Too bright shooting pelicans

[Rich S]

My shots are coming out over blown. I am using AV Al Servo 160-320 ISO and f/5.6. I need to change something to fix the problem. I am using spot metering. Ideas please? Thanks ....Rich

[Jim G]

It would help if you posted an example. And what model of camera you're using.

Going off what you're saying, though, try dialling in some - (minus) exposure compensation.

[Rich S]

I am on vacation and just checked the pics from today Canon 50D and 300mm f/4L IS. Iwas thinking the minus too, there are Egrets here and they are against the dark rocks also...Whoo...

[FlyingPhotog]

You've got three "handles" you can adjust...

Shutter Speed
Aperture
ISO

You need to either:
- Raise your shutter speed by a stop or more
- Stop down by a stop or more
- Lower your ISO by a stop or more

Any (all) of the above will reign in the highlights.

The question then becomes, what happens to the shadows and are you shooting in condtions where the dynamic range is beyond being able to be captured in one frame?

[Rich S]

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc150/blackies_owner/IMG_7422_1-1-1.jpgHere is a RAW converted to a jpeg staight across...

[FlyingPhotog]

Looks pretty darn good here...

Working on a laptop without a calibrated screen by any chance?

[andrewhuxman]

Not to bad ,the whites are a little hot but all in all not bad, change your metering perhaps try Center Weighted or Evaluative. I see you shot at High Noon 12:01 33 sec... light at its most harsh.

[Dave 1942]

I agree with the above post. I would use evaluative or center weighed metering and then compensate from there. I use evaluative metering and then if the overall scene is brighter than middle tone, I ad 1/3 to 1/2 over-exposure because your camera meter will try to underexpose to middle tone.. Opposite is true if scene is darker than middle tone..

Dave

[rrdjserv@earthlink.net]

A polarizer might help a tad. Have you tried manual exposure?

[Kevin]

There's really no solution to hot spots in harsh afternoon sun, especially with a subject where the BG is full of specular highlights as with water. What you can't really see with your naked eye is that the specular highlights in the water and white plumage is actually without tonality (color), meaning it is nearing color 256 caused by the harsh afternoon sun. So if you underexpose either in manual mode or by using EC all you will be doing is attempting to add tonality into what really isn't there. The more you underexpose you begin to add tonality into the whites (reducing blinkies) and you will begin to see the whites turning grayish. Metering in Evaluate mode will work the best and watch your histogram. Your histogram should resemble the scene, this scene being very bright your histogram will be to the right, even partly against the right limit. I find that I actually go the other direction with my exposure in this situation. Depending on the amount of specular highlights and the percentage of area my subject takes up in the scene I will either expose at meter reading or +1/3 to +2/3. Primarily because the cameras meter is reacting to so may specular highlights that it is already reducing exposure and if you have shadows, which you always do in midday sun, the shadows will be greatly underexposed. A good example is photographing snow in bight sunlight. If you let the camera meter the scene it will underexpose leaving the snow without all the highlights you normally see and cause it to become gray and dull. In this case you would add 1 2/3 to 2 stop EC in order to pickup those bright highlights and the snow will remain white.
You can us a CPL but it will only be effective if you are 90 degrees or so to the sun, if not it will just add more contrast to the water the shadows will suffer more underexposure and the specular highlights will still be there.

Here is a metering example I did for a workshop I held on metering. http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevcole/2982431451/in/set-72157608461534392/

[Dave 1942]

Rich S:

Instead of using Spot metering, I would suggest, on this image, that you use evaluative metering. If your spot metering was on the dark spots on the pelican when you took the shot, the camera meter would have overexposed the shot, trying to get it to middle tone. Evaluative metering would have averaged out your scene and gave you a better result. I use Evaluative metering almost exclusively, unless I am shooting in snow or some other extenuating circumstances. Even using my Evalautive metering, I would probably have dialed in +1/3 exposure compensation on that shot.

Just my humble opinion..

Dave