how to avoid a blown out sky?

[lin7604]

how can you do that? some days i it's a nice clear shy or a thin layer of cloud but in the pics it looks white once viewed... how can you avoid that?

 

[baloo_buc]

Try to keep the image within the DR limits of your camera. If the frame has a DR much wider than your camera then this happens.

The smaller the sensor the narrower the DR is so the issue will be more pregnant.
--
Victor
Bucuresti, Romania
http://picasaweb.google.com/victorpetcu69/
http://picasaweb.google.com/teodor.nitica/
http://picasaweb.google.com/vpreallize/
http://picasaweb.google.com/v.petcu.gci/
http://picasaweb.google.com/vpetcu.gci.arhiva/

 

[Billx08]

how can you do that? some days i it's a nice clear shy or a thin layer of cloud but in the pics it looks white once viewed... how can you avoid that?

By learning your camera's different metering modes (usually matrix, average and spot metering), learning your camera's peculiarities (some consistently over expose, some underexpose), and by learning how to get the camera to expose the way that you prefer. Other people might not like the exposures that you'd prefer. The sad fact of life is that cameras aren't able to capture the entire dynamic range that you'll find in most daylight scenes, so you'll have to first decide what you don't mind losing. It could be the highlights, and then you'd get the white skies you're seeing when they should be blue. Or you could sacrifice the shadow areas, getting blue skies but having excessively dark areas in the rest of the frame.

Some cameras have ways to increase the dynamic range, but there's usually a cost, such as more noise in the shadow areas. Each camera manufacturer has its own terminology. Nikon calls it Active D-Lighting. Fuji lets you select different dynamic ranges, from DR 100% up to DR 400%, or up to 800% and 1600% on some more recent models. At a more basic level, all cameras should have exposure compensation, and if you reduce the exposure using negative EC, that might be all that you need to do. But even if it works well at some times, it may not be appropriate for other shooting conditions, so you have to keep a close eye on what your camera produces to get consistently good results.

Like with any other field, practice makes perfect, so if keeping track of the camera's exposure seems cumbersome now, eventually it will become second nature, and you'll be adjusting the camera very quickly, and only when needed, without really thinking much about it. Just as most people felt pretty helpless and uncoordinated whey the first started driving cars, eventually many get to the point where they don't pay much attention to driving while driving. I don't know of anyone that eats, drinks, has cell phone conversations or reads magazines while using their cameras, but all of these are often done while driving. You could probably also multitask while using your camera, but you probably won't risk life and limb while taking pictures, unless you're one of the paparazzi.

 

[trekkeruss]

One way would be to use a graduated neutral density filter:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-grads.shtml

 

[AnandaSim]

The long answer is here:
http://dpanswers.com/content/tech_zonesystem.php#zs

However it is quite long and detailed and some people will say "I ask you for the time and you tell me how to make a watch"

The short answer is your camera cannot make the sky blue AND the shadow detailed without some help.

1. Reduce the light contrast. Make sure the sun is behind your back not in front.

2. Make sure that the sky is not extreme bright and the ground very dark e.g. in the middle of the day in summer in bright sun is tough compared to a cloudy day....
3. Use HDR technique
4. Get a more expensive camera with a bigger sensor (won't guarantee)

5. Sacrifice - either get the person's face ok and let the sky turn white or get the sky good but the person's face dark

6. Use in-camera or computer software software - shoot a bit dark and use techniques to lighten the picture

how can you do that? some days i it's a nice clear shy or a thin layer of cloud but in the pics it looks white once viewed... how can you avoid that?

--



Ananda
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/6861540877/a-compilation-of-tips-for-beginners
http://anandasim.blogspot.com/
http://gplus.to/anandasim

'Enjoy Diversity - Live a Little or a Lot'

 

[skyglider]

lin7604 wrote:

how can you do that? some days i it's a nice clear shy or a thin layer of cloud but in the pics it looks white once viewed... how can you avoid that?

Some ways:

1. When within flash range:

• Set camera's metering mode to evaluative (also known as matrix, multi-segment and multiple) so it evaluates the entire scene. This will expose for the brighter background. Use forced flash for proper exposure of the people. Both background and face nicely exposed. Must be within flash range.

