Exposing for dark skin in dark situations

[photography by trish]

I've been doing some gigs where this same situation seems to come up regularly.

What do I do if I am doing a shoot at a small venue where there is close to no lighting and dark people? I've been cutting off hands cuz I can't see them in my viewfinder. I've also been making the darkest people the right color, and the lighter skin people turn out orange!

Is there any way to master this problem?

Thanks and more thanks!

[yogestee]

Trish,, its always a problem exposing in dark venues.. All I can suggest is to bump up your ISO setting to 800ISO or 1600ISO..

It sounds like the orange cast in your photos is due to tungest lighting which gives off a very warm colour cast.. In your white balance menu you have a setting for tungsten lighting.. Set your WB to tungsten and see how you go..

[photography by trish]

It sounds like the orange cast in your photos is due to tungest lighting which gives off a very warm colour cast.. In your white balance menu you have a setting for tungsten lighting.. Set your WB to tungsten and see how you go..


Does changing my white balance to tungsten apply to me if i'm shooting in a black room with my 580exII? It's my only light, but is it tungsten?

[neilwood32]

Use a grey card to help get your white balance correct and then make sure you properly expose.

DO NOT rely on the metering in camera- it is easily fooled by differences in reflected light.

I would try to take a few sample shots in full manual mode with various settings to find settings which give you a properly exposed photo (the blacks look black and the whites look white) and then keep those settings (irrespective of what the meter says!).

[PhotosGuy]

Does changing my white balance to tungsten apply to me if i'm shooting in a black room with my 580exII? No. Use a grey card to help get your white balance correct and then make sure you properly expose. Or use the Flash pre-set. I would test to be sure that the cam setting matches the flash WB, so using a gray/white card would be a good idea before you leave home. DO NOT rely on the metering in camera- it is easily fooled by differences in reflected light.

I would try to take a few sample shots in full manual mode with various settings to find settings which give you a properly exposed photo (the blacks look black and the whites look white) and then keep those settings (irrespective of what the meter says!). I agree. More on that in post #3
Tips for Xmas Ball Please (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=419399)

[Exposure101]

From what I know you can turn up the ISO and meter off the person's skin. That should help make things more clear cut.

[PhotosGuy]

you can turn up the ISO and meter off the person's skin. That should help make things more clear cut. Why meter off the darkest people when you can meter off your own hand?
Try manual in those tough conditions. For a good starting point, first set the f-stop & shutter speed you need for the effect you want. Then the other parameter: f-stop or shutter speed. Then adjust the ISO.
Need an exposure crutch? (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=89123)

[Rudeofus]

Why meter off the darkest people when you can meter off your own hand?
Try manual in those tough conditions. For a good starting point, first set the f-stop & shutter speed you need for the effect you want. Then the other parameter: f-stop or shutter speed. Then adjust the ISO.

I'm not sure whether a properly set exposure is the full answer. Dark skin reflects not only less light than light skin, it also shows a lot of specular reflection, whereas compared to that light skin is pretty diffuse. In order to get an image where dark people are not just properly exposed but actually look good, some extra lighting might be required to accommodate these special requirements.

[PhotosGuy]

I agree. The OP needs to modify our advice depending on his venues & experience in them. Testing seems to be a lost art when people can just ask questions. ;)
If flash is needed, see post #3
Tips for Xmas Ball Please (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=419399)