot.
When you have a sunny day the sun is your light source and the rest of the (blue) sky is just another part of the scenery, which makes it relatively easy to photograph, unless you include the sun itself in the frame.
In the situation of overcast skies I will shoot raw and manually set an exposure that puts the brightest part of the sky at the brink of clipping. Then using software I will adjust the rest of the scene until I get an aesthetically pleasing/acceptable result. Here is one such example....
The red areas show the clipped highlights. The blue areas indicate clipped shadows. You will see that I have been able (quite easily) to lift the details in the shadow areas and mid tones without losing anything in the highlights. The tiny area which remains clipped is, IMHO, inconsequential and I've retained plenty of detail in the sky.
Another example here, this time without the need to lift the foreground, but still shot with a manual exposure to secure enough of the highlights from the backlit sky to be able to manufacture a usable image. Once again the exposure was locked manually based on metering the sky, not the subject, and checking the histogram and highlight alert blinkies....
Others have suggested alternative approaches, which might give you a better result in the end, but aren't always viable when the scene includes movement or may require a bit more setting up before the shot.
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HoppyUK
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It's a common problem, as explained by Tim.
Manufacturers often include a setting that goes some way to doing in-camera what Tim is doing in post.
Canon calls it Highlight Tone Priority, Nikon's version is Active D-Light (I think). Canon also has Auto Lighting Optimiser that might help too, together with careful exoposure setting.
Edit: Tim, is that an albatross? Rather a nice snap in a Zen kinda way
Manufacturers often include a setting that goes some way to doing in-camera what Tim is doing in post.
Canon calls it Highlight Tone Priority, Nikon's version is Active D-Light (I think). Canon also has Auto Lighting Optimiser that might help too, together with careful exoposure setting.
Edit: Tim, is that an albatross? Rather a nice snap in a Zen kinda way
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tdodd
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Guess I missed the edit there, Richard. Yes it is an albatross, shot from a boat on an "albatross viewing trip" while travelling around New Zealand and stopping off for a while in Kaikoura. There was a bit of a swell, which made it all the more interesting trying to frame the birds and not fall over. 
HoppyUK
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Guess I missed the edit there, Richard. Yes it is an albatross, shot from a boat on an "albatross viewing trip" while travelling around New Zealand and stopping off for a while in Kaikoura. There was a bit of a swell, which made it all the more interesting trying to frame the birds and not fall over.