2. When out of flash range:

• Set camera's metering mode to spot, place spot on face, half press shutter to lock focus and exposure, re-frame and take the picture. Exposure will be set for face so background will be blown out. Kid has to be somewhat stationary. This is used when zoomed in but you are too far from the subject for the flash to be effective.

3. Cut and paste:

• I've used this technique many times, especially on hotel balconies. Take a nicely exposed picture of the subjects with blown out background with out using forced flash. Sometimes the natural lighting presents a mood or casts shadows on the face that you don't want to lose by using forced flash. Ask them to move out of the scene and take a nicely exposed picture of the background. Cut and paste.

4. Library skies for item-2 above:

• It's also very helpful to take nicely exposed pictures of the sky and clouds and save them in your library. Not only on sunny days but overcast days and storm threatened days. Those pictures can be used to replace blown out skies when taking pictures of buildings and scenery. Match the sky to the actual conditions when the picture was taken. The nice thing about pictures of sky and clouds is that it doesn't matter where you take them. emoticon - wink

Sky

 

[lin7604]

thank you very much everyone! i will try to use my camera more effectively!

 

[iMac therefore iAm]

Post a sample then we can give you a solid answer - right now all the advice given is just wild @$$ guessing and really doesn't help.

-

 

[lin7604]

 

[Port Royal Dad]

The examples you posted are backlit.

There isn’t even lighting throughout the scene….meaning there are very bright areas as-well-as very shadowy areas. And your camera cannot compensate for the wide range of dynamic lighting. Our eyes can however, the wonderful gift of eye sight.

You can do a couple of things.

• Wait for the position of the sun to change so that the foreground and the background are evenly lit.
• Bracket your exposures: one for the highlights and one for the shadows and then combine the two shots using your photo editor.

As other’s have suggested too, you have a lot more control when in a situation the foreground can be illuminated by flash (direct or fill). This is when you would use your camera’s meter, ISO, Shutter speed, and Aperture to exposure for the ambient lighting; and then use your flash to expose for the foreground. Think of your shot as having two separate exposures: A Background and a Foreground.

This is an extraordinarily good technique to learn, because you can then shoot

• With direct sunlight in a backlit situation while highlighting a foreground subject.
• Expose for sunsets and sunrises while highlighting a foreground subject.

This whole flash business in-turn opens up a whole new door on how to use/manage your flash: working at or below the camera’s max sync speed, or using High Speed Sync, shooting Ettl or Manual mode. Each choice to use your flash has clear advantages in certain lighting situations. The fun part will be figuring this out.

Here’s a great website that’s dedicated to Flash Lighting , hosted by Neil Van NieKerk , with lots of tutorials and lessons, and articles. A super site, that if you take the time to read, take notes, and apply the knowledge, you’ll end up being a much better photographer.
http://neilvn.com/tangents/

For what it's worth, here are two quickie examples where I used my flash (580EX) as brute direct flash and as subtle fill.





Regards, Mike

--
B.R.A.S.S. (Breathe, Relax, Aim, Sight, Squeeze)



A Link To - WilbaW's Unofficial Rebel Forum FAQ- http://snipurl.com/RebelFAQ

 

[asp1880]

The following are Pentax specific directions:

Enable highlight protection on your K-x. It often works wonders on just this kind of blown skies you show in the example shots.

If that's not enough, apply a little (like -0.3 or -0.7) exposure compensation (the + - button).

If that then makes your image too dark overall, either apply low or medium shadow protection, and/or go into custom image tone and apply +1 or +2 "high/low key" adjustment.

If that then makes your image too flat and contrastless then revert all of the above, put the camera on a tripod and turn on the in-camera HDR function (if you had the K-r you could have done this handheld, the K-r can autoalign the HDR shot).

If you haven't got time or opportunity to try all those things, then switch from jpeg to raw, switch to spot metering, apply +1 exposure compensation, point the camera at the sky, press AE-lock, recompose, take the shot and fix everything at the computer afterwards using the Pentax DCU software.

