Anyone read Outdoor Photographer??

[MrKickalot]

I was reading the artical about daylight exposures (pg 54) the December issue of Outdoor Photographer and I am slightly lost. This could be because I missed something in the artical or I needed a little pre-artical education. All the "scenerios" start with "Basic" What is "Basic"? Is this something you have to figure out with experience or is there a starting point for different types of pictures?

[Scottes]

They're talking about the "Sunny 16" rule. On a cloudless sunny day set your shutter speed to the inverse of the ISO, or whatever is closer.

So 1/100 for ISO 100 (generally this will be 1/125). For ISO 400 use 1/400 (1/500) and so on.

These numbers can be adjusted a bit. The rule is for a cludless sunny day at noon for a frontlit subject. A few clouds? Set your shutter slower. Sidelit? Set the shutter slower. (Of course, slower shutter = larger aperture)

http://medfmt.8k.com/mf/sunny.html - Long, but the chart near the top is handy.

[jboyd]

when I learned this, the "16" of "Sunny 16" also means you start at f16.

[robertwgross]

They probably don't get to use the Sunny 16 rule in Great Britain. They probably have a Foggy 4 or something.

---Bob Gross---

[PacAce]

robertwgross wrote:
They probably don't get to use the Sunny 16 rule in Great Britain. They probably have a Foggy 4 or something.

---Bob Gross---

:D :D :D :D :D

(please somebody help me, my side is hurting so badly 'cuz I can't stop laughing!)

[Scottes]

when I learned this, the "16" of "Sunny 16" also means you start at f16

Oops. That was kind of important to mention... :-)

[psk4363]

Hi Bob,

No way -we use the "oh dear me" (or the current version) "it's raining yet again" rule!

Apart from this very dry year thus far that is then we Anglo-Saxons revert to the usual "Oh bollocks!" variant!

Cheers,
Barry

[robertwgross]

I had the opposite problem from fog, and Sunny 16 didn't work.

I was shooting on the white salt flats of Death Valley on a bright sunny day. I was getting bright spots everyplace. That was a good place to use a polarizer and/or a graduated neutral density filter, just to cut out brightness.

---Bob Gross---

[Ballen Photo]

psk4363 wrote:
Hi Bob,

No way -we use the "oh dear me" (or the current version) "it's raining yet again" rule!

Apart from this very dry year thus far that is then we Anglo-Saxons revert to the usual "Oh bollocks!" variant!

Cheers,
Barry

Barry, I understand your translation here quite well, as some of my friends live in London. :)
.......Bruce

[Ballen Photo]

robertwgross wrote:
They probably don't get to use the Sunny 16 rule in Great Britain. They probably have a Foggy 4 or something.

---Bob Gross---

ROFLMAO!!!

[iwatkins]

robertwgross wrote:
They probably don't get to use the Sunny 16 rule in Great Britain. They probably have a Foggy 4 or something.

---Bob Gross---

Sunny ? Looked up that word in my English dictionary. Wasn't there. :)

"Sunny 16" rule in the UK means if you think it might be sunny, you need to expose for 16 seconds at ISO 100.

Cheers

Ian

[Canuck]

psk4363 wrote:
Hi Bob,

No way -we use the "oh dear me" (or the current version) "it's raining yet again" rule!

Apart from this very dry year thus far that is then we Anglo-Saxons revert to the usual "Oh bollocks!" variant!

Cheers,
Barry

What about "Goodness gracious me?" or "Oh, bugger!" in whatever context. There is also "Rubbish!"

There is also the "...it rained twice this month, once for 14 days, and once for 16 days."

I have several years experience here in England shall I say... I really like it here!

Re: the foggy four...hell, some days you would be lucky to see your hand in front of you, much less take pics of anything other than fog. Go into the fens of Cambridgeshire/East Anglia is all I have say. I laugh at 50 ft visibility! It comes down to knowing the roads.

[iwatkins]

Canuck wrote:
... Go into the fens of Cambridgeshire/East Anglia is all I have say. I laugh at 50 ft visibility! It comes down to knowing the roads.

Not only knowing the roads, but knowing there are 12 foot drainage ditches either side of said roads :)

Cheers

Ian

[Canuck]

iwatkins wrote:
Canuck wrote:
... Go into the fens of Cambridgeshire/East Anglia is all I have say. I laugh at 50 ft visibility! It comes down to knowing the roads.

Not only knowing the roads, but knowing there are 12 foot drainage ditches either side of said roads :)

Cheers

Ian


Ian,
I so forgot about that...Thanks! Man am I ever laughing!

Need I remind you of the A1101 between North of Kenny Hill and Littleport? Shippea Hill is the best! You have a 90 degree turn and you HAVE to slow down! Having been here a good long time and going to Ely many times I'm really familiar with that road. There are also some wicked ones on the A1123 between Stretham and Soham. Those are the ones that come to mind straight away. Gotta love the fens, eh?

[MrKickalot]

Thanks all!! Now here's the kicker!! I re-read the artical and he does mention "Sunny 16" but as I looked closer he says his "Basic" is 1/500 at f/6.3 or f/7.1 @ ISO 100. Should I go with the Sunny 16 or the author's "Basic"

[arthurb]

Here in Florida we use the "Sunny 32" rule, or sometimes the "Gator is blocking all the light" rule.

:)


Some folks have used the "Holy crap, the hurricane just blew away my house" rule.

:)

Any special rules in California?

[Belmondo]

arthurb wrote:Any special rules in California?

Here it's 'Sunny 16 on the Richter Scale."

Image stabilization really comes in handy out here.

[GPR1]

MrKickalot wrote:
Thanks all!! Now here's the kicker!! I re-read the artical and he does mention "Sunny 16" but as I looked closer he says his "Basic" is 1/500 at f/6.3 or f/7.1 @ ISO 100. Should I go with the Sunny 16 or the author's "Basic"

If you do the math, his basic is the same: Sunny 16 is f16 at 1/ISO. At 100 ISO that's f16 at 125th second (the closest shutter speed on most cameras). He's just opened the appeture to f6.3 or 7.1, and increased the shutter speed correspondingly. In this case, opening the lens two stops and increasing the shutter two stops. It's the exact same amount of light hitting the sensor.

Greg

[defordphoto]

Here in Washington State we have the Mildew 16/8 Rule where you'd like to shoot f16, but because of all the mildew, you must shoot f8 instead. It's similar to GB's Foggy 4 Rule.

[mjordan]

robertwgross wrote:
I had the opposite problem from fog, and Sunny 16 didn't work.

I was shooting on the white salt flats of Death Valley on a bright sunny day. I was getting bright spots everyplace. That was a good place to use a polarizer and/or a graduated neutral density filter, just to cut out brightness.

---Bob Gross---


I find in situations like this, leaving the lens cap on really helps.

;D

Mike

[mjordan]

In Oregon, the one basic rule we all learn is to always shoot with the moss to our backs. That way, if the sun was out from behind the clouds, it would be behind us and our subjects will be front lit.

Mike