How to prevent blown-out sky?

[Mike Collins]

You didn't mention what you were taking a picture of. If it is routine candid shots of people, then the SIMPLEST thing to do is put the camera in manual, meter the sky, adjust to properly expose the sky, and then use fill flash to fill the shadows. Setting white balance on whatever works for the sky should give an acceptable result. Your profile says you have a DRebel... not sure if it will let you do this or not, but I would think that it would if the camera is in manual.

The key thing about this suggestion is that I believe it is the SIMPLEST. There are many techniques that might yield a different result, but this will work if the difference in exposure between the sky and subject isn't too great. (I realize this won't work for landscapes where the mountains are a mile away... but he didn't mention anything about landscape shots)

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Regards, Mike - 1DMkII/D2H/D70

 

[TLE]

Well with a 350d (sync to 1/200) that might prove difficault without having to set the aperture to F22 or something like that.

And there is no FP flash on that camera I think (not sure though).

Many answers given here could work more or less. But the -by far- simplest solution I gave earlier on. A washed out sky is really the most normal phenomena in the world in case of backlight.

Get the sun behind you and the sky will turn beautifully blue -it's magic-! (Heck no, it's plain simple photography).

Theo

You didn't mention what you were taking a picture of. If it is
routine candid shots of people, then the SIMPLEST thing to do is
put the camera in manual, meter the sky, adjust to properly expose
the sky, and then use fill flash to fill the shadows. Setting
white balance on whatever works for the sky should give an
acceptable result. Your profile says you have a DRebel... not sure
if it will let you do this or not, but I would think that it would
if the camera is in manual.

The key thing about this suggestion is that I believe it is the
SIMPLEST. There are many techniques that might yield a different
result, but this will work if the difference in exposure between
the sky and subject isn't too great. (I realize this won't work
for landscapes where the mountains are a mile away... but he didn't
mention anything about landscape shots)

--
Regards, Mike - 1DMkII/D2H/D70