Sincerely,
--Anders.

 

[baloo_buc]

The posted images show how important is to have good light in order to have good images. I would have underexposed a little bit (about 1 stop) and then use fill light in PP to bring some details in shadows. The moment of the day to make these photos was not an optimal one for that framing.
--
Victor
Bucuresti, Romania
http://picasaweb.google.com/victorpetcu69/
http://picasaweb.google.com/teodor.nitica/
http://picasaweb.google.com/vpreallize/
http://picasaweb.google.com/v.petcu.gci/
http://picasaweb.google.com/vpetcu.gci.arhiva/

 

[skyglider]

thank you very much everyone! i will try to use my camera more effectively!

If your camera has live histogram functionality and easy access to exposure compensation, learning how to use both can improve blown out problems immensely. For example, ever notice how a picture of a flower bed can have blown highlights on light colored flowers?

Set the histogram so it's displayed while you're composing your picture. Adjust exposure compensation so the right side of the histogram is not clipped (mashed up) against the right side of the histogram window. Ideally, the right "bottom" of the histogram mountain should just be touching the right side of the histogram window. Then snap the picture.

This will ensure that nothing is over exposed. Realize that along with not over exposing anything, in "certain scenes", other things can be under exposed. With practice, you can learn how to use the histogram most effectively.

Using the histogram and exposure compensation is not possible in full auto mode AFAIK. Switch to P (program) mode or what ever mode your camera has other than full auto mode.

Sky

 

[lin7604]

thank you everyone.. so much to learn

 

[iMac therefore iAm]

The problem is the lighting. The subjects are in the shade and portion of the sky you are shooting is in the glare of sun. There are a lot of ways - as discussed in this thread - to make the most of the situation but they will never produce a 'nice' photo. There is only one way to do these shots right: Wait for a time of day when the lighting is better.

--
Some cool cats that can use your help
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Even if you can't donate, please help spread the word.

 

[skyglider]

Hi Lin7604,

There was some sky retrievable using Photoshop. Also brightened up the people and scenery.

Your blown sky photo:





Same photo fixed using Photoshop:





Sky

 

[gwlaw99]

Not sure what camera you are using but most cameras will not have the dynamic range to be able to expose for a detailed cloudy sky as well as the rest of the photo. A graduated ND filter or taking bracketed photos for HDR is your best bet.

 

[iMac therefore iAm]

That 'fix' is a great example of why it's important to get the lighting correct in the first place. Yes, you brought out more details, but in the end the fix only draws even more attention to the sky as it looks like someone tried to fix a blown out sky.

Hi Lin7604,

There was some sky retrievable using Photoshop. Also brightened up the people and scenery.

Your blown sky photo:





Same photo fixed using Photoshop:





Sky

--
Some cool cats that can use your help
http://www.wildlife-sanctuary.org

Even if you can't donate, please help spread the word.

 

[skyglider]

That 'fix' is a great example of why it's important to get the lighting correct in the first place. Yes, you brought out more details, but in the end the fix only draws even more attention to the sky as it looks like someone tried to fix a blown out sky.

OK, so you don't have any images with blown out skies since you shoot perfectly each and every time. Hats off to your photography skills.

But for the rest of us who do have shots with blown out skies and want to salvage what we can out of shots that we can never take again, using a graphics editor like Photoshop to extract hidden detail is one alternative. It's not compulsory to use attempted fixes on images. Folks try and then make "personal" decisions whether to go with the original or "fixed" images. Nothing is carved in stone.

My comment to Lin7604 was
"There was some sky retrievable using Photoshop."
I was just pointing that out to try to help out.

One thing I've learned about dpr over the years is that there will always be a few that will post criticism but not offer actual techniques that the original poster can use to try to solve his/her problem.

Enough said,
Sky

 

[bernieraffe]

Unless I've missed it, nobody has mentioned the simplest answer!!

This short video from my website shows one great way of getting blue skies:-

http://greatphotographytips.co.uk/lighting/get-nice-blue-skies-in-your-photos-and-avoid-the-dreaded-white-skies

Cheers,
Bernie