Photographing Swimming Pools

[mattyb240]

Hi,

Yesterday I had my first go at photographing swimming pools for a friend of mine, I admit now my lens is not wide enough for the shots, but am just wondering how hard people find it to give it a good exposure due to reflections, over head lighting, natural light through windows.

I only had a quick five minute go, I tried taking exposure from outside, next to the pool on the copings, and an exposure in between. This is what I managed taking the exposure from a compensated exposure. Is there anyway to get it better without editing? Or is it a case of "dodging" the dark areas? Also I know this isn't the straightest but it was just a quick test to see what it would turn out like. The more I look at it would a fill flash help maybe bounced off the roof? I have no experience with flashes!

Thanks!

[TheFloridaShooter]

Did you use a tripod? If you shot this in RAW you have more options to edit in photoshop.

[nphsbuckeye]

Circular polarizing filter. Make it your friend to combat the glare from the pool.

Also, make friends with HDR - don't make it look like a painting - but use it to bring back ranges.

[Tony-S]

Yeah, HDR is the way to go. If you have sunlight outside (windows) and dim inside, you're talking about 5-7 exposures around 1 stop apart. Meter the window light, then the darkest inside spot to gauge your exposure range.

[SuzyView]

I'd go as far to the ground as possible to get the shot as well. That makes the room look bigger, too.

[heycow]

Can you shoot by the corner to your left? That way the windows will be lighting the pool rather than messing up your metering. All depends on the background of the hidden wall, etc. Also, Can you shoot it more squared on? From either the long end or the side?

Also, consider shooting it on a clear moonlit night.

[Tony-S]

There's also photostitching if you can't get wide enough.

[mattyb240]

Thanks for the suggestions,

heycow, I can't go to the left due to a sauna in the corner, and my lens is not wide enough to go straight on which is very unfortunate.

This was all used using a circle polariser but only some reflections were minimised, this was not a serious attempt in capturing the image for composition or the best look, it was mainly for experimentation of obtaining the correct exposure. I will definitely try a bracketed exposure and attempt a HDR which should be good!

Unfortunately it was shot at around 2pm in the afternoon, the next attempt I go for will hopefully be early morning or late evening for a better light. The reasoning behind me even attempting this is my friend spent £1000 on a 450D with two lens combo an leaves it in the magical green box setting so it doesn't look anywhere near as good. So I want to get experience myself on shooting pools (as he is a swimming pool builder) to try and show him a better way!

Thanks for the replies so far, its all food for thought!

[DYORD]

i wonder how you got that well exposed (with details) and not over-exposing the outside. I'm still a newbie.. everytime i see these kinds of scenario, i knew i would blow the outdoor.

[mattyb240]

I just thought I would update this thread, I tried a more serious attempt today with tripod in hand. Wasn't going for composition again but exposure, and did my first HDR using a total of 7 exposures ranging from the darkest in the room to the brightest.

Let me know what you think as I would be keen to hear opinions.

Thanks

[Tony-S]

A nice improvement. HDR is completely cool, eh? I'd get off-center a bit more, though.

[mattyb240]

Thanks Tony, my only real complaint of it so far is that it doesn't appear that sharp? Although this image is compressed it just doesn't seem quite there but I can't put my finger on it? Also this was all done on a tripod with shutter release so in theory no movement should be there.

And thanks I will try a bit more off centre next time! Hell that could even be tomorrow!

[Tony-S]

I use Photomatix Pro, which has an alignment tool. But since you're were on a tripod, it shouldn't matter. I assume you kept aperture constant and changed shutter speed. What was the slowest shutter speed you used and what was the ISO. Sometimes noise can cause an image to look less sharp. But from the image you have it doesn't look like much of an issue to me.

[mattyb240]

Yeah was just a shutter speed change, I have just done the alignment tool which makes it look better, and the iso was 200.

[egordon99]

Flash/off-camera lighting. You set your shutter speed/aperture/ISO so that the outside doesn't blow, and then you set your lights/flash to an appropriate power (based on ISO, f-stop) to illuminate the inside.

i wonder how you got that well exposed (with details) and not over-exposing the outside. I'm still a newbie.. everytime i see these kinds of scenario, i knew i would blow the outdoor.

[mattyb240]

I have little knowledge of flashes but would that not cause reflections off the water? Sorry if that sounds dense!

[Tony-S]

Flash/off-camera lighting. You set your shutter speed/aperture/ISO so that the outside doesn't blow, and then you set your lights/flash to an appropriate power (based on ISO, f-stop) to illuminate the inside.

He's doing HDR. A flash should be unnecessary. He needs to set his exposures base upon the brightest and dimmest parts of the room and then do the exposures.

[In2Photos]

Thanks Tony, my only real complaint of it so far is that it doesn't appear that sharp? Although this image is compressed it just doesn't seem quite there but I can't put my finger on it? Also this was all done on a tripod with shutter release so in theory no movement should be there.

And thanks I will try a bit more off centre next time! Hell that could even be tomorrow!
Matt, do you have a laptop that you could use to change the settings? Even though you are using a shutter release when you change the settings on the camera there is a chance of movement. With a HDR ANY movement will be noticeable as softness in the image. A laptop with the EOS Utility will allow you to change the settings from the laptop itself, as well as pressing the shutter button and should completely eliminate any chance of movement.

[mattyb240]

Matt, do you have a laptop that you could use to change the settings? Even though you are using a shutter release when you change the settings on the camera there is a chance of movement. With a HDR ANY movement will be noticeable as softness in the image. A laptop with the EOS Utility will allow you to change the settings from the laptop itself, as well as pressing the shutter button and should completely eliminate any chance of movement.

Yes I do have a laptop! An may well give that a shot when I net get chance sounds like a nice clever idea! And to the above posters as well the bottom image is the result of brightest and dimmest parts.