Problem with pelicans and varying cloud backgrounds

[jdbb]

Hello all

I tried to get some shots of pelicans in flight today. It was overcast with clouds ranging from heavy grey to brighter white scattered across the sky. I had the camera in M mode and struggled to get the exposure anywhere near right as the birds flew from one cloud background to another. Trying to track the birds and change the camera settings at the same time is hard work.

I am thinking that this is probably a difficult situation to get the photos right, particularly for a beginner. Should I have left the camera in one of the basic zones, or used a different creative mode instead of staying in M.

[Lester Wareham]

I am no expert but I tend to use M mode and meter of grass or something else mid tone. This should work OK as far as changing backgrounds go, the only issue is if the light level changes rapidly.

[Kevin]

John, manual will work for you but with that much change you will probably see at least a 2 stop difference in exposure. My suggestion would be to use shutter priority and pick a shutter speed that you can pan/track and maintain sharpness. Depending on the focal length and distance to you subject you may be able to set your aperture wide open. Here is a DOF calculator if you need it http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html. Also, on cloudy or foggy days the camera's meter is a bit on the dumb side due to the lack of contrast. This means dark subjects against a cloudy sky will give you darker/underexposed subjects more so than what your eye sees. So, add some EV to your exposure, start with +1 EV and work up or down from there.

[jdbb]

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. I think it was the changing light levels that were causing the problem as the pelicans flew from a dark cloud background into a white background.

[gasrocks]

Birds in flight almost always requires manual exposure (if there is a chance that they will not just be against one background, as opposed to sky, clouds, trees, etc.)

[Lester Wareham]

Birds in flight almost always requires manual exposure (if there is a chance that they will not just be against one background, as opposed to sky, clouds, trees, etc.)

That was my experience also, works perfectly as long as the actual light level on the ground does not change.

Now I am unclear if it was the background changing or the sun going in and out of clouds for the OP, I originally thought the former.