Why 4000 ISO and why so bright??

[Angy]

There's another guy at the local mountain bike races and his pics are always SO bright! I know mine tend to be on the darker side, but the latest pics he took are just neon green! I'll post a pic and his camera info and tell me what you think.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v353/Snoop9700/k.jpg

His camera settings are... EOS 50D Mark ll, 1/180, f/6.0, manual exposure, 95mm, flash off, pattern metering, ISO 4000!

So why is the pic so bright?? He said he didn't work on them, so I can't imagine it's post processing, unless he did a huge batch process? All the pics he took look just as bright! He also took some in ISO 3200!

Granted my camera only goes to 1600 ISO, so I don't know what 3200 or 4000 will do to a pic.

[Biffbradford]

First off, that's a lousy spot to shoot, but anyway those are goofy settings.

[Mike R]

I'm not sure what metering mode he used . I would guess that it was evaluative. I don't shoot this sport but I would have started with Partial metering mode on the rider. Another thing to consider is if he was using a Picture Style but I bet it was his choice of metering.

[dmwierz]

This is a tough situation (strong backlight and subject in the shadows). According to the EXIF he used manual exposure so his metering mode won't impact the shot.

I'm not sure I understand the question - this is simply an improperly-exposed image, and that's why it's "so bright". Check the histogram posted below. It shows the highlights blowing out in the background and the underexposed mid-tones (most of the rider).

The best way to have shot this image is with flash and zoom in further on the rider to minimize the impact of the very bright background.

Other than that, I certainly would have chosen a different spot to shoot from.

[Angy]

I shot this race too and there wasn't a "good" spot to shoot from. It was very woodsy and lots of shadows and sun alternating, so not ideal for the best shots. I shot in the woods too, but mine were much better as far as color.

Here's a sample of what I got in the woods. Yes I know the pic isn't the best (I can see lots wrong), but it was in the woods parts and I didn't get neon green. And I chose this one to show you how much shadow/sun there was going on. I used my XTI, pattern metering, f/2.8, 1/160, ISO 400, 70mm.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v353/Snoop9700/8-2-09190.jpg

[dmwierz]

OK, so the location wasn't the best - was flash not allowed?

[Angy]

Flash was allowed. My flash isn't fast enough to recycle for all the shots I want to take. Although once the guys spread out a bit it would have been okay. The first time they come through they are so close together you just keep clicking. In the other guys pic, it was taken near the beginning of the race when the guys were close together. Mine was at the end of the race and I had just ran over to this spot so didn't get to adjust the camera.

[Dan-o]

I shot this race too and there wasn't a "good" spot to shoot from.

There is no such thing. You have to be creative. If the back grounds suck don't show them by shooting super tight. Also if the lighting sucks bring your own as Dennis suggested.

I love the type of conditions you show above as you can do so much with off camera lighting to get some real cool effects. Here are a few examples that are completely back lit but with fill light.

http://dmunson.smugmug.com/photos/613562725_EqdUf-X3.jpg

http://dmunson.smugmug.com/photos/613562695_M43m4-X3.jpg



These were off camera low and rider left.

http://dmunson.smugmug.com/photos/613562691_xo2Do-X3.jpg

http://dmunson.smugmug.com/photos/613562686_4mV44-X3.jpg

I don't mean to hijack your thread with pictures but it is just easier to show some examples.

[DennisW1]

There's another guy at the local mountain bike races and his pics are always SO bright! I know mine tend to be on the darker side, but the latest pics he took are just neon green! I'll post a pic and his camera info and tell me what you think.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v353/Snoop9700/k.jpg

His camera settings are... EOS 50D Mark ll, 1/180, f/6.0, manual exposure, 95mm, flash off, pattern metering, ISO 4000!

So why is the pic so bright?? He said he didn't work on them, so I can't imagine it's post processing, unless he did a huge batch process? All the pics he took look just as bright! He also took some in ISO 3200!

Granted my camera only goes to 1600 ISO, so I don't know what 3200 or 4000 will do to a pic.

Sorry to be harsh but there's nothing about this photograph that I would care to emulate. Maybe learn what doesn't work, but that's about all.

Aside from everything else the background is so blown out as to be almost painful to look at. I'd start with much more conservative (make that realistic) camera settings, especially a much lower ISO setting and go from there.

I liked you example much better, a little PP work and cropping and it would be pretty darn good

[eigga]

My flash isn't fast enough to recycle for all the shots I want to take

Given that situation I would have opted for a few great images with added light over a lot of mediocre ones without flash

[dmwierz]

Flash was allowed. My flash isn't fast enough to recycle for all the shots I want to take. Although once the guys spread out a bit it would have been okay. The first time they come through they are so close together you just keep clicking. In the other guys pic, it was taken near the beginning of the race when the guys were close together. Mine was at the end of the race and I had just ran over to this spot so didn't get to adjust the camera.

Angy, Actually, you rarely NEED a flash that recycles quickly. Take HS football at night, where flash is used all the time - practice will allow you to hit your shot with the first smash of the shutter with no requirement for the flash to recharge quickly - you should be able to do the same with cycling. And, I happen to love backlit shots. When you nail them (as shown above by Danny) you can get amazing subject separation and a very cool look. Here's one I just took that has a completely hot white background, yet the subject is pretty well exposed. The only real blown out area (other than the sky, which is fine in this example) is the sun flare where the ball meets the sky, which in my opinion is acceptable.

[Angy]

Sorry to be harsh but there's nothing about this photograph that I would care to emulate. Maybe learn what doesn't work, but that's about all.

Oh no, I don't want to emulate that at all! No way, the pic is horrible. I was asking why his was like that becuase I want to make sure my pics never look like that!!

[Angy]

There is no such thing. You have to be creative. If the back grounds suck don't show them by shooting super tight. Also if the lighting sucks bring your own as Dennis suggested.

I love the type of conditions you show above as you can do so much with off camera lighting to get some real cool effects. Here are a few examples that are completely back lit but with fill light.

I don't mean to hijack your thread with pictures but it is just easier to show some examples.


Thanks for the examples and tips. Unfortunally I only have the flash that is on my camera. No funds for an extra one yet either. So I have to work with the little flash I do have. I do crop pretty tight on my photos so weed out bad backgrounds.

[dmwierz]

Angy,

You might be surprised how much fill your on-camera flash can provide. Also, I believe Danny may have been suggesting you shoot tighter to minimize the exposure impact of the background - not crop tighter.

BTW, I can't imagine there ever being a circumstance where I would shoot higher than ISO 1000 in daylight - even on the cloudiest days (with or without rain).

[jbergdoll]

Another thing the photographer did wrong, besides ISO4000, was hosting on PHOTOBUCKET!

[Angy]

No, I hosted it on Photobucket. He has them on some other site.

[D2Sports]

Oh no, I don't want to emulate that at all! No way, the pic is horrible.

Am curious if he knows you're posting his pics in a photography site to be critiqued/critisized?

[bensherman2]

^ I thought this as well, Dan-o great shots loving the 4th one.